Goin' with either Hogna carolinensis or H. aspersa. Tough call on the wolfs.

Thanks, day by day!
It looks more like the pictures of hogna carolinensis that I found on the internet than the ones of h. aspersa, but wolf spider is enough for me!
MissSherry

I had an encounter for the first time with what my daughter called a "wolf spider." Apparently it came in with the wood for the fireplace. Wow, freaked me out, & I don't normally care. It was so fast. My dogs clued me in thank God, trying to catch it.

Hi Miss Sherry,

I'd agree that your spider is a Wolf spider, but I've never tried to figure out which Wolf is which. They're quite shocking when they catch you by surprise, aren't they? I've found a couple IN my home, and frequently find them on my front porch. Once my neighbor was screaming in her garage, and I ran over to find her cornered by one. I was laughing so hard I nearly cried, and so was she after I quickly crouched and managed to scoop up the spider between my hands. It didn't bite, but the legs wiggling in my hands as it crawled around looking for a way out was really creepy; I was very happy to let it go as soon as I made it back to my yard. One that I found inside had babies on her back; I have photos here: http://butterflies.heuristron.net/others/spiderWolf.html

You mentioned that you were planting snakeroot; have you seen butterfly caterpillars on it? Can you post a few pictures? I'm still looking for some to add to my butterfly garden.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://butterflies.heuristron.net/others/spiderWolf.html