Album of Mooney Creek Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 29 September 2024 spider collecting trip (with Kathy Whaley) to Mooney Creek, southwestern Wynoochee Valley, Grays Harbor County, Washington. As I'd hoped, the access road through Bascom Pacific timberland was open to hiking, but the stream ravine was deeper than I'd bargained on! But we got very decent spiders from the ravine-bottom riparian forest, a recent clearcut on the south side and older regrowth on the north side, featuring ultra-rare Pacifiphantes magnificus beside the creek, and totaling 41 species.
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Mooney Creek area, Grays Harbor County, Washington, 2023 aerial photo fall color along Interstate 5 near Olympia, Washington on 29 Sept 2024
Mooney Creek runs through this landscape from east to west;
our sites in red     (Grays Harbor County 2023)		 Fall color begins, but only along the freeway                 © Rod Crawford
Kathy Whaley in Elma IOOF Cemetery, Grays Harbor County, Washington Laurel Ramseyer in Elma IOOF Cemetery, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Kathy in the Elma cemetery          © Rod Crawford Laurel in the cemetery, seeking grave-vase spiders           © Rod Crawford
tussock and isabella moth caterpillars, Mooney Creek Road, Grays Harbor County, Washington Mooney Creek Road, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Tussock (top) and Isabella tiger moth larvae     © Laurel Ramseyer We walked a mile or so up a good road                 © Rod Crawford
steep gas-line right of way into ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington Laurel and Kathy in bottom of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Steep gas-line route leads into the ravine    © Laurel Ramseyer Laurel and Kathy in bottom of Mooney Creek ravine            © Rod Crawford
steep gas-line right of way into ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington riparian alder forest, ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Rod sifting halfway up the steep gasline  © Laurel Ramseyer Riparian alder forest in ravine                     © Rod Crawford
female spider Pacifiphantes magnificus from ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington sword fern understory, ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Laurel's prize Pacifiphantes magnificus     © Rod Crawford Sword fern understory                    © Rod Crawford
creek in ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington creek in ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Mooney Creek & its bank-vegetation…   © Laurel Ramseyer …habitat of Pacifiphantes magnificus               © Laurel Ramseyer
alder leaf litter, ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington female harvestman Taracus pallipes from litter, ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Productive alder leaf litter           © Rod Crawford Taracus pallipes sifted from the litter                   © Rod Crawford
moss on alder trunk, ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington male spider Wubana pacifica sifted from moss, ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Mossy alder trunk             © Rod Crawford Male Wubana pacifica sifted from moss            © Rod Crawford
gas-line warning stake, ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington two slug species from vicinity of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
What the heck is Cathodic Protection?      © Rod Crawford Native Ariolimax (top); invasive Arion                 © Laurel Ramseyer
spider Dirksia cinctipes swept by creek, ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington alder forest canopy, ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Beautiful Dirksia cinctipes swept by creek © Laurel Ramseyer Alder forest canopy                    © Laurel Ramseyer
recently planted western hemlock, clearcut S of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington 2020 clearcut S of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Recently planted western hemlock     © Laurel Ramseyer 2020 clearcut S of the Mooney Creek ravine              © Laurel Ramseyer
Argiope spider egg sac, clearcut S of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington fern-shrub-herb meadow, clearcut S of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Argiope egg sac, but no spider          © Laurel Ramseyer Ferns, and shrubs, and herbs, oh my!                  © Laurel Ramseyer
spider Misumena vatia with syrphid fly prey, clearcut S of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington spider Castianeira longipalpa with egg sac, clearcut S of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Misumena vatia with syrphid prey       © Laurel Ramseyer Castianeira longipalpa with egg sac, under wood in clearcut   © Laurel Ramseyer
Laurel Ramseyer climbing down south steeps into ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington precipitous south slope of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Laurel bravely clambers down…        © Rod Crawford …this precipitous slope from the clearcut back into the ravine    © Rod Crawford
harvestman Nelima paessleri, vicinity of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington Rod Crawford sorting salal beat sample, N side of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Nelima paessleri on a leaf            © Laurel Ramseyer Back at the road, Rod sorting salal beat sample           © Laurel Ramseyer
Theridion californicum spider, vicinity of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington productive grass along road N of ravine of Mooney Creek, Grays Harbor County, Washington
Theridion californicum lives in salal        © Rod Crawford Spider-rich grass slong the road above the ravine          © Rod Crawford
We walk out along the Mooney Creek road, Grays Harbor County, Washington sunset from Elma Rest Area, Washington, on 29 September 2024
We hike out of the area as dusk approaches  © Rod Crawford Sunset from Elma Rest Area                   © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 9 October, 2024