Album of Elger Bay Preserve Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 14 January 2018 spider collecting trip to Elger Bay Preserve (and adjacent elementary school) on Camano Island. A spur-of-the-moment affair, the trip found habitats mostly wet, yet despite disadvantages we still managed to get at least 34 species from the school building and various forest and marsh habitats. If temperatures get over 50 (°F), productive field trips are still possible here in mid-winter!
READ TRIP NARRATIVE PHOTO ALBUM INDEX MAIN JOURNAL INDEX
3007 aerial photo of Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington Mount Rainier from spider collector's Seattle apartment building, 14 January 2018
School grounds, forest & marsh       (Island County, 2007) Mt. Rainier still visible from my apartment building           © Rod Crawford
edge of school grounds, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington Douglas-fir foliage at edge of school grounds, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
Edge of school grounds            © Rod Crawford Abundant Douglas-fir foliage, but much of it was wet           © Rod Crawford
wet pavement at school, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington wet Neriene digna spider web on school retaining wall, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
Water, water everywhere           © Rod Crawford Wet Neriene digna web on retaining wall           © Laurel Ramseyer
school building, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington Leptobunus parvulus harvestman on school wall, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
School building was richest habitat     © Laurel Ramseyer Leptobunus parvulus on school wall             © Laurel Ramseyer
Erigone capra male microspider on school wall, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington orbweaver spider Zygiella x-notata with egg sac, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
Male Erigone capra           © Laurel Ramseyer Zygiella x-notata with egg sac            © Laurel Ramseyer
orbweaver spider Araneus diadematus from school wall, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington male linyphiid spider Neriene digna on school wall, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
Araneus diadematus from school wall   © Laurel Ramseyer Male Neriene digna on brick                 © Laurel Ramseyer
orbweaver Zygiella atrica web on Cyclone fence, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington spider Meriola californica from Douglas-fir foliage, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
Zygiella atrica web on fence        © Laurel Ramseyer Meriola californica from Douglas-fir foliage (best species)       © Rod Crawford
Trailhead sign, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington shady beginning of nature trail, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
Trailhead sign emphasizes insects — non-native ones! © Rod Crawford Nature trail started out shady and wet            © Rod Crawford
wet moss and wet leaf litter, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington sword fern Polystichum munitum, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
Wet moss and soggy leaf litter        © Rod Crawford Some of the ferns were not unduly wet       © Rod Crawford
Sword fern Polystichum munitum, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington South Hill Trail loop with ferns, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
And there was plenty of fern foliage     © Rod Crawford The "South Hill" trail loop was lined with ferns          © Rod Crawford
ferns on maple trunk bare winter branches of bigleaf maple, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
Rainforest-style ferny maple trunk      © Rod Crawford I always like to get a shot of bare maple branches in winter    © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford sifting leaf litter on school picnic table, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington leaf-litter sifting setup, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
Rod sifts litter on school picnic table   © Laurel Ramseyer Wet maple litter in the sifter             © Rod Crawford
signpost on nature trail, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington Nature trail near marsh, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
Nature trail was very well signed       © Rod Crawford On the nature trail approaching the Beaver Marsh           © Rod Crawford
Nature trail sign of Himalayan blackberry, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington English ivy Hedera helix pulling down trees, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
They're not kidding! Blackberry was a problem      © Rod Crawford But ivy's a bigger problem for these poor trees             © Rod Crawford
stout maple trunk near beaver marsh, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington Late afternoon clouds, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
Sturdy maple trunk            © Rod Crawford In late afternoon, a few clouds appeared            © Rod Crawford
sign for Beaver Marsh, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington west end of marsh, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
This way to the beaver marsh        © Rod Crawford A good marsh with abundant wetland spiders              © Rod Crawford
webs of sheetweb spider Microlinyphia dana in beaver marsh, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington view north across beaver marsh, Elger Nature Preserve & School, Camano Island, Washington
Moist day emphasizes sheet webs       © Rod Crawford View north across the marsh            © Rod Crawford
sheetweb spider Microlinyphia mandibulata from Morse Wildlife Preserve, Pierce County, Washington by Lynette Elliott Beaver Marsh in Elger Bay Nature Preserve, Camano Island, Washington
Microlinyphia mandibulata made the webs  © Lynette Elliott Looking east, it's a big marsh!           © Rod Crawford
Callobius web on conifer tree trunk, Elger Bay Nature Preserve, Camano Island, Washington dusk at Elger Bay Elementary School, Camano Island, Washington on 14 January 2018
Callobius web on conifer bark        © Rod Crawford Dusk comes to the school grounds             © Laurel Ramseyer
male jumping spider Phanias albeolus from salal, Elger Bay Elementary School, Camano Island, Washington salal at edge of grounds, Elger Bay Elementary School, Camano Island, Washington
Phanias albeolus looking at you       © Laurel Ramseyer Salal at edge of school grounds finally dried out         © Laurel Ramseyer
sunset in Stanwood, Snohomish County, Washington on 14 January 2018 sunset west of Stanwood, Snohomish County, Washington, 14 January 2018
Sunset in Stanwood          © Rod Crawford Sunset beginning west of Stanwood            © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 20 January, 2018