Album of Tower Road Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 4 June 2026 spider collecting trip with Kathy Whaley and Jerry Austin to sites in northern Cowlitz County, Washington. First we collected at large Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery in Castle Rock, getting a basic full (but heavily skewed toward introduced species) sample of 24 spider species in rather short order. Then on to smaller Rosin Cemetery and finally Tower Bridge (both along Tower Road to the NE of Castle Rock) where we got 48 species from a separate gridspace. Two areas completed from scratch in one day!
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Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery, Castle Rock, Washington from air in 2023 entrance to Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery, Castle Rock, Washington
Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery       (Cowlitz County, 2023) Entrance to Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery                   © Rod Crawford
damaged grave vase, Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery, Castle Rock, Washington Kathy Whaley sampling grave vases, Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery, Castle Rock, Washington
Wonder what happened to this vase?        © Rod Crawford Kathy collecting spiders from grave vases           © Laurel Ramseyer
juvenile crab spider Bassaniana utahensis, Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery, Castle Rock, Washington where I sneaked into the woods alongside Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery, Castle Rock, Washington
Juvenile Bassaniana utahensis         © Rod Crawford A gap in the perimieter fence gave me woods access         © Rod Crawford
female spider Cicurina simplex from grave vases, Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery, Castle Rock, Washington spider Zelotes tenuis from grave vases, Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery, Castle Rock, Washington
Female Cicurina simplex from grave vases        © Rod Crawford Female Zelotes tenuis from grave vases                        © Rod Crawford
red cedars at edge of Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery, Castle Rock, Washington moss and understory in woods next to Whittle-Hubbard Cemetery, Castle Rock, Washington
Jerry beat overhead red cedar foliage       © Rod Crawford Moss & understory in woods next to cemetery                © Rod Crawford
spider sites on Tower Road, Toutle Valley, Cowlitz County, Washington Rosin Cemetery, Tower Road, Toutle Valley, Cowlitz County, Washington
Sites on Tower Road in red         (Cowlitz County, 2023) Edge of Rosin (Tower Road) Cemetery                         © Laurel Ramseyer
Rod Crawford & Kathy Whaley at Rosin Cemetery, Tower Road, Toutle Valley, Cowlitz County, Washington salal at Rosin Cemetery, Tower Road, Toutle Valley, Cowlitz County, Washington
Rod & Kathy after cemetery spiders    © Laurel Ramseyer Salal that Laurel beat for spiders                        © Laurel Ramseyer
Douglas-fir cones at Rosin Cemetery, Tower Road, Toutle Valley, Cowlitz County, Washington harvestman Phalangium opilio on fence, Rosin Cemetery, Tower Road, Toutle Valley, Cowlitz County, Washington
Douglas-fir cones added 1 species      © Laurel Ramseyer Phalangium opilio on chain link fence               © Laurel Ramseyer
upland grass, Tower Bridge River Access, Toutle River, Washington bridge at Tower Bridge River Access, Toutle River, Washington
Upland grass at Tower Bridge site           © Rod Crawford Tower Bridge, itself (no towers, alas)                    © Laurel Ramseyer
Bathyphantes spider under river cobble, Tower Bridge River Access, Toutle River, Washington perched flood debris at Tower Bridge River Access, Toutle River, Washington
Bathyphantes under river cobble          © Laurel Ramseyer Look how high this perched flood debris is!                © Laurel Ramseyer
river cobbles, Tower Bridge River Access, Toutle River, Washington placid-looking river, Tower Bridge River Access, Toutle River, Washington
Cobbles at edge of gravel bar           © Laurel Ramseyer Placid appearance of the Toutle belies raging floods          © Laurel Ramseyer
alder canopy at Tower Bridge River Access, Toutle River, Washington spider Philodromus josemitensis from Tower Bridge River Access, Toutle River, Washington
Alder canopy by bridge parking lot          © Rod Crawford Philodromus josemitensis                         © Rod Crawford
unidentified Walckenaeria spider from litter, Tower Bridge River Access, Toutle River, Washington edge of cottonwood stand, Tower Bridge River Access, Toutle River, Washington
Unidentified Walckenaeria from cottonwood litter     © Rod Crawford Edge of cottonwood stand with litter & moss               © Laaurel Ramseyer
Calymmaria spider from under river cobble, Tower Bridge River Access, Toutle River, Washington gravel bar on river, Tower Bridge River Access, Toutle River, Washington
All the Calymmaria under rocks were juvenile     © Laurel Ramseyer Big gravel bar along the Toutle                  © Rod Crawford
kitchen at Betty's Place, Toledo, Washington sign for Betty's Place, Toledo, Washington
Hamburgers under construction at Betty's  © Rod Crawford Betty's Place, our fave western Washington burger joint      © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 9 August, 2026