Album of Bush Point Field Trip

Selected photos (by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer) from the second part of our 12 May 2010 spider collecting trip on Whidbey Island (Island County, Washington). Back in December 2007, on a trip to Marrowstone Island across Puget Sound, we spent a few minutes collecting in the wrong place and got 12 species there! Bush Point, not very prepossessing habitat-wise, edges into the other side of that same gridspace. By dint of womanful and manful effort, we scraped together enough spiders at the point (called "Lighthouse Shores" in suburb-speak) to bring this up to 26 species, and included was the not very common Theridion agrifoliae. A short, successful trip and back home before sunset for a change.
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1997 aerial photo of Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington

Pond on Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington
Bush Point was suburbated some time ago     (Island County, 1997) Pond lies in the one piece of public (county) land    © Rod Crawford
roadside habitat at Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington cobweb weaving theridiid spider Theridion agrifoliae female from Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington
Spider collector finding slim pickings!    © Laurel Ramseyer One good spider from the roadside: Theridion agrifoliae      © Rod Crawford
carapace of wolf spider Pardosa dorsuncata, Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington difficult access to pond and marsh, Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington
Carapace of Pardosa dorsuncata      © Rod Crawford Laurel bravely ran the gantlet of horrid plants to reach the marsh      © Laurel Ramseyer
stand of salmonberry Rubus spectabilis beside the pond, Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington edge of marsh on east side of pond, Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington
Forlorn stand of native salmonberry among invasives  © Rod Crawford Beyond the blackberry barrier, a nice marsh         © Laurel Ramseyer
retreat of orbweaver Larinioides patagiatus on cattail Typha, Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington marsh and pond on Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington
Retreat of Larinioides patagiatus on cattail      © Laurel Ramseyer East shore, natural marsh; west shore, back yards        © Laurel Ramseyer
homeowners' sign at Bush Point Lighthouse, Whidbey Island, Washington beach at Bush Point Lighthouse, Whidbey Island, Washington
Homeowners think they own the lighthouse, though the county assessor says otherwise      © Rod Crawford Fine-looking but forbidden beach         © Rod Crawford
Bush Point Lighthouse, Whidbey Island, Washington native lodgepole pine in beach house yard, Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington
No spiders found on the lighthouse itself    © Rod Crawford We got pine-foliage spiders thanks to a nice lady whose yard this is     © Rod Crawford
roadside ditch at Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington linyphiid spider Bathyphantes brevipes from pond marsh at Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington
Habitat in a ditch: our last-ditch effort  © Rod Crawford Laurel swept a Bathyphantes brevipes with greenish legs in the marsh         © Rod Crawford
grassy vacant lot, Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington crab spider habitat in grassy vacant lot, Bush Point, Whidbey Island, Washington
Finally, decent sweeping in a vacant lot   © Rod Crawford Introduced Xysticus, not native Misumena in crab spider habitat  © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 29 May, 2010