Album of Skookumchuck River Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Joy Liu from our 5 February 2012 spider collecting trip to a railroad right-of-way on the Skookumchuck River, adjacent to (former) Waunch Prairie, south edge of Thurston County, Washington. A beautiful winter day gave us the chance to sample some more remnant grassland in the prairie belt (without oaks, but with Oregon ash). Nothing went wrong (thus the short trip narrative), and we ended the day with about 36 spider species.
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2009 aerial view of Skookumchuck River field, ash and fir habitats, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
Tracks, river & farms from the air (Thurston County, 2009) Three layers of habitat: field, ash & fir forest         © Rod Crawford
Amtrak train passes collecting site, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington microspider Linyphiidae Coreorgonal monoceros from alder litter, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
Amtrak train speeds past     © Joy Liu Coreorgonal monoceros from alder litter    © Rod Crawford
flock of winter birds, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington railroad tracks, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
It's the birds! The birds!        © Joy Liu Just follow the tracks to spider habitat                © Rod Crawford
mossy alder trunk, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington sifting moss for spiders, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
Mossy alder trunk        © Rod Crawford Sifting moss was productive                © Rod Crawford
alder leaf litter, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington mossy log in forest, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
Alder litter, not quite so productive         © Rod Crawford Mossy log hangs over forest          © Rod Crawford
discarded tires, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington grass field, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
Someone must have gotten tired        © Rod Crawford A nice grass field on river side of the tracks               © Rod Crawford
frost pocket in shady part of grass field, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington male microspider Linyphiidae Walckenaeria auranticeps from grass field, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
Where the sun didn't shine, a pocket of frost   © Rod Crawford Male Walckenaeria auranticeps from the grass            © Rod Crawford
Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
Field ends at steep river bank       © Rod Crawford Our habitat overlooks the Skookumchuck         © Rod Crawford
riparian alder trunks, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington dense hanging grass in field, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
Riparian alders         © Rod Crawford Hanging grass produced many spiders                  © Rod Crawford
Araucaria sp. in farm yard, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington Rod Crawford sifts ash litter, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
Among Douglas-firs, Araucaria from the South Pacific!  © Joy Liu Oblivious of the train, Rod sifts ash litter               © Joy Liu
Oregon Ash tree, Fraxinus latifolia, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington Oregon Ash thicket, Fraxinus latifolia, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
Oregon Ash tree        © Rod Crawford Dense ash thicket at edge of little wetland         © Rod Crawford
Joy Liu hunts for spiders in junk pine, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington remains of 3 butchered deer, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
Joy seeks spiders amid junk             © Rod Crawford Somebody (likely a poacher) butchered 3 deer       © Rod Crawford
agelenid spider Cicurina tersa from junk pile, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington freight locomotive, Skookumchuck River near Waunch Prairie, S edge of Thurston County, Washington
Cicurina tersa from junk pile       © Rod Crawford Toot, toot!                 © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 7 June, 2012