Album of Vance Creek headwaters Field Trip

Selected photos by Laurel Ramseyer and Rod Crawford from our 16 May 2023 spider collecting trip to the headwaters of Vance Creek in the southeastern Olympic Mountains, Mason County, Washington. Reached with little difficulty (though much gravel road driving), the site was reasonably productive and got us 32 spider species, adding to one prior record from long ago, and including an extremely rare Dipoena.
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aerial photo, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington clearing at road junction, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington
Our site in red             (Mason County, 2021) Clearing at junction of two forest roads           © Rod Crawford
alder litter, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington alder Alnus rubra woodland, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington
A thin layer of alder litter                  © Rod Crawford Alder woodland along the now-dry streamcourse           © Rod Crawford
maple leaf litter, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington bigleaf maple tree, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington
Maple litter, deeper but no richer       © Rod Crawford Nice, mossy bigleaf maple tree           © Rod Crawford
bigleaf maple budding, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington female spider Pimoa altioculata from moss, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington
Maple just coming into leaf           © Rod Crawford Female Pimoa altioculata on sifting cloth                  © Laurel Ramseyer
living and dead alder trunks, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington fallen alder bark, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington
Living and dead alder trunks               © Rod Crawford The dead trunk dropped bark — a spider habitat         © Rod Crawford
spider Dipoena lana from moss, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington spider Dipoena malkini from conifer foliage, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington
Female Dipoena lana from moss        © Laurel Ramseyer Dipoena malkini (or something new) from trees              © Rod Crawford
Trillium ovatum on forest floor, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington ridge north side creek valley, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington
Trillium practically carpeted the forest floor      © Laurel Ramseyer Ridge on the north side of Vance Creek valley          © Rod Crawford
Laurel Ramseyer sifting moss, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington female harvestman Nelima paessleri, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington
Laurel sifting moss              © Rod Crawford Nelima paessleri harvestman, emerged from hibernation    © Laurel Ramseyer
Devils club, Oplopanax horridum, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington fir foliage, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington
Devils club comes into prickly leaf     © Laurel Ramseyer Productive fir foliage                   © Rod Crawford
fire ring at Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington remnant snow in deep ravine, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington
Fireplace had a couple of spiders under the wood  © Laurel Ramseyer Remnant snow patch deep in the ravine               © Laurel Ramseyer
butterfly Celastrina echo on Laurel Ramseyer's finger, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington web of linyphiid spider Neriene digna, Vance Creek headwaters, Mason County, Washington
Celastrina echo liked Laurel            © Laurel Ramseyer Neriene digna in her web                    © Laurel Ramseyer
Calvary-OddFellows cemetery, Tumwater, Washington sunset in south King County, Washington, 16 May 2023
An unproductive cemetery stop           © Rod Crawford Sunset through the rear window                   © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 29 May, 2023