Selected photos by Rod Crawford from the 10 November 2011 spider collecting trip (featuring Joy Liu, my new field volunteer) to Deer Creek Road and Big Four Picnic Area near Silverton, Snohomish County, Washington. On a colder-than-planned fall day, we visited two adjacent partially-sampled areas which we upgraded to 26 and 25 spider species respectively. The most interesting habitat was the marsh at Big Four, where we swept ice crystals as well as a good series of the uncommon Pachygnatha dorothea. My camera battery died before I could record the nice sunset.

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Joy gets ready to collect her first spider    © Rod Crawford	Varied second-growth forest along the road         © Rod Crawford
Alder along a tributary stream       © Rod Crawford	New snow on Long Mountain             © Rod Crawford
Pile of old windfalls in clearing        © Rod Crawford	Dead wood covers a small brook's course                © Rod Crawford
Dirksia cinctipes from moss        © Rod Crawford	A new trend? "Culvert" on top of road                © Rod Crawford
Alder litter           © Rod Crawford	Setup for sifting              © Rod Crawford
Mossy boulder in forest         © Rod Crawford	Shady stretch of road            © Rod Crawford

Our first site (above) polished off the partial sample begun at Kelcema Lake. Next we tried for an adjacent area, beginning at a small field where Deer Creek Road leaves the highway.

Aerial view of tiny field    (Snohomish County, 2007)	Roadside habitats                    © Rod Crawford
Outhouse produced typical spiders     © Rod Crawford	Sunlight through trees across the highway          © Rod Crawford
Mossy maple trunk         © Rod Crawford	Fern understory                  © Rod Crawford

Finally, we visited the marsh at nearby Big Four Picnic Area for another habitat (much of it icy), adding several species.

Summer aerial view        (Snohomish County, 2007)	Ground mist over lawn and marsh           © Rod Crawford
Helophora reducta found on a fence    © Rod Crawford	The 5 peaks of Big Four Mountain         © Rod Crawford
Hall Peak              © Rod Crawford	Marsh grass in shade = ice crystals in net!       © Rod Crawford
Sedge in standing water was better habitat  © Rod Crawford	Very nice marsh, as viewed from the boardwalk        © Rod Crawford
Specimens: all that work for this!    © Rod Crawford	Pachygnatha dorothea, distinctive marsh-wanderer      © Rod Crawford

This page last updated 29 March, 2012