Album of Middle Fork Little Naches River Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Markku Savela from our 27 July 2019 spider collecting (and photography) trip (with Jerry Austin) to the upper Middle Fork Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington. The highest elevation site (a mature forest) was unfortunately cloudy and wet, but conifer foliage, dead wood and rocks got us 18-20 good species. Only 2 more good ones at a nearby stream/clearcut site, but the last site (a boggy meadow near Blowout Creek) made the total 32-34. At dusk, we revisited Four Way Meadow to supplement a barely-there sample from June 2018, also successfully. Markku didn't see as many butterflies as we'd hoped, but got some good plant photos.
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2017 aerial photo of spider collecting site on Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington roadside habitats, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Red dot shows our first site       (Kittitas County, 2017) Roadside habitats                  © Rod Crawford
lupine-rich roadside verge, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington roadside conifer foliage, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Roadside lupine, too wet          © Rod Crawford Roadside conifers, productive beating habitat              © Rod Crawford
willow stand at edge of clearing, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington wet lupine in clearing, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Willow stand at edge of glade          © Rod Crawford Forest glade with lupine, much too wet to sweep        © Rod Crawford
true fir Abies sp. foliage, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington worker carpenter ant Camponotus modoc, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Productive fir foliage              © Rod Crawford Camponotus modoc worker                 © Markku Savela
dead wood in forest, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington fungi toadstools on dead wood in forest, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Dead wood, fine spider habitat       © Rod Crawford Fungi at edge of rotting log                 © Rod Crawford
fungi in forest, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington mygalomorph spider Microhexura idahoana from under rock, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
More fungi            © Markku Savela Jerry's prize Microhexura idahoana                   © Rod Crawford
wolf spider Pardosa dorsuncata female with egg sac, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington lupine leaf with ornamental mutation, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Pardosa dorsuncata with egg sac     © Markku Savela Lupine leaf with "ornamental" mutation                      © Markku Savela
blue butterfly Icaricia icarioides, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington syrphid hover fly, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Good old Icaricia icarioides            © Markku Savela Unidentified syrphid fly                   © Markku Savela

Our second site, just down the road, a stream with alder next to an old, but still evident clearcut.

second spider site location, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington Jerry Austin and Rod Crawford at the car, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Second site, by clearcut        (Kittitas County 2017) Rod examining Jerry's catch from talus               © Rod Crawford
alder thicket at stream, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington 20+ year old clearcut, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Alder thicket at stream crossing      © Rod Crawford 20+-year-old clearcut                     © Rod Crawford
alder litter, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington talus below road, Middle Fork Road below Naches Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Alder litter with few spiders                © Rod Crawford Talus below road had Calymmaria           © Rod Crawford

Last main site, a productive boggy meadow near Blowout Creek.

engelmann spruce around bog, Blowout Creek meadow, Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington roadside at Blowout Creek meadow, Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington
Engelmann spruce at meadow edge   © Rod Crawford Roadside at meadow                  © Rod Crawford
moss in Blowout Creek meadow, Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington boggy Blowout Creek meadow, Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington
Mossy bog surface        © Rod Crawford Boggy area of meadow                      © Rod Crawford
needles and cone of Pinus contorta lodgepole pine, Blowout Creek meadow, Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington needles of Pinus monticola, western white pine, Blowout Creek meadow, Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington
Pinus contorta           © Markku Savela Pinus monticola              © Markku Savela
Rod Crawford writing labels for Jerry's specimens, Blowout Creek meadow, Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington boggy Blowout Creek meadow, Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington
Rod writing specimen labels        © Markku Savela Lovely meadow with surrounding conifers            © Rod Crawford

Finally, a stop to supplement last year's small collection from Four Way Meadow.

Ponderosa pine tree at edge of Four Way Meadow, Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington pine cones at Four Way Meadow, Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington
Pine tree that Laurel didn't spot last year       © Rod Crawford Lots of pine cones under the pine tree          © Rod Crawford
spider collectors packing up to leave Four Way Meadow, Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington Rod Crawford and Jerry Austin at Four Way Meadow, Little Naches River, Kittitas County, Washington
Rod and Jerry packing it up        © Markku Savela Strolling up the road at Four Way Meadow                © Markku Savela
sunset on Hwy. 410 east of Chinook Pass, 27 July 2019 dusk at Mt Rainier and Tipsoo Lake, 27 July 2019
Sunset behind Chinook Pass          © Rod Crawford Dusk behind Mt. Rainier and Tipsoo Lake                 © Rod Crawford
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This page last updated 5 December, 2019