Album of Colockum Pass Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford, Laurel Ramseyer and Markku Savela from our 30 June 2019 spider collecting trip to Colockum Road just short of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington. The high elevation (4900') was chosen because of the early-summer season, and the general region was one where we expected Markku to find some butterflies to photograph. We were hoping for somewhat better weather however! But the one brief rain shower didn't get us or the habitats especially wet. We collected from open and forested habitats, unfortunately overgrazed by cattle let loose on this public land. The species taken were interesting, but few (22). Thanks to Markku's SUV, we were actually able to drive this notoriously rough road.
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2015 aerial photo shows spider site south of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington Landscape and sky at spider site S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Red dot shows our site           (Kittitas County, 2015) Varied habitats under partly cloudy sky                  © Rod Crawford
rough rocky stretch of Colockum Road, Kittitas County, Washington rough, rocky stretch of Colockum Road, Kittitas County, Washington
Much of the road was very rough         © Rod Crawford Some of it was just rough                      © Rod Crawford
landscape at spider site, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington overgrazed habitat, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Some of the habitat looks good         © Markku Savela But a lot of it is heavily overgrazed                    © Rod Crawford
cow pie and overgrazed grass, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington cattle overgrazing habitats, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Cow pie & meadow grazed to the quick  © Rod Crawford Cows hard at work chomping the rest of the habitat         © Rod Crawford
heavy lichen growth on trees, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington clear aisle between tree groups, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Heavy lichen growth had a few spiders       © Laurel Ramseyer Grazed aisle between productive tree groups                © Rod Crawford
bembicine digger wasp, Sphecidae, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington grasshopper prey of sphecid wasp, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Bembicine digger wasp            © Markku Savela Grasshopper prey of sphecid wasp                   © Markku Savela
Laurel Ramseyer tapping pine cones, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington charred wood, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Laurel tapped 150 pine cones         © Rod Crawford Charred evidence of a past fire                      © Rod Crawford
dead wood spider habitat, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Dead wood spider habitat            © Rod Crawford Markku's first Lycaena rubida photo                   © Markku Savela
Veratrum stand at S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington Veratrum stand at S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Wet ground had solid Veratrum       © Laurel Ramseyer One spider species dominated Veratrum stand           © Rod Crawford
ponderosa pine foliage, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington western larch Larix occidentalis foliage, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Ponderosa pine foliage             © Rod Crawford Western larch foliage                     © Rod Crawford
grand fir Abies grandis foliage, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington threatening sky with thunderhead, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Grand fir foliage                © Rod Crawford Thunderhead threatens a shower           © Laurel Ramseyer
butterfly Pontia beckerii, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington golden buprestid beetle Buprestis aurulenta, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Pontia beckerii              © Markku Savela Buprestis aurulenta landed on car               © Laurel Ramseyer
Ponderosa pine tree Pinus ponderosa, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington storm clouds and log, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Solitary pine defies the storm       © Laurel Ramseyer Stormy weather                      © Laurel Ramseyer
intact meadow patch, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington Micaria ant mimic spider, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Occasional meadow patch escaped the cows    © Rod Crawford Laurel found this cool Micaria              © Rod Crawford
male crab spider Xysticus cunctator on flower, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington unidentified Philodromus crab spider, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Xysticus cunctator on flower        © Laurel Ramseyer Philodromus, still to be identified            © Rod Crawford
beetle pollinators, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington Laurel Ramseyer and Rod Crawford labeling spiders, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington
Beetle pollinators         © Laurel Ramseyer Laurel and Rod labeling spider catch          © Markku Savela
Metepeira orbweaver, S of Colockum Pass, Kittitas County, Washington clouds in Kittitas Valley, 30 June 2019
Laurel caught the only Metepeira       © Rod Crawford Clouds in the Kittitas Valley                © Rod Crawford
clouds in Kittitas Valley, Washington, 30 June 2019 sunset near Lake Keechelus, Interstate 90, Washington on 30 June 2019
More Kittitas Valley clouds          © Rod Crawford Sunset somewhere on I-90                      © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 24 July, 2023