The female black widow spider is the most easily recognized, her shiny black body giving great contrast to the red hourglass marking on her round abdomen. Adult black widow spider males are harmless, about half the female's size, and usually have yellow and red bands with spots on their backs. The legs of the male are much longer in proportion to his body than that of the female, with its body half the size.
Brown recluse spider adults are soft-bodies, yellowish-tan to dark brown. The adult body varies from 1/3-to 1/2 inch in length. With the legs it can be an overall size of 1 inch diameter or greater. The brown recluse spider has a distinctive darker brown violin-shaped mark, with the neck of the violin pointing towards the abdomen.
Wolf spiders range from about 1/2 inch to 2 inches in length, hairy, and are typically brown to gray in color with various markings or lines. Wolf spider mothers carry their large egg sacs around with them. When the young spiderlings hatch they climb onto their mother's back and ride around until partially grown. Wolf spiders are not poisonous, though as with all spiders, bites may cause reactions in certain individuals.