Album of Nason Ridge Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Matisse Lorance from our 1 August 2012 spider collecting trip (accompanied by Jerry Austin) to two sites along the crest of Nason Ridge, east of Stevens Pass, Chelan County, Washington. Our first stop at Rainy Creek Pass gave us access to clearcut regrowth, a small meadow, a bit of mature forest, a pond and a stony roadside, combining to bring us a 25-species catch. Then we hiked up the Smith Brook Trail to its ridge crossing (also at around 4600 feet elevation) where we had some quasi-old-growth forest, cliffs and talus, and a large marshy meadow, giving us 35 species for the day including several rarities.
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1998 aerial view of Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington Baring Mountain from Baring, Washington on 1 August 2012
The pass showing clearcut, pond & meadow  (USGS, 1998) Baring Mountain looms over Baring         © Matisse Lorance
Matisse Lorance walks rough road, Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington male jumping spider Salticidae Pelegrina aeneola, Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington
This road was made for walking – not Matisse's car   © Rod Crawford Pelegrina aeneola from the conifer foliage          © Rod Crawford
Vaccinium shrubs in clearcut, Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington lodgepole pine Pinus contorta in cleacut, Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington
Vaccinium shrubs in clearcut          © Rod Crawford Matisse beat some spiders from this lone pine tree         © Rod Crawford
tiny brook draining small meadow, Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington small meadow at Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington
Tiny brook drains meadow at pass       © Matisse Lorance Small, wet meadow right at the pass               © Rod Crawford
microspider Linyphiidae on meadow soil surface, Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington small wet meadow at Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington
I failed to extract spiders from these soil webs    © Rod Crawford General view of the little wet meadow             © Rod Crawford
old unmarked trail at Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington dead wood in forest at Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington
Old, unmarked trail starts at the meadow  © Rod Crawford Dead wood habitat in adjacent forest            © Rod Crawford
pink mountain heather Phyllodoce empetriformis at Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington pond at Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington
Little clump of Phyllodoce heather      © Rod Crawford Pond only 55 m from meadow but drains other way         © Rod Crawford
Matisse Lorance on road at Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington Amaurobiid spider from under stone, Rainy Creek Pass, Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington
Matisse poses on the road in front of rocky habitat  © Rod Crawford Jerry got this great Cybaeopsis macarius under a rock        © Rod Crawford

Our second site was farther west where the Smith Brook Trail crosses the ridge crest.

cliff by Smithbrook Trail, crest of Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington boulders by Smithbrook Trail, crest of Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington
Cliff near the ridge crest            © Matisse Lorance Giant boulders near the cliff                  © Matisse Lorance
male cobweb weaver Theridiidae, Theridion montanum from Smithbrook Trail, crest of Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington rock outcrop and large boulders, Smithbrook Trail, crest of Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington
Male Theridion montanum            © Rod Crawford Big, big hunks o' rock!                      © Matisse Lorance
conifer litter by Smithbrook Trail at crest of Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington shrubland just outside marsh meadow, Smithbrook Trail at crest of Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington
Conifer litter beside the trail        © Rod Crawford Rich shrubland surrounds the marsh             © Rod Crawford
dead wood beside Smithbrook Trail at crest of Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington wet part of marsh meadow, Smithbrook Trail at crest of Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington
Dead wood habitat at ridge crest       © Rod Crawford Wet part of marsh is between me and Matisse            © Rod Crawford
dense shrub foliage outside marsh, Smithbrook Trail at crest of Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington lush herbs at marsh edge, Smithbrook Trail at crest of Nason Ridge, Chelan County, Washington
Dense, lush shrub foliage            © Rod Crawford Lush herbs at marsh edge                     © Rod Crawford
Matisse Lorance at edge of big meadow, Nason Ridge at Smith Brook Trail, Chelan County, Washilngton big marsh meadow, Nason Ridge at Smith Brook Trail, Chelan County, Washington
Matisse at edge of the big marsh    © Rod Crawford Big marsh meadow, seen from dry edge        © Matisse Lorance
sunset near Scenic, Washington, 1 August 2012 sunset from Monroe, Washington, 1 August 2012
Sun began to set near Scenic        © Rod Crawford The sunset peaked as we passed through Monroe        © Rod Crawford
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This page last updated 27 April, 2013