Harmless Wolf Spider

I find spiders fascinating.  I've written a couple of blog entries about spiders.

This one about a beautiful little yellow spider:  http://windyacresnaturalfarm.blogspot.com/2010/09/can-you-see-me-now.html

And, this one about an Argiope or "garden spider":  http://windyacresnaturalfarm.blogspot.com/2010/08/black-and-yellow-argiope.html

A couple of weeks ago, I found this spider on the side of our house.

This is a Wolf Spider.  They generally live outside and "hunt" for their food, hence the name "wolf" spider. They do build webs, but these are for shelter and protection, not for capturing prey.  Their diet consists mostly of insects.  Wolf spiders are one of the largest spider families and vary greatly in size, anywhere from 3mm in body length to 30mm.  Some species live in burrows in the ground and most are nocturnal.

Wolf Spiders are harmless and pose no threat to humans.  They sometimes enter buildings through cracks, but generally they stay outside.

There are only two kinds of spiders in Oklahoma that one needs to be careful of.  Those are the Brown Recluse and the Black Widow.   Black Widows generally live OUTSIDE, although, cold and drought can drive them indoors. 

Oklahoma State University has a great fact sheet on spiders in Oklahoma.  

http://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-2294/EPP-7301webcolor.pdf