Album of Skate Creek Park Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 5 April 2025 spider collecting trip with Kathy Whaley to Packwood and nearby Skate Creek Park, Lewis County, Washington. We supplemented last summer's collection at Evergreen Cemetery and spent the rest of the day at the park, featuring the broad lower reach of Skate Creek and a riparian zone that is not very mesic, due (I suspect) to its rocky substrate from old stream cobble deposits near or at the surface. We found varied microhabitats at 4 subsites and got a fine 42 species for the day, making 47 with last summer's material.
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2024 aerial photo showing collecting localities near Packwood, Washington Evergreen Cemetery near Packwood, Washington
Cemetery (upper right) & 4 Skate Creek sites   (Lewis County, 2024) Evergreen Cemetery surrounded by habitat               © Laurel Ramseyer
hitherto unknown male segestriid spider from Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington male spider Crustulina sticta from Evergreen Cemetery near Packwood, Washington
Laurel sifted unique segestriid from moss   © Rod Crawford Male Crustulina sticta from cemetery               © Rod Crawford
guardrail on Craig Road, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington Craig Road bridge over Skate Creek, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington
Guardrail — a spider habitat          © Rod Crawford Craig Road bridge marks north border of park                   © Rod Crawford
Deceptive sign welcoming visitors to Skate Creek Park, not a state park! cottonwood-trunk moss, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington
Despite the wishful-thinking sign, at no time was this a State Park
© Rod Crawford		 The moss that Laurel sifted                  © Laurel Ramseyer
Laurel's sifting setup, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington male Ceratinella spider from litter, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington
Lucky Laurel had a table to sift on     © Laurel Ramseyer I sifted this Ceratinella from leaf litter                © Rod Crawford
juvenile female Ozyptila spider from Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington juvenile female Ozyptila spider from Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington
Mystery Ozyptila sifted from moss      © Laurel Ramseyer Closeup of same Ozyptila showing lumpy abdomen         © Rod Crawford
mossy tree, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington cottonwood leaf litter, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington
Another mossy tree              © Rod Crawford The cottonwood leaf litter that yrs truly sifted              © Rod Crawford
stream bank, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington Cicurina pusilla spider from under gravel bar rock, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington
Stream bank with cobbles               © Laurel Ramseyer Cicurina pusilla from under a gravel bar rock                © Laurel Ramseyer
harvestman Dendrolasma mirabile under gravel bar rock, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington trail through gravel bar of the past, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington
Dendrolasma mirabile under rock     © Laurel Ramseyer Trail through old stream cobbles, slowly vegetating            © Rod Crawford
open Douglas-fir cones, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington trail through old stream cobbles, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington
Open Douglas-fir cones, a habitat      © Laurel Ramseyer The trail continues through old cobbles               © Rod Crawford
sparse field layer, but productive, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington Misumenops/Mecaphesa importunus from Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington
Field flora was sparse, yet productive         © Rod Crawford Among others it produced rare Misumenops importunus        © Rod Crawford
juvenile wolf spider Pardosa lowriei, Skate Creek Park near Packwood, Washington Mt Rainier from White Pass Highway on way home from Packwood, 5 April 2025
Juvenile Pardosa lowriei was reared      © Laurel Ramseyer Mt. Rainier from the highway on our way home             © Laurel Ramseyer

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This page last updated 25 April, 2025