Album of Eleanor Creek Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Matisse Lorance from our 8 August 2012 spider collecting trip to the trailhead at Eleanor Creek, in subalpine forest just outside the north border of Mt. Rainier National Park. Supplementing a few old records from inside the park, we hit the site on a misty day (right at the bottom of the cloud deck), but the weather remained dry and we got good samples from roadside flowers, under stones, conifer foliage, and especially from tapping dead wood, which gave us the first state record of Poeciloneta canionis.
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aerial photo of Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington mist in the trees, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington
Trailhead at southernmost point     (Pierce County, 2012) The clouds were almost within reach            © Matisse Lorance
roadside verge flowers, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington Matisse Lorance sweeping herbs, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington
Roadside verge was very flowery          © Rod Crawford Matisse getting a sweep sample               © Rod Crawford
sign with correct elevation, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington Eleanor Creek at Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington
E side of sign, within 200' of right elevation    © Rod Crawford Eleanor Creek beside trailhead                   © Rod Crawford
sign with wrong elevation, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington corinnid spider Scotinella sp. from Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington
Back of same sign says it's 1360' lower  © Rod Crawford Nice Scotinella from under a rock              © Rod Crawford
looking up from forest into mist, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington trailhead, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington
Looking up into the mist          © Rod Crawford Matisse at the trailhead                © Rod Crawford
trail scene, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington forest scene, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington
The Trail              © Matisse Lorance Quasi- old growth forest                  © Matisse Lorance
disintegrating snag in forest, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington dead wood habitat by log, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington
Disintegrating snag with lots of wood chunks      © Rod Crawford More wood chunks beside a rotting log           © Rod Crawford
setup to tap dead wood for spiders, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington linyphiid spider Poeciloneta canionis from dead wood, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington
All set to tap spiders from wood        © Rod Crawford Poeciloneta canionis, Matisse's best find                   © Rod Crawford
National Park boundary, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington Pacific silver fir Abies amabilis foliage, Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington
Collectors Stop Here         © Rod Crawford True fir foliage              © Matisse Lorance

We finished the day's sampling at the edge of an old clearcut on the ridge crest due east of the creek.

Ridge E of Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington Matisse sweeps for spiders in small clearing, Ridge E of Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington
Parked just outside the National Park       © Rod Crawford Matisse sweeps in a small clearing             © Rod Crawford
beargrass Xerophyllum tenax, Ridge E of Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington edge of older forest, Ridge E of Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington
Beargrass in bloom          © Rod Crawford Edge of the older forest                © Rod Crawford
log on Ridge E of Eleanor Creek Trailhead, Pierce County, Washington misty flowery roadside above Huckleberry Creek just north of Mt. Rainier National Park
Log with some bark left            © Rod Crawford Misty, flowery roadside on our trip out                 © Rod Crawford
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This page last updated 28 September, 2012