This is the Canopy Jumping Spider (Phidippus ostiosus). I got this picture chilling out at Patriots Point, SC. My wife saw it crawling around and got all freaked out. I spent 5 minutes chasing it around so I could get this picture. After looking it up in one of my guides (Common Insects and Spiders of the South Carolina Lowcountry) I found out how cool it was to actually see this spider. These spiders are rarely seen because, as their name suggests, they live up in the canopies of the forests in the treetops. They do not make a web and like other jumping spiders attack prey by leaping on them and taking them by surprise. They live in the southeastern US from North Carolina all the way to Texas. The females can get as large as 16 mm (0.6 in). They have iridescent fangs that can range from purple to green in color. The females lay their egg sacs under the bark of oak and pine trees during the winter and spring. These are cool spiders and if you have arachnophobia you need not worry because these spiders are not harmful to humans. They do not bite humans (unless they feel really threatened and can’t get away), and even if they did their venom is nontoxic to humans. To me, they are beautiful little creatures.
Jay's Nature Blog 