Album of Nick's Lagoon Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 2 May 2016 spider collecting trip to Nick's Lagoon, Kitsap County, Washington and nearby Seabeck Cemetery. First order of business was to sample the tidal wetland beside the lagoon; unfortunately the sandspit across the water wasn't accessible. I did some sifting, Laurel swept ferns and beat cones, I beat salal along the access road, and we got some good spiders from structures, for about 35 species. Next we spent some profitable time at nearby Seabeck Cemetery, a very different, drier and surprisingly natural habitat where we soon added over 10 more species, making 46-47 in all! Don't miss Laurel's account here also!

The first 28 photos below are from Nick's Lagoon Preserve and Park.
READ TRIP NARRATIVE PHOTO ALBUM INDEX MAIN JOURNAL INDEX
2009 aerial photo of Nick's Lagoon Park, near Seabeck, Washington littoral forest with ferns & alder at Nick's Lagoon Park, near Seabeck, Washington
Nick's Lagoon property, aerial view   (Kitsap County, 2009) Lush littoral forest with fern understory      © Laurel Ramseyer
Rod Crawford at trailhead, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington approaching lagoon tidal wetland, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington
Rod ready to head down the trail     © Laurel Ramseyer Grassy field just before reaching lagoon shore            © Laurel Ramseyer
tidal marsh on lagoon shore, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington view across lagoon, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington
Corner of the tidal marsh         © Rod Crawford View across the lagoon            © Rod Crawford
female microspider Hypselistes florens from tidal marsh, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington tidal marsh, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington
Hypselistes florens, found only in Hood Canal marshes © Rod Crawford Main part of tidal marsh            © Rod Crawford
bigleaf maple leaves, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington bigleaf maple tree Acer macrophyllum, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington
Maple leaves in the sunlight          © Rod Crawford Bigleaf maple tree, productive of litter & moss            © Laurel Ramseyer
maple-alder leaf litter, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington sifting leaf litter in picnic shelter, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington
Leaf litter, lush-looking but not too productive       © Rod Crawford Sifting leaf litter in the picnic shelter               © Rod Crawford
invasive blackberry Rubus armeniacus at Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington Calymmaria emertoni spider and web in picnic shelter, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington
Invasive blackberry is spreading         © Laurel Ramseyer Calymmaria emertoni & web in picnic shelter             © Laurel Ramseyer
wet trail next to beaver pond, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington beaver pond flooding trail, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington
Rubber boots recommended for trail     © Rod Crawford Trail is soggy because of adjacent beaver pond           © Rod Crawford
salmonberry Rubus spectabilis, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington lush moss on maple trunks, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington
Salmonberry, lovely and tasty        © Laurel Ramseyer Lush moss added a few spider species       © Rod Crawford
Douglas-fir cone, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington theridiid spider Enoplognatha thoracica from Douglas-fir cone, Nick's Lagoon Park near Seabeck, Washington
Douglas-fir cone, irresistable to…      © Laurel Ramseyer Enoplognatha spider tapped from a fir cone          © Laurel Ramseyer
hover fly Syrphidae on flower, Nick's Lagoon park near Seabeck, Washington sun-dappled trail, Nick's Lagoon park near Seabeck, Washington
Not your standard syrphid          © Laurel Ramseyer Sun-dappled trail             © Rod Crawford
Laurel Ramseyer beating vegetation, Nick's Lagoon park near Seabeck, Washington jumping spider Phanias albeolus Salticidae from ferns, Nick's Lagoon park near Seabeck, Washington
Laurel looks through a beat sample       © Rod Crawford Among others she found this Phanias albeolus            © Laurel Ramseyer
dogs at house in Nick's Lagoon park near Seabeck, Washington inhabited house within Nick's Lagoon park near Seabeck, Washington
Woof!         © Rod Crawford House that came with park property is rented           © Rod Crawford
shack in woods, Nick's Lagoon park near Seabeck, Washington male invasive crab spider Philodromus dispar, Nick's Lagoon park near Seabeck, Washington
Shed in woods yielded several spiders   © Laurel Ramseyer Invasive crab spider Philodromus dispar (male)             © Laurel Ramseyer

For our last hour, we collected at lovely Seabeck Cemetery, very different habitat with its own suite of spiders.

2009 aerial view of Seabeck Cemetery, Seabeck, Washington entrance sign, Seabeck Cemetery, Seabeck, Washington
Taller trees right of center mark cemetery     (Kitsap County, 2009) Cemetery entrance sign            © Rod Crawford
Grave of Ann Clements, Seabeck Cemetery, Seabeck, Washington Ann Clements monument in glade in the salal
1860 grave of Ann Clements        © Rod Crawford Clements grave in a glade in the salal              © Rod Crawford
dense salal Gaultheria shallon, Seabeck Cemetery, Seabeck, Washington 3 mature Douglas-fir trees in Seabeck Cemetery, Seabeck, Washington
Unusually rich, dense growth of salal       © Rod Crawford Group of three mature Douglas-fir trees            © Rod Crawford
pine cone buried in salal, Seabeck Cemetery, Seabeck, Washington thrips on flower, Seabeck Cemetery, Seabeck, Washington
Laurel found 9 spider-rich pine cones    © Laurel Ramseyer Flower peppered with Thysanoptera           © Laurel Ramseyer
foliage of western white pine Pinus monticola in Seabeck Cemetery, Seabeck, Washington unidentified male Philodromus crab spider from fir foliage, Seabeck Cemetery, Seabeck, Washington
Foliage of solitary white pine tree        © Rod Crawford Male of a native Philodromus not identified yet             © Rod Crawford
unidenntified Steatoda spider from fir cones, Seabeck Cemetery, Seabeck, Washington Mount Rainier seen from Tacoma, Washington on 2 May 2016
Mystery juvenile Steatoda from fir cone      © Rod Crawford Mt. Rainier seen from Tacoma on our way home          © Rod Crawford
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This page last updated 15 May, 2016