I'd agree with the "jumping spider" description. How big was this one?
There is a common species Phidippus audax commonly called the "daring
jumping spider" (sounds like a phrase from a movie trailer) that is found
throughout most of N.A. These spiders get up to 15mm for females with
males being just a little smaller.

As for being good in a garden I think that every sort of spider is good in
a garden, even black widows and brown recluses although having many of
those around would make one more careful about reaching blindly into a
tomato plant feeling for ripe ones. I figure that spiders eat insects and
many insects eat plants therefore the more spiders the better.


I spent 15 years in Vegas in a neighborhood with black widow infestations.
They don't like gardens, but prefer dry undisturbed corners and enclosed,
sheltered locations. I think it's the moisture they avoid, as well as the
constant motion of wind and people watering and working around the plants.
I've opened kitchen cupboards and found a large one built a nest overnight.
I've reached into a bag of flour to find one had crawled in and setup a
nest. I came too close to being bit that time. If you know what to look for,
you will see these webs along sidewalks, in corners, just about everywhere
you look. But I rarely saw one in my garden, a black widow would not build a
nest in a tomato plant. The exception might be if it's a large plant
sprawled on the ground. Black Widows are nocturnal, and prefer dark places
for webs, another reason you might not see many of them in the garden. There
are a few spiders that should be killed on sight, and the black widow is one
of them. This spider has no place in home or garden.

/soapbox

This particular specimen was about 3/8 of an inch long, and rather pretty.
Very unusual looking. Very short legs, and highly mobile. It would actually
move to look at me as I moved my head around to get a good look.