Album of Rocky Creek Conservation Area Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford from my 12 May 2014 spider collecting trip with new volunteer Lindsey Kramer to the Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington. A relatively short drive brought us to this park/preserve containing forest, wetland, medium and small streams, and a nice trail system. We weren't so successful in accessing grassy areas on the periphery, but we got 35 species in a relatively short day, including a few rarities.
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aerial view of Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington Lu Winsor doing volunteer maintenance, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
South part of the Conservation Area  (Pierce County, 2009) Volunteer lawn-mowing at Lu Winsor Trailhead            © Rod Crawford
brook called "Gee Creek" on park map, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington trail bridge over "Gee Creek" brook, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Babbling brook called Gee Creek on park map     © Rod Crawford Well-built trail bridge over "Gee Creek"        © Rod Crawford
northern toad Bufo boreas beside Gee Creek, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington approaching the marsh/swamp wetland, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Juvenile toad beside the creek         © Rod Crawford On approach the long narrow wetland looked like a swamp    © Rod Crawford
typical trail, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington edge of Spiraea marsh, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Typical stretch of a pleasant trail        © Rod Crawford Wetland, at edge, proves to be very wet Spiraea marsh        © Rod Crawford
salal, Gaultheria shallon, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington sifter with salal-alder litter, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Salal foliage was the day's best habitat      © Rod Crawford However, salal bushes make an uneasy platform for sifting     © Rod Crawford
microspider Walckenaeria auranticeps Linyphiidae from salal, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington evergreen huckleberry Vaccinium ovatum, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Walckenaeria auranticeps from salal     © Rod Crawford Evergreen huckleberry, part of the salal habitat              © Rod Crawford
false forget-me-not, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington rare theridiid spider Rhomphaea fictilium from salal, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Now what flowers were these? I forget   © Rod Crawford Rare "tailed spider" Rhomphaea fictilium from salal        © Rod Crawford
Dicentra bleeding-heart plants in riparian understory, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington park road through Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Dicentra in the understory         © Rod Crawford Splendidly sylvan park road                © Rod Crawford
riparian bigleaf maple trunk with ferns, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington masses of moss on low limbs, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Rain-forest-like maple trunk       © Rod Crawford Masses of moss on low limbs              © Rod Crawford
salmonberry flower Rubus spectabilis by main creek, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington first glimpse of main creek, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Streamside salmonberry in bloom     © Rod Crawford First glimpse of the main Rocky Creek               © Rod Crawford
Lindsey Kramer preparing to collect from streamside shrubs, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington Rocky Creek and gravel bar, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Lindsey preparing to beat bushes         © Rod Crawford Creek lined with gravel bars and salmonberry         © Rod Crawford
cobbles of Rocky Creek gravel bar, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington high-security fence guarding county gravel pit, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
No spiders found under the cobbles    © Rod Crawford Seemingly innocuous gravel pit so why the high security fence?      © Rod Crawford
Sign at gate to county gravel pit, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington Foolish high security gate to county gravel pit, Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Are they afraid people will steal some pebbles?      © Rod Crawford Some sweepable field outside the gate,
but curses on bureaucrats who bar the public from public land!      © Rod Crawford
grassy verge, south of Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington rough terrain in powerline clearing along north edge of Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Grassy verge produced some of the usual suspects    © Rod Crawford Powerline clearing was very rough going, but had spiders        © Rod Crawford
rough ground in powerline clearing at north edge of Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington mudhole along road in powerline clearing at north edge of Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington
Not your usual smooth grassy field       © Rod Crawford Gooey mudhole bars further progress          © Rod Crawford
dog and bird tracks in mud, powerline clearing at north edge of Rocky Creek Conservation Area, Key Peninsula, Pierce County, Washington Mount Rainier from Hwy 16 in Tacoma, Washington on 12 May 2014
Dried mud tells a story            © Rod Crawford Mt. Rainier seen from Tacoma on the way home           © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 29 May, 2014