Album of Sunland Park Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 24 April 2022 spider collecting trip to Sunland Park and other sites adjacent to Sunland Estates housing development on the Columbia River, Grant County, Washington. Among somewhat novel surroundings, we got 28-30 spider species including both natives and some very interesting non-native introductions; one new state record from each category.
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aerial photo circa 2020 of Sunland Estates area, Grant County, Washington rocky slope above the houses, Sunland Estates, Grant County, Washington
Our sites around "Sunland" in red    (Grant County 2020) A steep slope up to the rimrock                         © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford collecting a Psilochorus under a rock, above Sunland Estates, Grant County, Washington houses across street from rimrock, Sunland Estates, Grant County, Washington
Rod examines a Psilochorus from under rocks     © Laurel Ramseyer Across the street from the rimrock, solid housing                © Rod Crawford
rocky habitat above Sunland Estates, Grant County, Washington rocky habitat above Sunland Estates, Grant County, Washington
Rocks on the ground…            © Rod Crawford …and rocks on the rocks                  © Laurel Ramseyer
fine Opuntia cactus above Sunland Estates, Grant County, Washington columnar basalt in rimrock above Sunland Estates, Grant County, Washington
Fine example of native Opuntia cactus   © Laurel Ramseyer Multiple flow layers of Columbia River Basalt             © Laurel Ramseyer
pine trees in lawn of Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington pine cones from non-native pines, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington
Pine trees (non-native of course) in park lawn    © Laurel Ramseyer But the cones had native spiders                    © Laurel Ramseyer
ominous sign at Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington edge of park lawn and wild area, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington
Ominous sign belied by friendly inhabitants  © Rod Crawford Park lawn gives way to wilder area                    © Laurel Ramseyer
willow, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington beach and river (reservoir), Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington
Spring willow — maybe even native!   © Laurel Ramseyer Beach and river/reservoir — with boulders           © Rod Crawford
Siberian elm Ulmus pumila leafing out, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington Siberian elm, Ulmus pumila, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington
Siberian elm leafing out for the spring   © Laurel Ramseyer Siberian elms first planted at "The Cove" 20 miles south         © Rod Crawford
aggregating chrysomelid beetles, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington driftwood above river, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington
Aggregation of chrysomelid leaf beetles         © Laurel Ramseyer Driftwood turned out to be a fine habitat          © Laurel Ramseyer
introduced bivalve mollusk, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington elm-grass savanna, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington
Shell of a common introduced bivalve   © Laurel Ramseyer Artificial elm-grassland savanna                  © Laurel Ramseyer
elm-willow leaf litter, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington grassy field habitat, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington
Leaf litter, rather shallow, was not unproductive      © Rod Crawford Grassy field habitat where I started my sweep sample          © Rod Crawford
juvenile Xysticus crab spider, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington juvenile Phidippus jumping spider, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington
Juvenile Xysticus: no adults taken!    © Laurel Ramseyer Juvenile Phidippus from driftwood                 © Laurel Ramseyer
river sand track of unknown canid, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington river sand track of crow, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington
Dog or coyote? in the sands of time     © Laurel Ramseyer Gulls were flying, but all the bird tracks were crow             © Laurel Ramseyer
the Nanny state's warnings to boaters, Sunland Boat Launch, Grant County, Washington welcome sign, Sunland Boat Launch, Grant County, Washington
The Nanny State doesn't want boaters to earn Darwin Awards
© Rod Crawford		 Having been warned, we're welcomed to a great spider site  © Rod Crawford
Laurel Ramseyer sweeping grass, Sunland Boat Launch, Grant County, Washington Dictynid web on chain link fence, Sunland Boat Launch, Grant County, Washington
Laurel sweeping grass at the boat launch  © Rod Crawford Dictynid web on chain link fence                © Laurel Ramseyer
Balsamorhiza flowers, Sunland Boat Launch, Grant County, Washington spectrum of habitats, Sunland Boat Launch, Grant County, Washington
Healthy Balsamorhiza plant        © Rod Crawford Habitats: beach, elms, grass, sagebrush                  © Laurel Ramseyer
honey bee on Balsamorhiza flower, Sunland Boat Launch, Grant County, Washington Rod Crawford with beating net, Sunland Boat Launch, Grant County, Washington
Honey bee on Balsamorhiza             © Lsurel Ramseyer The Net Monster stalks over the landscape                  © Laurel Ramseyer
Dictyna completa in web, Babcock Bench, Grant County, Washington Salticus peckhamae from rabbitbrush, Sunland Park, Sunland, Grant County, Washington
Dictyna completa in web          © Laurel Ramseyer I beat this Salticus peckhamae from rabbitbrush              © Rod Crawford
typical dictynid web, Sunland Boat Launch, Grant County, Washington our last, upland site on Babcock Bench, Grant County, Washington
Dictynid web in typical habitat      © Laurel Ramseyer Our last, upland site on Babcock Bench              © Rod Crawford
Dictyna coloradensis in web, Babcock Bench, Grant County, Washington Vantage Bridge, Grant-Kittitas County, Washington
Dictyna coloradensis in web        © Laurel Ramseyer Passing over Vantage Bridge on our way home              © Rod Crawford
sagebrush shrub Artemisia tridentata, Babcock Bench, Grant County, Washington setting sun from I-90, western Kittitas County, Washington on 24 April 2022
Typical sagebrush shrub — with spiders   © Rod Crawford Setting sun from the freeway                     © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 4 May, 2022