Album of Cora Lake Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 9 August 2021 spider collecting trip to Cora Lake and vicinity, Lewis County, Washington. On Sawtooth Ridge outside the SW corner of Mt. Rainier Park, the lake is reached by an easy hike but no one but us was there. It was a beautiful, fascinating place, with delicious berries! Between the lake, the trailhead, and a nearby stream site we did better than we realized and came home with 33 species.
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2015 aerial photo of spider site on Berry Creek, Lewis County, Washington roadside conifer habitat, spider site on Berry Creek, Lewis County, Washington
Red dot marks Berry Creek site   (Lewis County, 2015) Roadside conifer habitat                         © Rod Crawford
canyon at spider site on Berry Creek, Lewis County, Washington Creek at spider site on Berry Creek, Lewis County, Washington
Canyon a bit steep at this point     © Rod Crawford But Laurel found a trail down to the creek               © Laurel Ramseyer
western hemlock foliage Tsuga heterophylla, spider site on Berry Creek, Lewis County, Washington mature riparian forest with fir log, spider site on Berry Creek, Lewis County, Washington
Western hemlock foliage had some spiders  © Rod Crawford Mature riparian forest with true fir log                © Rod Crawford
roadside verge, spider site on Berry Creek, Lewis County, Washington stream-boulder moss, spider site on Berry Creek, Lewis County, Washington
Roadside verge habitat            © Rod Crawford Stream boulder contributed some moss                       © Laurel Ramseyer
Robertus vigerens male under stream cobble with juvenile female, spider site on Berry Creek, Lewis County, Washington stream cobble spider habitat, spider site on Berry Creek, Lewis County, Washington
Male Robertus vigerens under rock with juvenile female
© Laurel Ramseyer		 Stream cobble spider habitat                 © Laurel Ramseyer
Nymphalis californica butterfly, spider site on Berry Creek, Lewis County, Washington Microhexura idahoana spider from moss, spider site on Berry Creek, Lewis County, Washington
Nymphalis californica having a big year © Laurel Ramseyer Microhexura idahoana from creekside moss                © Laurel Ramseyer

Having taken 15 species at Berry Creek, we headed for the Cora Lake Trail.

2015 aerial photo of Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington Laurel Ramseyer on trail to Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington
Cora Lake and trailhead sites      (Lewis County, 2015) Laurel takes a break on the trail                © Rod Crawford
Trailhead to Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington a cascade on Big Creek, trail to Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington
Bare-bones trailhead             © Rod Crawford A cascade on Big Creek along the trail              © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford crossing Big Creek, trail to Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington logs in forest, trail to Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington
Rod at first crossing of Big Creek     © Laurel Ramseyer The forest was well-supplied with logs and dead wood     © Laurel Ramseyer
Rod Crawford on trail to Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington old growth forest along trail to Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington
The trail enters old growth      © Laurel Ramseyer The ancient forest near the lake is magnificent                 © Rod Crawford
Laurel Ramseyer at second crossing of Big Creek, trail to Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington second crossing of Big Creek, trail to Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington
Laurel begins the second crossing       © Rod Crawford Trail involves a wade across wide but shallow running water     © Rod Crawford
Western Toad beside trail to Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington First view of Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington
Toad beside the trail        © Laurel Ramseyer Finally the lake springs into view            © Rod Crawford
High Rock from Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington 2 huckleberry species at Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington
High Rock watches over Cora Lake     © Rod Crawford 2 huckleberry species; the darker was sweeter            © Rod Crawford
spider Tetragnatha versicolor in web over Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington
Tetragnatha versicolor's horizontal orb web over lake water
© Laurel Ramseyer		 Looking down the lake's length                         © Rod Crawford
water strider Gerridae on Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington dead wood habitat with spiders, near Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington
Water strider walks on the lake         © Laurel Ramseyer Productive dead wood habitat                © Rod Crawford
bark texture on snag, Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington diplurid spider Microhexura idahoana from dead wood, Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington
Bark of old growth snag             © Rod Crawford Microhexura collected from dead wood             © Rod Crawford
incredible population density of tadpoles in Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington tadpoles in Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington
Unbelievable population density…        © Laurel Ramseyer …of tadpoles!                    © Laurel Ramseyer
logjam at lake outlet, Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington small bay in Cora Lake, Lewis County, Washington
Log jam in lake's outlet              © Laurel Ramseyer More habitat across the bay               © Laurel Ramseyer

Back at the trailhead, we added several species from alder litter and a small bog meadow.

flora of wet meadow, Cora Lake trailhead, Lewis County, Washington Laurel Ramseyer sweeping bog meadow at Cora Lake trailhead, Lewis County, Washington
Diverse flora of the bog meadow       © Rod Crawford Laurel sweeping the bog meadow                 © Rod Crawford
bog with surface moss, Cora Lake trailhead, Lewis County, Washington Cybaeopsis from alder litter, Cora Lake trailhead, Lewis County, Washington
Surface moss in bog             © Laurel Ramseyer Cybaeopsis sifted from alder litter             © Rod Crawford
pink clouds at sunset, highway 7 south of Spanaway, Washington on 9 August 2021 late sunset on Highway 7, Pierce County, Washington, 9 August 2021
Pink clouds opposite the sunset          © Rod Crawford Late sunset on our way home                   © Rod Crawford
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This page last updated 17 August, 2021