Album of Nooksack River Crossing Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 3 June 2016 spider collecting trip to the banks of the Nooksack River near Nugents Corner, Whatcom County, Washington. We collected mainly at public access points on both sides of the river, plus a small cemetery in the nearby town, and a brief stop several miles southeast near Mud Lake which I couldn't reach. Every stop added some spider species, for a total of 35. Laurel didn't blog this trip due to a lack of cone fauna.
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Nooksack River Crossing of Washington State Highway shade under bridge, bank of Nooksack River at Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington
Nooksack River highway crossing       (USDA, 2015) Shady under the bridge on the west bank          © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford sweeping riverbank field, Nooksack River at Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington grassy river bank field, Nooksack River at Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington
Net-bearing Rod in riverside field        © Laurel Ramseyer Grassy field along the west bank              © Rod Crawford
boulder riprap, bank of Nooksack River at Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington boulder riprap, bank of Nooksack River at Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington
Spider niches among boulders        © Laurel Ramseyer Boulder riprap along river bank          © Laurel Ramseyer
agelenid spider Cryphoeca exlineae under rock, bank of Nooksack River at Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington sheep in paddock near Nooksack River at Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington
Cryphoeca exlineae from boulder habitat © Laurel Ramseyer Sheep may safely graze near spider collectors              © Laurel Ramseyer
jumping spider Salticus scenicus on riverbank boulder, Nisqually River at Washington State Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington grassy riparian field, Nisqually River at Washington State Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington
Salticus scenicus on riverbank boulder   © Laurel Ramseyer More riparian field habitat                  © Rod Crawford
honey bee on blackberry flower, Nisqually River at Washington State Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington River with sandy bank, Nisqually River at Washington State Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington
Honey bee does nose dive in blackberry flower    © Laurel Ramseyer Big river with sandy bank                      © Laurel Ramseyer
Theridion varians spider Theridiidae from east bank, Nisqually River at Washington State Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington Theridion varians spider Theridiidae from west bank, Nisqually River at Washington State Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington
Atypical Theridion varians, east bank      © Laurel Ramseyer Typical Theridion varians, west bank           © Rod Crawford
cobbles on gravel bar, east bank, Nisqually River at Washington State Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington gravel bar on east bank (from west bank), Nisqually River at Washington State Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington
East bank gravel bar surface          © Rod Crawford Gravel bar as viewed from west bank          © Laurel Ramseyer
Rod Crawford sweeping field by east bank parking lot, Nisqually River at Washington State Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington moss on maple trunk, east bank, Nisqually River at State Hwy. 542 crossing, Whatcom County, Washington
Rod sweeps bigger field on east bank     © Laurel Ramseyer Siftable moss on maple trunk         © Rod Crawford
maple-cottonwood leaf litter on east bank, Nisqually River at Washington State Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington large cottonwood and maple trees on east bank, Nisqually River at Washington State Hwy. 542, Whatcom County, Washington
Cottonwood – maple litter   © Rod Crawford Large litter-making cottonwood and maple trees             © Rod Crawford
shrub understory, east bank, Nisqually River at State Hwy. 542 crossing, Whatcom County, Washington Harpaphe haydeniana, xystodesmid millipede, east bank of Nisqually River at State Hwy. 542 crossing, Whatcom County, Washington
East bank featured abundant shrub understory   © Rod Crawford Rod sifted this Harpaphe haydeniana                   © Rod Crawford
crab spider Thomisidae Ozyptila pacifica male, Nisqually River at State Hwy. 542 crossing, Whatcom County, Washington gnaphosid ant mimic spider Micaria pulicaria, east bank, Nisqually River at State Hwy. 542 crossing, Whatcom County, Washington
Male Ozyptila pacifica, also sifted         © Rod Crawford Male Micaria pulicaria, also sifted        © Rod Crawford

We took additional species at Bethany Lutheran Cemetery (in town of Nugents Corner) and a strip of fern-understory forest a few miles SE by Mud Lake.

Laurel samples one pine cone, Bethany Lutheran Cemetery, Nugents Corner, Whatcom County, Washington church and cemetery, Bethany Lutheran Cemetery, Nugents Corner, Whatcom County, Washington
Laurel hopefully taps her one pine cone      © Rod Crawford Laurel strolls past picturesque Bethany Chapel               © Rod Crawford
cross carved from stump, Bethany Lutheran Cemetery, Nugents Corner, Whatcom County, Washington diverse conifer foliage, Bethany Lutheran Cemetery, Nugents Corner, Whatcom County, Washington
Nice wood-grained cross carved from stump © Rod Crawford Productive spruce & fir foliage at cemetery               © Rod Crawford
blackberry thicket between highway & habitats, Mud Lake, Whatcom County, Washington road cut cliff, Mud Lake, Whatcom County, Washington
No luck reaching Mud Lake through blackberry     © Rod Crawford Road-cut cliff also blocks access             © Rod Crawford
forest fern understory near Mud Lake, Whatcom County, Washington Skagit Delta agricultural flats, near Mount Vernon, Washington
But fern understory across highway was productive    © Rod Crawford Skagit Delta seen from I-5 on the way home               © Rod Crawford
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This page last updated 5 November, 2018