Album of Grasshopper Meadows Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford from my 10 May 2015 spider collecting trip with volunteer Audrey Zehren. After an abortive attempt to reach the upper Chiwawa River, we ended up collecting around Grasshopper Meadows Campground, near the end of the White River Road, Chelan County, Washington. The so-called meadow was mostly a shrub community with aspen. Scenery and solitude abounded. Spiders were rather sparse at first, but we persisted and eventually visited a second site with a productive rockslide habitat; result, 32-34 species.
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aerial view (2015?) of Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington and vicinity "meadow" habitat, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington
River on left, "meadows" on right    (Chelan County, 2015) Shrubby "meadow" habitat           © Rod Crawford
signpost of removed sign for Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington trillium plants in understory, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington
Local campground signs are missing         © Rod Crawford Trilliums in understory              © Rod Crawford
Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington sheet web (Neriene digna?) in outhouse, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington
We set up at a pic-a-nic table     © Rod Crawford Sheet web in outhouse           © Rod Crawford
vine maple thicket Acer circinatum, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington Pityohyphantes sp. #5 sheetweb weaving spider, Linyphiidae, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington
Vine maple thicket        © Rod Crawford Audrey got this nice female of Pityohyphantes #5             © Rod Crawford
cobweb weaving spider Theridiidae Theridion lawrencei swept from understory, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington herb-shrub understory, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington
Nice female Theridion lawrencei         © Rod Crawford Both of us swept the herb-shrub understory             © Rod Crawford
side of "White Mountains" ridge from Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington bank of White River, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington
Steep side of "White Mountains" ridge     © Rod Crawford Bank of White River near campground              © Rod Crawford
cobbles on gravel bar of White River, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington White River at Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington
Stream cobbles in gravel bar          © Rod Crawford Looking down the White River          © Rod Crawford
dead wood habitat, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington Cybaeopsis sp., Amaurobiidae, from maple litter, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington
Dead wood habitat               © Rod Crawford Very nice Cybaeopsis from maple litter           © Rod Crawford
aspen trunks in the "meadow" habitat, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington near-impenetrable tangle in "meadow" habitat, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington
Aspen trunks            © Rod Crawford Near-impenetrable jungle in "meadow" habitat        © Rod Crawford
Audrey Zehren chasing a wolf spider, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington grand fir Abies grandis foliage, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington
Audrey chasing a wolf spider     © Rod Crawford Grand fir was the dominant conifer foliage available             © Rod Crawford
herb-flower patch in meadow, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington grand fir foliage at edge of meadow, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington
Herbaceous patch in meadow          © Rod Crawford Conifer foliage habitat at meadow's edge              © Rod Crawford
ground surface in grassy section of meadow, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington grassy section of meadow, Grasshopper Meadows Campground, Chelan County, Washington
Meadow ground surface        © Rod Crawford Small grassy section of meadow             © Rod Crawford

Afterward, we hoped to add habitats a short way down the White River road. The big rockslide was an unexpected bonus!

2015 aerial photo of large boulder talus, White River Road, Chelan County, Washington Road with grassy verge at large boulder talus, White River Road, Chelan County, Washington
Our second site, featuring large rockslide    (Chelan County, 2015) Roadside with productive grassy verge             © Rod Crawford
Audrey Zehren seeks habitats near large boulder talus, White River Road, Chelan County, Washington scary big rock in large boulder talus, White River Road, Chelan County, Washington
Audrey on the lookout for habitats        © Rod Crawford The Rock of Damocles looms over us             © Rod Crawford
Audrey Zehren turns over rocks for spiders at large boulder talus, White River Road, Chelan County, Washington juvenile salticid spider, possibly Euophrys monadnock, from large boulder talus, White River Road, Chelan County, Washington
Audrey turns rocks for spiders        © Rod Crawford Alas, this might have been a rare Euophrys but was juvenile    © Rod Crawford
cottonwood leaf litter near large boulder talus, White River Road, Chelan County, Washington cottonwood tree trunks near large boulder talus, White River Road, Chelan County, Washington
Cottonwood littter at second site        © Rod Crawford Riparian cottonwood trunks             © Rod Crawford
roadside lupine near <tr> <td width="375"><img src="nualbum/rhodoreflect.jpg" alt="sunset reflects from clouds &amp; mountains, Clinton-Mukiltea Ferry, 9 April 2015" width="375" height="375"></td> <td width="500"><img src="nualbum/rhodosunset2.jpg" alt="sunset from Clinton-Mukilteo Ferry, 9 april 2015" width="500" height="375"></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="375" class="smallcaption">Looking east, sunset reflects from clouds, mountains&nbsp; &copy; Rod Crawford</td> <td width="500" class="caption">Sun still setting as we arrive at Mukilteo&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &copy; Rod Crawford</td> </tr> snow on Mount Index, Washington, 20 May 2015
Roadside lupine            © Rod Crawford Still some snow on Mount Index             © Rod Crawford
snow just west of Stevens Pass, Washington, 10 May 2015 sunset in Monroe, Washington on 10 July 2015
Not much more snow near Stevens Pass  © Rod Crawford Sun just setting as we pass through Monroe             © Rod Crawford
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This page last updated 31 May, 2015