Album of Hansen Creek Field Trip

Selected photos (by Rod Crawford, Valentina and Markku Savela) from our 15 July 2010 spider collecting trip to high and low elevation sites within the Hansen Creek drainage, just west of the Cascade crest in King County, Washington. The object was to supplement an old 10-species sample from Findley Lake a short distance to the south. Weather was warm but not overwhelmingly hot. The original plan met a hitch and we found habitats either poor or depleted by the late season, but I managed to put together a collection of 19 species (including a Metaphidippus jumping spider I don't immediately recognize) bringing the total up to 27. Markku got some good photos and the Savelas had a nice family outing.
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2009 aerial view of ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington Hansen Creek Road 5510, east King County, Washilngton
Aerial view of the high clearcut (King County, 2009) A major trail crosses the road here. Where the heck is it?     © Rod Crawford
trestle where John Wayne Trail crosses Hansen Creek Road 5510, east King County, Washington view from ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Look – up in the sky!                © Valentina Anderson Switching to Plan B, we headed for high country                © Rod Crawford
talus in clearcut, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington distant forest across subalpine clearcut, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Very rough terrain in the subalpine clearcut…    © Rod Crawford …and the nearest intact forest was too far away       © Rod Crawford
vegetation in subalpine clearcut, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington crab spider Thomisidae Xysticus benefactor from ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Clearcut shrubs looked lush but had few spiders      © Rod Crawford However, I got a few species including Xysticus benefactor     © Rod Crawford
mountain heather Phyllodoce empetriformis, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington Markku Savela on ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Heather in the clearcut         © Rod Crawford Markku sets out to bag some photos           © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford collecting spiders on ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington Clubmoss Lycopodium selago, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Rod still trying for clearcut spiders    © Valentina Anderson Clubmoss in the clearcut             © Markku Savela
tiger beetle Cicindelidae Cicindela longilabris, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington unknown jumping spider Metaphidippus sp., ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Cicindela longilabris            © Markku Savela Dendryphantes nigromaculatus               © Rod Crawford
beargrass Xerophyllum tenax, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington Markku Savela and Rod Crawford on ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Beargrass still in bloom      © Markku Savela Markku and Rod wonder where to go next           © Valentina Anderson
Tristan Savela, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington Rod Crawford and Markku Savela, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Future naturalist Tristan Savela at second site    © Rod Crawford Rod and Markku set off to see what new site has to offer  © Valentina Anderson
true fir trees Abies sp., ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington yellow Asteraceae and slide alder Alnus sinuata, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Somewhat lower site had actual trees   © Markku Savela Also different flowers and dense alder thickets           © Rod Crawford
Roadside alder thickets, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington log in riparian forest, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Near-impenetrable roadside thickets…     © Markku Savela …concealed a nice moist forest pocket         © Rod Crawford
small tributary stream, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington small tributary stream, ridge above Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Lush understory with actual spiders         © Rod Crawford Nice, wet streamside with moss               © Rod Crawford
powerline clearing near Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington grassy field in powerline clearing near Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Third site, powerline at base of ridge  © Valentina Anderson Grassy areas produced the usual summer field spiders    © Valentina Anderson
small wetland in powerline clearing near Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington Rod Crawford sweeping powerline clearing near Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Small wetlands added species     © Valentina Anderson Rod busily sweeping along the powerline        © Valentina Anderson
Sisyrinchium idahoense, powerline clearing near Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington microspider Ceraticelus sp. #2, powerline clearing near Hansen Creek, east King County, Washington
Sisyrinchium idahoense      © Markku Savela Ceraticelus sp. #2, most unusual catch at powerline         © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford collecting spider from stump bark, between Tinkham Road and Snoqualmie River, King County, Washington largely non-native flowers, between Tinkham Road and Snoqualmie River, King County, Washington
I find a wolf spider under stump bark at last site © Valentina Anderson A very pretty display of non-native flowers         © Valentina Anderson

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This page last updated 28 February, 2011