Album of Electron Road Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Lauren Taylor from our 16 November 2012 spider collecting trip to a roadside site between Electron, Washington and Electron Park (the park itself proved a washout), near the historic first hydroelectric power plant in western Washington. Habitats were borderline-wet, but the magic of fall spider richness stood us in good stead and we netted 32 species in a short day, mostly from fir trees, leaf litter and moss. Not one species duplicated an old 11-species spring litter sample from the area, so I now have 42 species from there!
READ TRIP NARRATIVE PHOTO ALBUM INDEX MAIN JOURNAL INDEX
2008(?) aerial view of Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington Electron Park, Electron, Pierce County, Washington
Electron Road site in upper middle; park in lower right corner    (Pierce County, 2008) Electron Park: area within fence essentially habitat-free    © Rod Crawford
non-view of power plant from Electron Park, Electron, Pierce County, Washington forest habitat on wrong side of fence from Electron Park, Electron, Pierce County, Washington
You can't even see the historic power plant (it's somewhere over there)        © Rod Crawford Forest habitat all on wrong side of fence               © Rod Crawford
old bald-faced hornet nest on outhouse, Electron Park, Electron, Pierce County, Washington field habitat on wrong side of fence from Electron Park, Electron, Pierce County, Washington
Old hornet nest on park outhouse      © Lauren Taylor Attractive field habitat, still on wrong side of fence!          © Rod Crawford
spider collecting site on Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington moss on maple trees, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington
Productive site we finally found (fall color had mostly fallen)        © Lauren Taylor Moss on trees produced many spiders              © Rod Crawford
Lauren Taylor at spider field site, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington Lauren Taylor collecting spiders, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington
Lauren adjusts to November climate       © Rod Crawford All adjusted, Lauren industriously collects                © Rod Crawford
moss on maple trees, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington spider Cybaeota shastae from moss, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington
More moss habitat              © Rod Crawford Cybaeota shastae sifted from moss                  © Rod Crawford
finger and spider Callobius pictus from moss, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington spider Callobius pictus from moss, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington
Callobius pictus…           © Lauren Taylor …biggest of our moss spider catch           © Lauren Taylor
Douglas-fir foliage Pseudotsuga menziesii, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington leaf litter in lee of stump, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington
Productive Douglas-fir foliage        © Rod Crawford Fairly good leaf litter in lee of stump                   © Rod Crawford
invasive Himalayan blackberry, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington invasive English ivy, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington
Horrid invasive blackberry covered most of the leaf litter
© Rod Crawford		 Invasive ivy trying to pull down the trees              © Rod Crawford
leaf litter in crotch of snag, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington microspider female Arcuphantes arcuatulus, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington
Best leaf litter was in crotch of a snag    © Rod Crawford Lovely female Arcuphantes from leaf litter             © Rod Crawford
female microspider Microneta viaria from leaf litter, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington forest understory, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington
Microneta viaria from litter          © Rod Crawford Some of the understory was dry enough to sweep            © Rod Crawford
moss on tree trunk, Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington floodplain of Puyallup River from Electron Road, Electron, Pierce County, Washington
Still more moss habitat            © Rod Crawford Puyallup River floodplain glimpsed between trees               © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 29 March, 2013