Album of Naneum Creek Bridge Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 3 May 2017 spider collecting trip to the Naneum Creek bridge at the end of Naneum Road, Kittitas County, Washington. Thanks to Street View I knew there would be enough pine cones to satisfy Laurel, and the riparian cottonwood litter and meadow habitats looked good to me. We ended the day with 36 good species including one real rarity, an undescribed oonopid. See also Laurel's account of the day, here.
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aerial photo of field trip area on Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington first blue sky seen across Snoqualmie Pass, Washington on 3 May 2017
Two riparian sites at end of Naneum Road    (Kittitas County, 2015) Crossing the pass, we see our first blue sky        © Rod Crawford
school bus sign, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington school bus turnaround, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
We expected to have to make way for the bus      © Rod Crawford However, it never showed up!              © Rod Crawford
Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington riparian woodland with leaf litter, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Good flow in Naneum Creek        © Rod Crawford Riparian woodland with lots of leaf litter            © Rod Crawford
diversion point for irrigation canal, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington irrigation canal from Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Diversion point for irrigation canal       © Rod Crawford Downstream on the canal              © Rod Crawford
cottonwood leaf litter, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington jumping spider Phanias watonus male from cottonwood litter, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Cottonwood litter had good fauna           © Rod Crawford Phanias watonus from litter                  © Rod Crawford
male of undescribed oonopid spider Orchestina sp., Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington line of riparian cottonwood along Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Undescribed oonopid (Orchestina), note hind legs enlarged for jumping!              © Rod Crawford Riparian cottonwood trees along creek         © Laurel Ramseyer
Balsamorhiza sp., Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington meadow steppe habitat above riparian zone, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Balsamorhiza in meadow steppe    © Laurel Ramseyer Meadow steppe habitat above riparian zone           © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford beating pine folinage at Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington scattered ponderosa pine trees in riparian cottonwood, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Rod beating pine foliage       © Laurel Ramseyer Ponderosa pines here and there in riparian zone            © Laurel Ramseyer
rocks & wildflowers in meadow steppe, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington gate to Ellensburg city property, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
I found nothing under these rocks       © Laurel Ramseyer City-property gate forbids everything but spider collecting       © Rod Crawford
roadside pine cones, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington crab spider Bassaniana utahensis from roadside pine cones, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Roadside pine cones…        © Laurel Ramseyer …yielded this nice Bassaniana utahensis           © Laurel Ramseyer
Laurel Ramseyer spider-hunting on bridge railing, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington Thanatus sp. from bridge structure, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Laurel spider-hunting on bridge railing      © Rod Crawford One of her best finds, an uncommon Thanatus species        © Rod Crawford
crab spider Philodromus spectabilis on bridge, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington linyphiid spider Pityohyphantes minidoka on bridge, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Philodromus spectabilis on bridge        © Laurel Ramseyer Pityohyphantes minidoka on bridge         © Laurel Ramseyer
lush meadow across fence at Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington lush riparian meadow, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Grass is greener on the other side    © Rod Crawford Extensive, incredibly lush meadow was good sweeping         © Rod Crawford
Ribes flowers north of Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington Douglas-fir tree and rubble north of Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Ribes flowers pretty, but no spiders     © Rod Crawford Shady oasis with old-building rubble under a Douglas-fir        © Rod Crawford
white daffodil among meadow grass north of Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington rocks in basalt talus north of Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Someone had a garden here once    © Laurel Ramseyer Basalt rubble, usually productive, produced 1 spider        © Rod Crawford
rickety wooden bridge to barn north of Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington Naneum Creek at old bridge north of Naneum Road bridge, Kittitas County, Washington
I wouldn't take a car across this           © Rod Crawford Roaring Naneum Creek from rickety old bridge              © Rod Crawford
boards in old barn, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington old barn north of road, Naneum Creek (at Naneum Road bridge), Kittitas County, Washington
Chelifer found under these boards          © Rod Crawford But I found no spiders in this old barn!               © Rod Crawford
Mount Adams Burger at Mountain High Hamburgers, Easton, Washington sunset west of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington on 3 May 2017
Mt. Adams Burger, a treat for the gods      © Rod Crawford Sunset west of the Pass                  © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 15 May, 2017