Album of Rock Rabbit Lakes Field Trip

Selected photos (by Laurel Ramseyer and Rod Crawford) from a spider collecting trip to Upper Rock Rabbit Lake (north side of Keechelus Ridge NE of Snoqualmie Pass, Kittitas County, Washington). We picked this subalpine site because the season was advancing beyond the time of good lowland collecting. Even at 4190 feet elevation, spiders were a little sparse, but we managed to bring an old 6-species sample up to 30, including several very interesting records. This beautiful mountain lake definitely supports plenty of mosquito larvae! On the plus side, it is not one of your popular hiking destinations, and we saw nary a human from the time we left the freeway. See Laurel's account of the day here.
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2006 aerial view of Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington Mt. Rainier seen from Keechelus Ridge, Kittitas County, Washington
Rock Rabbit Lakes from the air (Kittitas County, 2006) Good view of Mt. Rainier from the road              © Rod Crawford
Partial washout on Forest Road 120, route to Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington Keechelus Ridge from the basin of Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Condition of the road prompted us to hike  © Rod Crawford Keechelus Ridge looms over the lake basin      © Rod Crawford
Swan Lake from trail to Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington Small meadow near Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Swan Lake glimpsed on the way; no dancers visible  © Rod Crawford Small meadow (with spiders) on our route to the lake    © Laurel Ramseyer
Caltha biflora at Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington Upper lake at Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Caltha biflora             © Rod Crawford First sight of the lake               © Rod Crawford
Laurel Ramseyer on talus at Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington Talus and shrubland at south end of upper lake, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Laurel on the prowl for Arctosa and Sitticus      © Rod Crawford South shore: talus and shrubs           © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford photographing Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington Island in upper lake, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Rod on a rock, taking album photos     © Laurel Ramseyer We wonder how many have visited this island? Not us!       © Rod Crawford
Young Trillium ovatum, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington Clear water, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Young, white Trillium flowers     © Rod Crawford Cool, clear water               © Laurel Ramseyer
older, deeper colored flower of Trillium ovatum, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington Vaccinium shrub community on talus, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Older Trillium flowers take on color       © Rod Crawford Huckleberry shrub meadows seemed almost spider-free     © Laurel Ramseyer
flower crab spider Misumena vatia with prey on Trillium ovatum, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington sifting leaf litter for spiders, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
One Trillium supported Misumena vatia  © Laurel Ramseyer Natural rock table was handy for sifting litter        © Rod Crawford
talus boulders, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington talus, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Plenty of rocks to look under    © Laurel Ramseyer Boulder talus produced a few good spiders         © Rod Crawford
white pine cone Pinus monticola, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington patchwork of habitats at head of Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Laurel's favorite habitat under a lone white pine    © Laurel Ramseyer Patchwork of forest, shrubland and talus        © Laurel Ramseyer
coast elderberry Sambucus racemosa at Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington pink mountain heather Phyllodoce empetriformis, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Laurel took several species on elderberry © Laurel Ramseyer Mountain heather, Phyllodoce empetriformis        © Rod Crawford
Flowers and cones of slide alder Alnus sinuata, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington thicket of slide alder Alnus sinuata on shore of upper lake, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Catkins and cones of slide alder, Alnus sinuata     © Rod Crawford Alder thickets made lake shore access "interesting"       © Laurel Ramseyer
Zelotes rainier constructing egg sac, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington outlet stream of upper lake, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Zelotes rainier constructing egg sac    © Laurel Ramseyer Lake is the ultimate source of Gale Creek        © Laurel Ramseyer
bark of large true fir Abies on lake shore, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington Large log on lake shore, Rock Rabbit Lakes, Kittitas County, Washington
Bark of large true fir on lake shore    © Laurel Ramseyer Large log lying on lake shore         © Laurel Ramseyer


This page last updated 11 June, 2015