Selected photos by Rod
Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 7 April 2016 spider collecting trip to the south fork of Manastash Creek (at Barber Springs Road), Kittitas County, Washington. Selected for its promise of pine cones and moderate temperatures on a hot day, the site paid off in both respects. Patches of melting snow (at 3100 feet elevation) and lack of much spring growth didn't materially interfere with spider collecting; we got about 30 species including some good records, and discovered unusually intensive use of pine cones for Xysticus locuples molting. Also see Laurel's blog post here!
| READ TRIP NARRATIVE | PHOTO ALBUM INDEX | MAIN JOURNAL INDEX |
|
|
| Summer aerial view of our field site (Kittitas County, 2015) | Snowy ridges across Lake Keechelus from I-90 © Rod Crawford |
|
|
| Laurel tapping pine cones © Rod Crawford | Laurel's view from under the pines © Laurel Ramseyer |
|
|
| Ponderosa pine cone © Laurel Ramseyer | Xysticus locuples dominated the pine cone sample © Laurel Ramseyer |
|
|
| Carapace of Xysticus locuples © Rod Crawford | Gnaphosa sp., also from pine cones © Laurel Ramseyer |
|
|
| Exuviae prove X. locuples molt in pine cones © Laurel Ramseyer | Laurel's car dwarfed by big pine trees © Rod Crawford |
|
|
| Pine foliage © Rod Crawford | Laurel sifting pine needle litter © Rod Crawford |
|
|
| This cheliferid was common on pine bark © Laurel Ramseyer | The snow-melt-swollen South Fork © Rod Crawford |
|
|
| Freshets everywhere from snow-melt © Rod Crawford | Lots more snow waiting to melt © Laurel Ramseyer |
|
|
| Snow-melt mud attracted a Polygonia © Rod Crawford | "I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a world…" © Rod Crawford |
|
|
| Productive cottonwood litter © Rod Crawford | Cottonwood litter in sifter © Rod Crawford |
|
|
| Dazzling, unidentified beetle from litter © Rod Crawford | Early spring: leafless versus evergreen © Rod Crawford |
|
|
| Big & little cottonwoods form thicket © Rod Crawford | Riparian habitat with leafless cottonwood © Laurel Ramseyer |
|
|
| Rod's protective coloration © Laurel Ramseyer | Canyon rim © Laurel Ramseyer |
|
|
| Prominent fire scars on big pines © Rod Crawford | Mysterious roadside cave or tunnel © Laurel Ramseyer |
|
|
| Lots of rocks to turn over © Rod Crawford | Laurel found no spiders inside the tunnel © Laurel Ramseyer |
|
|
| The rock that had the good spider © Laurel Ramseyer | Stuart Range from the freeway © Rod Crawford |
|
|
| The burgers and shakes hit the spot © Rod Crawford | Sun sets under jet contrail as we head for home © Rod Crawford |
This page last updated 10 September, 2020