Album of Minkler Lake Preserve Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 25 May 2017 spider collecting trip to western Skagit County, Washington. First we spent an hour at Edgewater Park in the town of Mt. Vernon to supplement a 19-species sample from nearby sites; with foliage, pine cones and a building we quickly built it up to 28 species. Our main plan was to collect in the Skagit Land Trust preserve at Minkler Lake, east of Sedro Woolley. Unfortunately, between swamp water and invasive blackberry, we barely penetrated the preserve itself, but from the periphery (mainly along the Cascade Trail) we got 33 species, making 36 with prior records. Laurel's account of the day is posted here.
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Edgewater Park (Mt. Vernon, Skagit County, Washington) boat launch from the air, 2015 spider-rich Douglas-fir habitat, Edgewater Park (Mt. Vernon, Skagit County, Washington) boat launch
Edgewater Park boat launch area    (Skagit County, 2015) Spider-rich Douglas-fir foliage              © Rod Crawford
black pine tree Pinus nigra in riparian woods, Edgewater Park (Mt. Vernon, Skagit County, Washington) boat launch Edgewater Park (Mt. Vernon, Skagit County, Washington) boat launch
Black pine tree in riparian buffer woods  © Laurel Ramseyer The boat launch: not our intended site, but worked out fine     © Rod Crawford
2015 aerial photo of Minkler Lake area, Skagit County, Washington Laurel Ramseyer on the Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington
Minkler Lake at center right; our stretch of Cascade Trail dashed; red dot is final locality          (Skagit County, 2015) Laurel strolls by cows on initial pasture stretch             © Rod Crawford
Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington Cascade Trail passes through farm near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington
Shade is a long way ahead            © Rod Crawford Last farm before entering the woods            © Rod Crawford
cows, Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington Wiseman Creek bridge, Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington
Moo!                    © Laurel Ramseyer Wiseman Creek bridge produced some good spiders        © Laurel Ramseyer
Killdeer nesting beside Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington hay field south of Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington
Daring killdeer nested right beside trail  © Laurel Ramseyer Hayfield marks farthest we went on the trail            © Laurel Ramseyer
Skagit Land Trust sign, Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington passing through alder-swamp woods, Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington
We didn't get much farther into the preserve than this
© Rod Crawford		 But at least the trail took us dry-shod through the swamps     © Rod Crawford
unidentified micromoth, Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington dogwood shrub beside Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington
Tortricid, likely Epinotia albangulana   © Laurel Ramseyer Red Osier Dogwood and other trailside shrubs            © Rod Crawford
pocket of rich maple litter beside Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington bigleaf maple tree beside Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington
Pocket of rich maple litter            © Rod Crawford Three trailside maples helped us get a sample               © Rod Crawford
moss and herbs at base of maple tree, Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington passing through swampy woods, Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington
Moss & herbs at base of maple         © Rod Crawford Trail continues through swampy woods                      © Laurel Ramseyer
bumble bee Bombus sp., Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington swampy alder forest beside Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington
Bombus sitkensis or flavifrons      © Laurel Ramseyer In the alder swamp (short stretch above water)             © Rod Crawford
Callobius spider, Amaurobiidae, probably C.severus, from Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington open water in alder swamp, Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington
Juvenile Callobius (severus?)            © Laurel Ramseyer Open water in the alder swamp                © Laurel Ramseyer
zebra jumping spider Salticus scenicus with mayfly prey on bridge, Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington flowing stream drains part of swamp, Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington
Salticus scenicus with mayfly prey    © Laurel Ramseyer Flowing stream drains part of swamp                 © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford goes through understory beat sample, Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington trailside foliage, Cascade Trail near Minkler Lake, Skagit County, Washington
Rod goes through understory beat       © Laurel Ramseyer Lush trailside foliage               © Rod Crawford
barrier of invasive blackberry Rubus armeniacus, Minkler Lake Preserve just west of lake, Skagit County, Washington Douglas-fir tree with good spider fauna, Minkler Lake Preserve just west of lake, Skagit County, Washington
Barrier of horrid invasive blackberry       © Rod Crawford Good conifer foliage by Minkler Road rounded out sample     © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 30 May, 2017