Album of Fir Creek Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 22 May 2021 spider collecting trip to Fir Creek, a tributary of the Skokomish River in Mason County, Washington. Having been balked of our original goal by an unexpected gate, we drove up Forest Road 23 and simply stopped where it crossed the creek. A small meadow, a spider-rich clearcut, and lush riparian forest with nice streamside habitats, beckoned. Long before dark we had netted a very fine 47-species sample including such gems as Habronattus oregonensis, Bathyphantes malkini, and Laurel's special interest Ozyptila pacifica!
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2017 aerial view of Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington South Fork Skokomish River below the High Bridge, Mason County, Washington
Main site (central), Laurel's stream site (north)    (Mason Co., 2017) South Fork Skokomish far below the High Bridge                 © Rod Crawford
deck of the High Bridge over the South Fork Skokomish River, Mason County, Washington Optimum parking place, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Deck of the High Bridge                © Rod Crawford Our parking spot: meadow, woodland, road to clearcut          © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford sweeping small meadow, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington small meadow, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Rod sweeping the small meadow      © Laurel Ramseyer Small meadow begging to be swept                    © Rod Crawford
riparian cottonwood, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington riparian alder, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Cottonwood in riparian forest         © Laurel Ramseyer Alder in riparian forest                             © Laurel Ramseyer
moss on riparian tree trunks, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington Beautiful deep riparian woods, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Moss for Laurel to sift            © Laurel Ramseyer The woods are lovely, dark and deep                    © Laurel Ramseyer
Douglas-fir foliage, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington gravel track into clearcut, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Rich Douglas-fir foliage              © Rod Crawford Gravel track into clearcut habitat                     © Rod Crawford
gravel road surface, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington log landing in clearcut, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Jumping spiders active on rocky surface      © Rod Crawford Log landing, loaded with habitats                       © Rod Crawford
Theridion lawrencei from clearcut, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington tussock moth caterpillar, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Theridion lawrencei from clearcut       © Rod Crawford Tussock moth caterpillar                   © Laurel Ramseyer
Pardosa wyuta wolf spider with egg sac, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington fire ring with spider-habitat wood, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Egg-bearing Pardosa wyuta under firewood       © Laurel Ramseyer Charred wood in fire ring was spider habitat          © Laurel Ramseyer
Ceraticelus fissiceps female from Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington Gravel-bar bank of creek, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Shield-backed Ceraticelus fissiceps       © Rod Crawford Gravel-bar creek bank                      © Laurel Ramseyer
stream gravel bar habitat, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington female microspider Walckenaeria cornuella under rock with egg sac, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Gravel bar habitat              © Laurel Ramseyer Little Walckenaeria cornuella dwarfed by her egg sac       © Laurel Ramseyer
Fir Creek, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington Bathyphantes malkini under rock, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Fir Creek, in person!          © Laurel Ramseyer Bathyphantes malkini under rock              © Laurel Ramseyer
stem of devil's club Oplopanax horridum, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington leaves of devil's club Oplopanax horridum, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Devil's club stem              © Laurel Ramseyer Devil's club leaves                     © Laurel Ramseyer
mossy cottonwood tree, leaf litter source, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington cottonwood-alder leaf litter, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Mossy cottonwood trunk          © Rod Crawford Cottonwood-alder leaf litter                            © Rod Crawford
sword fern Pterstichum munitum, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington forest understory, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Fern in understory                  © Rod Crawford Herbaceous understory                       © Rod Crawford
herb understory by roadside, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington riparian forest canopy, Fir Creek at Road 23, Mason County, Washington
Denser herbs near roadside            © Laurel Ramseyer Riparian canopy                      © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 28 May, 2021