Album of Spider Lake Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Fred Austin from our 13 July 2013 spider collecting trip (with Jerry Austin) to Spider Lake (how'd I miss that before!) and nearby Dusk Point in the southeastern Olympic Mountains, Mason County, Washington. Spider Lake is home to many spiders (although likely named after water striders) and a magnificant old-growth hemlock stand. Dusk Point was the site of an old fire lookout and gave us a bunch of conifer-foliage spiders. A good and productive day — until we had our flat tire!
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aerial photo of Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington trailhead sign, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
Aerial view of the lake          (Mason County, 2011) Trailhead sign; see, there really is such a lake        © Rod Crawford
Fred Austin unloading field gear at Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington Rod Crawford and Jerry Austin head out on the trail, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
Fred unloads field gear         © Rod Crawford Rod and Jerry head out on the trail           © Fred Austin
old growth western hemlock trunk, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington trail through ferns, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
Old growth hemlock trunk          © Rod Crawford Trailside fern understory          © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford prepares to sift litter for spiders, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington south end of Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
Rod ready to start sifting           © Fred Austin South end of Spider Lake              © Rod Crawford
dead wood spider habitat, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington nurse log, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
Dead wood spider habitat           © Rod Crawford Nurse log                   © Rod Crawford
microspider Lepthyphantes zelatus Linyphiidae from litter, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
Lepthyphantes zelatus             © Rod Crawford View of lake from the circum-lake trail            © Fred Austin
Devil's Club Oplopanax horridum under bridge, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington log bridge along trail, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
Devil's club in a ravine             © Rod Crawford Log bridge: hold on!                 © Rod Crawford
leaf litter in alder woodland, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington alder Alnus rubra woodland surrounding marsh, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
Alder litter had spiders          © Rod Crawford Alder woodland surrounded lake-end marsh         © Rod Crawford
belt of woody shrubs around marsh, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington belt of willows around marsh, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
Woody-shrub zone inside willows          © Rod Crawford Willow zone inside alder zone               © Rod Crawford
bracken Pteridium adjacent to lake-end marsh, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington north end of Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
Bracken adjacent to marsh         © Rod Crawford Great marsh at north end of Spider Lake            © Rod Crawford
edge of marsh with Spiraea shrubs, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington marsh at north end of Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
Edge of marsh with shrubs        © Rod Crawford Expanse of sedge in lake-end marsh              © Rod Crawford
wild mint in lake-end marsh, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington footbridge over Cedar Creek, north end of Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
"Odorous indeed must be the mead" with so much mint!          
© Rod Crawford		 Footbridge over Cedar Creek                © Rod Crawford
Spiraea densiflora in bloom, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington reflections on water, Spider Lake, Mason County, Washington
Edge of marsh with shrubs        © Rod Crawford Reflections on the lake              © Fred Austin

Our second site was the peak of Dusk Point, reached by a nice little hike up an old road.

aerial view of Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington alders encroaching on road, Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington
Peak & climbing route from the air (Mason County, 2011) Alders made road too narrow for Fred's car              © Rod Crawford
Jerry Austin gets ready to hike up Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington view from top of Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington
Jerry getting ready to hike            © Rod Crawford View from the top: I'm king of the mountain!              © Rod Crawford
beargrass Xerophyllum tenax on Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington possibly beetle-damaged forest stand from Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington
Beargrass beside the climbing route       © Rod Crawford Forest stand possibly beetle-damaged            © Rod Crawford
true-fir Abies foliage, Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington spider Theridion lawrencei from Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington
True-fir foliage            © Rod Crawford Theridion lawrencei                    © Rod Crawford
hemlock Tsuga foliage, Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington abdomen of spider Pityohyphantes rubrofasciatus, Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington
Hemlock foliage            © Rod Crawford Bright abdomen of Pityohyphantes rubrofasciatus        © Rod Crawford
bad photo of rabbit on Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington male orbweaver Cyclosa conica, Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington
I couldn't get close enough to rabbit for a good photo  © Rod Crawford Jerry got this nice Cyclosa conica                     © Rod Crawford
dusk on Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington Mount Rainier from summit of Dusk Point, Mason County, Washington
Dusk descends on Dusk Point            © Rod Crawford Mount Rainier from the top                    © Fred Austin
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This page last updated 28 August, 2013