Album of North Fork Skykomish River Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford from my 22 June 2016 spider collecting trip (with Jerry and Ron Austin) to the infamous Index-Galena Road Washout on the North Fork Skykomish River, northeast of Index, Washington. I started by doing a lot of sifting, which got me a decent head start on a sample; thereafter, Jerry and I sampled mostly from vegetation, both near the washout and a mile up the adjacent Sunset Mine trail. Ultimately we managed 26-28 species, but it was made hard work by a lack of Linyphiidae in the moss and litter, and dominance of invasive Enoplognatha ovata in the foliage. That trail was certainly a beautiful walk, though!
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2008 aerial photo, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington bed of North Fork Skykomish River side channel, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington
Road ends in upper right corner (Snohomish County, 2008) Cobbled bed of the side channel that trashed the road          © Rod Crawford
last segment of road, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington pavement end at washout, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington
Chunks eaten out of the road           © Rod Crawford Here's where the whole road disappears              © Rod Crawford
bigleaf maple leaf litter, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington concrete slab used as sifting platform, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington
Leaf litter amazingly linyphiid-free     © Rod Crawford Concrete slab made a nice sifting platform            © Rod Crawford
abundant moss on maple trees, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington Ron Austin prepares to take video of moss sifting, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington
Abundant moss on maples       © Rod Crawford Ron Austin prepares to take video of moss-sifting             © Rod Crawford
ripe salmonberries, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington salmonberry shrubs Rubus spectabilis, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington
Ripe salmonberries enhanced my lunch   © Rod Crawford Extensive salmonberry shrubs produced some spiders           © Rod Crawford
pacific bleeding-heart Dicentra formosa, food plant of butterfly Parnassius clodius, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington verdant trail to Sunset Mine, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington
Bleeding-heart, Parnassius food plant     © Rod Crawford Lovely, verdant trail to Sunset Mine           © Rod Crawford
glimpse of Trout Creek from Sunset Mine trail, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington decommissioned road to Sunset Mine, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington
Trout Creek glimpsed between alders      © Rod Crawford Decommissioned road becomes mine trail           © Rod Crawford
western hemlock foliage Tsuga heterophylla, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington trailside flowering herbs, Sunset Mine trail, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington
Western hemlock foliage          © Rod Crawford Trailside field of flowering herbs          © Rod Crawford
cut 30-year-old windfall log, Sunset Mine trail, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington windfall log across Sunset Mine trail, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington
A public benefactor with a chainsaw…      © Rod Crawford …made the trail passable despite many windfalls              © Rod Crawford
old rotten stump by Sunset Mine trail, Index-Galena Road washout area near Index, Washington lovely verdant bank above Sunset Mine trail, Index-Galena Road washout area, NE of Index, Washington
Big rotten stump along the trail             © Rod Crawford Rich, verdant foliage on bank above the trail          © Rod Crawford
Oregon-grape, Berberis sp., understory, Index-Galena Road washout area, NE of Index, Washington cobweb weaver spider Theridion varians Theridiidae, Index-Galena Road washout area, NE of Index, Washington
Oregon-grape in fruit             © Rod Crawford Jerry collected the only Theridion varians                © Rod Crawford
invasive theridiid spider Enoplognatha ovata photographed on Puyallup Riverwalk Trail, Pierce County, Washington Zeke's Drive-In east of Gold Bar, Washington on 22 June 2016
Invasive Enoplognatha ovata      © Lynette Elliott Zeke's provided the customary homeward snack               © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 5 February, 2020