Album of Chikamin Creek Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Fred Austin from a 20 June 2012 spider collecting trip (also starring Jerry Austin) to Chikamin Creek and vicinity, Chiwawa River valley, Chelan County, Washington. We started at a small, very pretty wet meadow along the creek; then moved to a ridge crest habitat a thousand feet higher; and finally collected in a meadow (possibly not completely natural) in the floodplain of the main river. Aside from a rather large number of mosquitos, conditions were tip-top and we got 29 species to supplement one collected from pine cones last year.
READ TRIP NARRATIVE PHOTO ALBUM INDEX MAIN JOURNAL INDEX
aerial view of collecting site on Chikamin Creek, central Chelan County, Washington Austin car at roadside, Chikamin Creek, central Chelan County, Washington
Main Chikamin Creek site from the air    (Chelan County, 2006) Unloading gear, almost ready to roll!         © Rod Crawford
roadside habitats, Chikamin Creek, central Chelan County, Washington conifer foliage habitat, Chikamin Creek, central Chelan County, Washington
Roadside habitats         © Fred Austin Hemlock and fir foliage          © Rod Crawford
tailed blue butterfly Everes amyntula, Chikamin Creek, central Chelan County, Washington crab spider Xysticus luctuosus, Chikamin Creek, central Chelan County, Washington
Tailed blue butterfly     © Fred Austin Jerry swept Xysticus luctuosus in the meadow         © Rod Crawford
yellow monkeyflower, Mimulus guttatus on Chikamin Creek, central Chelan County, Washington creekside meadow, Chikamin Creek, central Chelan County, Washington
Yellow monkey-flowers       © Rod Crawford Edge of meadow and side channel of stream               © Rod Crawford
Jerry Austin sweeping meadow at Chikamin Creek, central Chelan County, Washington Chikamin Creek, central Chelan County, Washington
Jerry Austin sweeps the meadow       © Rod Crawford Sparkling-clear main stream of Chikamin Creek             © Rod Crawford
conifer needle litter, Chikamin Creek, central Chelan County, Washington big wet riparian meadow on Chikamin Creek, central Chelan County, Washington
Conifer litter produced some good spiders    © Rod Crawford Bigger section of riparian meadow, across creek from me      © Rod Crawford

Our second, higher-elevation site was a trailhead on the crest of Minnow Ridge.

2006 aerial view of Minnow Creek Trail trailhead, central Chelan County, Washington sign for Minnow Creek Trail trailhead, central Chelan County, Washington
Uniform seral forest around trailhead        (Chelan County, 2006) Trailhead sign      © Rod Crawford
lodgepole pine Pinus contorta, Minnow Creek Trail trailhead, central Chelan County, Washington seral montane conifer forest, Minnow Creek Trail trailhead, central Chelan County, Washington
Lodgepole pine was common    © Rod Crawford Forest in trailhead vicinity          © Rod Crawford
Oregon grape Berberis sp. flower, Minnow Creek Trail trailhead, central Chelan County, Washington unusual color form of theridiid spider Theridion lawrencei, Minnow Creek Trail trailhead, central Chelan County, Washington
Blooming Oregon grape            © Rod Crawford Unusual color morph of Theridion lawrencei                  © Rod Crawford
Coyote scat, Minnow Creek Trail trailhead, central Chelan County, Washington forest understory habitat, Minnow Creek Trail trailhead, central Chelan County, Washington
Coyote scat            © Rod Crawford Diverse shrub understory                      © Rod Crawford

Finally, we located and collected at a meadow in the Chiwawa River floodplain.

young ponderosa pine Pinus in meadow between Chikamin Creek & Chiwawa River, central Chelan County, Washington Austin car in meadow between Chikamin Creek & Chiwawa River, central Chelan County, Washington
Young Ponderosa pine in meadow         © Rod Crawford Here we are, parked at a beautiful meadow             © Fred Austin
wild strawberry Fragaria sp. in meadow between Chikamin Creek & Chiwawa River, central Chelan County, Washington linyphiid spider Pityohyphantes sp., meadow between Chikamin Creek & Chiwawa River, central Chelan County, Washington
Wild strawberry not yet in fruit        © Rod Crawford Unusual Pityohyphantes species                   © Rod Crawford
meadow surface, meadow between Chikamin Creek & Chiwawa River, central Chelan County, Washington meadow between Chikamin Creek & Chiwawa River, central Chelan County, Washington
Meadow surface           © Rod Crawford Terrain of the big meadow             © Rod Crawford
Fred Austin sweeping grass, meadow between Chikamin Creek & Chiwawa River, central Chelan County, Washington Rosy pussytoes Antennaria rosea, meadow between Chikamin Creek & Chiwawa River, central Chelan County, Washington
Fred Austin does a sweep sample       © Rod Crawford Rosy pussytoes in the meadow         © Rod Crawford
crab spider Misumenops sp., meadow between Chikamin Creek & Chiwawa River, central Chelan County, Washington Twilight approaches at meadow between Chikamin Creek & Chiwawa River, central Chelan County, Washington
Misumenops sierrensis               © Rod Crawford Twilight approaches as clouds gather         © Rod Crawford
[Native Wildlife Gardening Home]     [Bug Information from The Scarabs]     [Bugs of the Month Home]

This page last updated 20 July, 2012