Spider Collector's Journal: Duckabush Valley Album

Album of Duckabush Valley Field Trip

Selected photos (by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer) from our Christmas Eve (2009) collecting trip to the east side of the Olympic Peninsula (north part of Hood Canal). We reached neither of our planned destinations, but in what remained of the day we managed to get a decent sample at two sites along Duckabush Road, main route up the Duckabush River. At Interrorem Guard Station, oldest Forest Service building on the peninsula, the rain-forest-like habitats produced some worthwhile spiders and a bag of cold, wet leaf litter for later processing by Berlese funnel. At a powerline clearing farther down the valley, Laurel got a number of grassy-field spiders while I added several more litter species.

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Interrorem Guard Station cabin, Duckabush River, Jefferson County, Washington mossy bigleaf maple tree in winter, Interrorem Guard Station, Jefferson County, Washington

Interrorem Guard Station cabin, built 1907       © Rod Crawford Mossy bigleaf maple at Interrorem             © Rod Crawford

forest understory, Interrorem Guard Station, Jefferson County, Washington Forest trail at Interrorem Guard Station, Jefferson County, Washington

Forest understory at Interrorem         © Laurel Ramseyer Second-growth forest approaching natural structure      © Rod Crawford

western hemlock foliage Tsuga heterophylla, Interrorem Guard Station, Jefferson County, Washington Wubana suprema male, microspider Linyphiidae, from hemlock foliage, Interrorem Guard Station, Jefferson County, Washington

Western hemlock foliage, source of…     © Laurel Ramseyer First Wubana suprema from the Olympic Peninsula!      © Rod Crawford

mossy limbs and trunks in forest, Interrorem Guard Station, Jefferson County, Washington Berlese funnel with maple leaf litter from Interrorem Guard Station, Jefferson County, Washington

Abundant moss produced a good spider sample     © Rod Crawford Leaf litter from Interrorem in the Berlese funnel            © Rod Crawford

2005 aerial photo of powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington overview of powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington

Aerial view of powerline collecting area    (Jefferson County, 2005) Overview of habitats at the powerline            © Laurel Ramseyer

Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii foliage at powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington scots broom Cytisus scoparius at powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington

Douglas-fir foliage at powerline         © Laurel Ramseyer Scots broom foliage actually produced better spiders        © Laurel Ramseyer

elk scat Cervus canadensis roosevelti, powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington Mt. Jupiter seen from powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington

Elk scat (we saw no elk, but at least…)   © Laurel Ramseyer Mount Jupiter, by Jove!               © Laurel Ramseyer

Laurel Ramseyer examining spider catch, powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington winter grass in powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington

Laurel examining a sweep sample        © Rod Crawford Dead winter grass is still spider habitat         © Rod Crawford

old stumps in powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington sun-warmed leaf litter near powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington

Stumps from clearcut before last      © Rod Crawford A patch of sun-warmed leaf litter       © Rod Crawford

Dirksia cinctipes, agelenoid spider from Interrorem Guard Station, Jefferson County, Washington bigleaf maple trunk Acer macrophyllum with moss and litter, powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington

Dirksia cinctipes, one of our gaudier spiders     © Rod Crawford Bigleaf maple trees provide excellent litter and moss        © Rod Crawford

Fog in the Duckabush valley, powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington Floodplain forest along Duckabush River from powerline clearing on Duckabush Road, Jefferson County, Washington

At dusk, fog returns to the Duckabush valley     © Rod Crawford Looking down at the floodplain along the Duckabush     © Rod Crawford

This page last updated 1 January, 2010


Interrorem Guard Station cabin, built 1907 © Rod Crawford	Mossy bigleaf maple at Interrorem © Rod Crawford

Forest understory at Interrorem © Laurel Ramseyer	Second-growth forest approaching natural structure © Rod Crawford

Western hemlock foliage, source of… © Laurel Ramseyer	First Wubana suprema from the Olympic Peninsula! © Rod Crawford

Abundant moss produced a good spider sample © Rod Crawford	Leaf litter from Interrorem in the Berlese funnel © Rod Crawford

Aerial view of powerline collecting area (Jefferson County, 2005)	Overview of habitats at the powerline © Laurel Ramseyer

Douglas-fir foliage at powerline © Laurel Ramseyer	Scots broom foliage actually produced better spiders © Laurel Ramseyer

Elk scat (we saw no elk, but at least…) © Laurel Ramseyer	Mount Jupiter, by Jove! © Laurel Ramseyer

Laurel examining a sweep sample © Rod Crawford	Dead winter grass is still spider habitat © Rod Crawford

Stumps from clearcut before last © Rod Crawford	A patch of sun-warmed leaf litter © Rod Crawford

Dirksia cinctipes, one of our gaudier spiders © Rod Crawford	Bigleaf maple trees provide excellent litter and moss © Rod Crawford

At dusk, fog returns to the Duckabush valley © Rod Crawford	Looking down at the floodplain along the Duckabush © Rod Crawford