Album of McCormick Forest Park Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Lauren Taylor from our 10 February 2013 spider collecting trip to McCormick Forest Park, far-western Pierce County, Washington, and a nearby sandspit. The park, which contains scattered old growth trees, was fairly decent winter habitat; the sandspit habitats were reduced to a few miserable remnants by road construction, traffic and invasive plants, but still added species. By day's end, we'd added 31 spider species to the 2 prior records.
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2009 aerial photo of McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Pierce County, Washington on 10 Feb. 2013
Aerial view of the park; note women's prison, lower right
(Pierce County, 2009)		 Crossing the Narrows Bridge, we saw our last blue sky         © Rod Crawford
jumping spider Phanias albeolus from understory foliage, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington Lauren Taylor at picnic table in McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington
Phanias albeolus from understory foliage  © Lauren Taylor Lauren sorts a sample at our picnic table HQ          © Rod Crawford
red uloborid spider Hyptiotes gertschi from conifer foliage, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington typical seral forest habitat, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington
Unusually bright-colored Hyptiotes gertschi from hemlock    
© Lauren Taylor		 Not exactly Forest Primeval, but a decent habitat         © Rod Crawford
spiders in beating net, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington moss on forest tree, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington
Small spiders crowd the beating net    © Lauren Taylor Siftable moss on tree trunk               © Rod Crawford
male spider Callobius pictus from moss, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington moss ready for sifting, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington
Male Callobius pictus from moss    © Lauren Taylor Moss ready for sifting             © Rod Crawford
neobisiid pseudoscorpion from moss, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington alder leaf litter, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington
Neobisiid pseudoscorpion from moss  © Lauren Taylor Alder litter was reasonably productive            © Rod Crawford
salal Gaultheria shallon understory, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington dog-waste bag dispenser, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington
Nice stand of salal in the understory   © Rod Crawford We kid you not, there's really a doggie-bag dispenser!    © Rod Crawford
fern ( typical trail, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington
Typical sword-fern-dominated understory  © Rod Crawford Trail to the "back side" of the park        © Rod Crawford
bark of western hemlock Tsuga heterophylla, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington bark of western red cedar Thuja plicata, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington
Hemlock bark          © Lauren Taylor Red Cedar bark              © Lauren Taylor
big Bigleaf Maples Acer macrophyllum in ravine, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington moss on tree bark, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington
Big maples in ravine         © Lauren Taylor Moss on tree bark              © Lauren Taylor
mossy maple trunk, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington setup for sifting maple leaf litter, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington
Mossy-ferny maple trunk        © Rod Crawford Rod's setup for sifting maple litter         © Lauren Taylor
maple leaf litter in sifter, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington liverworts on log bark, McCormick Forest Park, Pierce County, Washington
Maple litter in sifter            © Lauren Taylor Liverworts on a log                © Lauren Taylor

Our second site was Purdy Sand Spit, 2.3 miles NW of the park, with sadly-altered beach habitats.

destroyed sandspit habitat, Purdy Sand Spit, Henderson Bay, Pierce County, Washington beach at Purdy Sand Spit, Henderson Bay, Pierce County, Washington
Road wiped out most of the sandspit      © Rod Crawford The beach – with a little decoration                  © Rod Crawford
beach habitat, Purdy Sand Spit, Henderson Bay, Pierce County, Washington sad remnant of beach meadow flora, Purdy Sand Spit, Henderson Bay, Pierce County, Washington
Beach habitats            © Rod Crawford Sad remnant of beach meadow flora                     © Lauren Taylor
barnacles on beach, Purdy Sand Spit, Henderson Bay, Pierce County, Washington Lauren Taylor walks along highway, Purdy Sand Spit, Henderson Bay, Pierce County, Washington
Barnacles on the beach       © Lauren Taylor Lauren seeking something to sweep            © Rod Crawford
remnant of salt marsh vegetation, Purdy Sand Spit, Henderson Bay, Pierce County, Washington invasive-dominated former meadow, Purdy Sand Spit, Henderson Bay, Pierce County, Washington
Sad remnant of salt marsh flora        © Rod Crawford Invasives dominate former meadow stand             © Rod Crawford
Water birds (Feb. 10) at Purdy Sand Spit, Henderson Bay, Pierce County, Washington dusk at Purdy Sand Spit, Henderson Bay, Pierce County, Washington
Water birds on Henderson Bay            © Lauren Taylor Dusk descends on the spit                     © Lauren Taylor
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This page last updated 27 April, 2013