Album of Hog Island Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 31 May 2025 spider collecting trip (with Kathy Whaley) to northern Cowlitz County, Washington. We didn't quite set foot on Hog Island, but we were awfully close at the Hog Island county boat launch, where there were super-lush grass and shrub habitats and Laurel caught a unique Walckenaeria. Then up to a nearby clearcut where a hightly productive conifer beat and other habitats brought us up to 48-49 species! This success despite some brief periods of drizzle and rain.
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location of boat launch and clearcut sites, Hog Island area, Cowlitz County, Washington kayakers in Cowlitz river, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington
Our riverbank site & clearcut to the west     (Cowlitz County 2023) Kayakers on the placid lower Cowlitz River              © Rod Crawford
thimbleberry plant(s), Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington view of the island from Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington
Thimbleberry stand                   © Rod Crawford Hog Island itself. See, I told you we were close!              © Rod Crawford
grassy river bank, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington unknown male spider, genus Walckenaeria, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington
Grassy river bank, habitat of…          © Laurel Ramseyer Laurel's unknown Walckenaeria male                 © Rod Crawford
Kathy Whaley with beating net, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington Kathy Whaley sweeping for spiders, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington
Kathy, prepare to sweep!            © Laurel Ramseyer Now, sweep!               © Laurel Ramseyer
nettle, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington wall of understory shrubs, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington
Nettle was in the way of my leaf litter     © Rod Crawford Wall of understory shrubs, full of spiders             © Rod Crawford
leaf litter, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington riverbank overhang, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington
Leaf litter had fair spiders            © Rod Crawford Shady riverbank overhang                    © Laurel Ramseyer
spider Thymoites camano from rock face, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington vegetated vertical rock face, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington
Female Thymoites camano…             © Rod Crawford …from this vegetated vertical rock face               © Laurel Ramseyer
banana slug and Calymmaria spider web on rock face, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington ferns to beat, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington
Pretty banana slug & Calymmaria web   © Laurel Ramseyer Ferns to beat                           © Rod Crawford
fire ring, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington sparse moss on tree trunk, Hog Island Boat Launch, Cowlitz County, Washington
Fire ring habitat               © Laurel Ramseyer Moss, though sparse and dry, could be sifted               © Laurel Ramseyer
grass in clearcut on Casey Road, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington
Grass in clearcut                © Rod Crawford Grass & conifer foliage available in abundance               © Rod Crawford
Pardosa vancouveri wolf spider with progeny, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington dense planting in clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington
Pardosa vancouveri were active in grass © Laurel Ramseyer Clearcut was very densely planted with Douglas-fir          © Rod Crawford
Laurel Ramseyer inspecting her net, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington Douglas-fir foliage, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington
Laurel collecting from her net             © Rod Crawford Douglas-fir foliage, an excellent spider habitat               © Rod Crawford
juvenile Oxyopes salticus, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington Laurel Ramseyer sorting sweep sample, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington
Juvenile presumed to be Oxyopes salticus   © Rod Crawford Laurel sorting a sweep sample                      © Rod Crawford
Scotch thistle heads, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington Lorquin's admiral on coyote scat, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington
Scotch thistle heads are a spider habitat  © Laurel Ramseyer Limenitis lorquini on coyote scat                      © Laurel Ramseyer
Theridio simile in web on thistle head, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington Theridion simile spider, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington
Theridion simile in thistle head web    © Laurel Ramseyer Theridion simile, microscope view                   © Rod Crawford
spider Microlinyphia mandibulata, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington male spider Dictyna olympiana, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington
Microlinyphia mandibulata female          © Rod Crawford Dictyna olympiana male                      © Rod Crawford
yellow Scots broom, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington yellow crab spider Misumena vatia, clearcut on Casey Road, Bebe Mountain, Cowlitz County, Washington
Yellow Scots broom                    © Laurel Ramseyer And yellow Misumena vatia                    © Laurel Ramseyer

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This page last updated 13 June, 2025