Selected photos (by Rod
Crawford & Markku Savela) from our 7 August 2011 spider collecting trip to Captain Point, a mountain in the extreme NE corner of King County, Washington, 5 miles west of Stevens Pass. After lackluster samples at mid-elevation sites on the previous 2 trips, we decided a real mountaintop was needed, and some recent logging roads allowed us to reach fine, formerly inaccessible subalpine habitats here, where I got a nice sample in a fairly short visit. There wasn't much snow, just enough to stop us a half mile from the top. But the mosquitos were hungry!
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| Logging road approaches south summit (King County, 2007) | Markku at our first stop, remnant natural parkland © Valentina Anderson |
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| Shrubs at edge of tree group © Rod Crawford | One big snowdrift blocks further progress © Rod Crawford |
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| Spiraea densiflora © Markku Savela | Good habitat continues atop the high road bank © Rod Crawford |
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| Rod sorts through a productive beat sample © Valentina Anderson | Car looks tiny in immense landscape © Rod Crawford |
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| A bit of natural flower meadow © Rod Crawford | Understory of parkland tree group © Rod Crawford |
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| Markku gazes down into the mist © Rod Crawford | Looking up at the south summit © Markku Savela |
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| Ripe berries at last – but only two! © Rod Crawford | The road that took us to treeline © Rod Crawford |
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| Snow melts around rocks © Markku Savela | Side ridge, clearcut on the near side © Markku Savela |
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| Lots of lupine in bloom © Markku Savela | "I'm melting! Melting! Oh, what a world!" © Rod Crawford | |
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| Rocks ripe for turning over © Rod Crawford | Pacific Silver Fir foliage © Rod Crawford |
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| Glaucopsyche lygdamus on Tristan's shoe © Markku Savela | Mountain hemlock foliage © Rod Crawford |
We also collected farther down the mountain and in the creek valley below.
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| Best site on east flank of Captain Point (King County, 2007) | Boulder-filled swale was a bit hard to traverse © Rod Crawford |
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| Giant boulders © Markku Savela | Stump in advanced state of disintegration © Rod Crawford |
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| Enticing natural meadows out of reach © Rod Crawford | Theridion saanichum sifted from fir litter © Rod Crawford |
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| Cybaeus with an odd green abdomen © Rod Crawford | Another flowery meadow was too steep for us © Rod Crawford |
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| Alypia langtoni near the creek © Markku Savela | We reached the mountain via Martin Creek © Rod Crawford |
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| Aruncus flowers © Rod Crawford | The Old One: overwintering Polygonia zephyra at least 9 months old! © Markku Savela |
This page last updated 25 October, 2020