Selected photos by Rod
Crawford from my 9 April 2015, solo spider collecting trip to the south end of Rhododendron County Park, Whidbey Island, Island County, Washington. The second in a series of bus-and-ferry trips to Whidbey Island, this one took me to an area of conifer forests with varied (including Rhododendron) understory communities, large grassy fields (formerly part of a "prairie") and a few alder stands — mostly with no detectable leaf litter! Despite the lack of litter, and an interruption from fighter-jet maneuvers, I managed 31 species for the day.
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Field area with red dots on my sites (Island County, 1997) | Blue, blue water and sky on ferry crossing © Rod Crawford |
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This must be the place © Rod Crawford | Too-clean restroom building yielded no spiders © Rod Crawford |
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Eponymous shrub dominates much of understory © Rod Crawford | First collecting site, edge of clearing © Rod Crawford |
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Good old Douglas-fir foliage © Rod Crawford | Beatable vegetation all around the clearing © Rod Crawford |
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Epigynum of Clubiona trivialis © Rod Crawford | Habitus of Clubiona trivialis © Rod Crawford |
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Grassy habitat of Pardosa vancouveri © Rod Crawford | Extensive rough grassy area on apparent earth fill © Rod Crawford |
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Bee fly (pasted in) and similar US Navy Growler jet © Rod Crawford | There goes another one © Rod Crawford |
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I found Cybaeus under these wood chunks © Rod Crawford | I hoped to find leaf litter in alder grove — no such luck! © Rod Crawford |
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In alder grove, hardly a leaf in sight! © Rod Crawford | Fir foliage spider Dictyna sp. #1 © Rod Crawford |
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Young white pine tree (big ones existed) © Rod Crawford | Unfortunately all the Meriola were juvenile © Rod Crawford |
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Much moss on alder trunks © Rod Crawford | Even more moss on stumps © Rod Crawford |
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Somebody finds nettle leaves delicious © Rod Crawford | Those pic-i-nic tables sure come in handy © Rod Crawford |
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Patmore Pit Park, where pampered pooches play © Rod Crawford | In Patmore's alder groves, finally a bit of leaf litter © Rod Crawford |
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Less-than-intimidating security sign © Rod Crawford | Stand of snowberry bushes by the big field © Rod Crawford |
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Giant grassy field in "pheasant area" © Rod Crawford | Last year's grass provided the day's best sweeping © Rod Crawford |
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A traffic sign you don't see every day © Rod Crawford | The ferry leaves Clinton as the sun starts setting © Rod Crawford |
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Looking east, sunset reflects from clouds, mountains © Rod Crawford | Sun still setting as we arrive at Mukilteo © Rod Crawford |
This page last updated 12 April, 2015