Album of Kingston High School Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford from a 30 October 2013 spider collecting trip, by bus, ferry and foot, planned for the Carpenter Lake Nature Reserve but in the event, mostly in a patch of woodland north of Kingston High School, Kitsap County, Washington. Although not the place I was trying to find, this anonymous habitat yielded plenty of spider species, the first 20 taken by sifting maple litter alone (which also contained an adult newt!). And I did finally find Carpenter Lake at the end of the day, getting a few more species there – 39 species in all for the day.
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aerial photo of 30 Oct 2013 spider site, next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington sunrise from Rod's apartment window, 7th Ave NE, Seattle, WA on 30 Oct 2013
Low-lying woods next to staff parking lot     (Kittitas County, 2009) Sunrise out my window greeted me that morning              © Rod Crawford
poorly signed trail to Kingston High School, Kitsap County, Washington trail to Kingston High School, Kitsap County, Washington
How was I to know it was the wrong trail?          © Rod Crawford Good habitat, but GPS told me I was too far south          © Rod Crawford
theridiid cobweb weaving spider Theridion varians, woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington canopy over trail to Kingston High School, Kitsap County, Washington
Theridion varians            © Rod Crawford Forest canopy over the wrong trail          © Rod Crawford
bigleaf maple leaf litter, woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington sifting maple litter, woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington
Finally north of the line, I found glorious maple litter      
© Rod Crawford		 I sifted 5 wastebacket-loads for 20 spider species!         © Rod Crawford
agelenid spider Calymmaria nana, woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington bigleaf maple tree Acer macrophyllum, woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington
Calymmaria nana       © Rod Crawford Bigleaf maples still dropping oodles of leaves         © Rod Crawford
western redcedar tree Thuja plicata, woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington rough-skinned newt Taricha granulosa from maple litter, woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington
Foliage of cedar tree added some species   © Rod Crawford I've never sifted a newt from maple litter before!            © Rod Crawford
understory of sword fern Polystichum munitum, woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington microspider Spirembolus abnormis, woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington
Fern understory was also productive       © Rod Crawford Male Spirembolus abnormis       © Rod Crawford
moss on maple trees, woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington alder stand in woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington
Moss on maple trees added 7 species    © Rod Crawford Alder stand already mostly bare         © Rod Crawford
agelenid spider Dirksia cinctipes, woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington giant mushroom, woods next to Kingston High School staff parking lot, Kitsap County, Washington
Colorful Dirksia cinctipes         © Rod Crawford Giant mushroom               © Rod Crawford

After getting 32 species where I hadn't planned to go, school let out and I finally found Carpenter Lake!

Carpenter Lake Nature Reserve, Kitsap County, Washington snowing boardwalk in middle sign for Carpenter Lake Nature Reserve, Kitsap County, Washington
End of lake, boardwalk in middle     (Kitsap County, 2009) Had I but walked 200 feet farther up the road…           © Rod Crawford
Trailhead for Carpenter Lake Nature Reserve, Kitsap County, Washington boardwalk into wetland, Carpenter Lake Nature Reserve, Kitsap County, Washington
The actual, real true Carpenter Lake trailhead       © Rod Crawford Boardwalk was a bit too childproof for me              © Rod Crawford
grass at edge of wetland, Carpenter Lake Nature Reserve, Kitsap County, Washington western hemlock foliage by boardwalk, Carpenter Lake Nature Reserve, Kitsap County, Washington
Grass-sweeping added some species   © Rod Crawford Western hemlock foliage reachable from boardwalk          © Rod Crawford
narrow belt of Sphagnum bog around lake, Carpenter Lake Nature Reserve, Kitsap County, Washington The lake, Carpenter Lake Nature Reserve, Kitsap County, Washington
Narrow ring of Sphagnum at trail's end   © Rod Crawford Beyond the boardwalk, a ring of marsh and then the lake       © Rod Crawford
fall color in a park in Kingston, Washington at dusk view from Edmonds-Kingston Ferry, Washington, at dusk
I saw my best fall color walking back to Kingston    © Rod Crawford Dusk as the ferry returned to Edmonds               © Rod Crawford
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This page last updated 27 April, 2014