Album of Whitehorse Trail Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford from my 1 March 2015 spider collecting trip with Audrey Zehren to an unimproved section of the Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington. We began by driving to an entirely different place, the Index-Galena Road washout on the North Fork Skykomish River, but found the site too cold and wet and with too much posted land. So a lot of unnecessary extra driving was needed to get us to another unsampled area. The trail segment where we collected isn't in use as a trail yet but is still partly hikable. The good news, there are some excellent marshy and swampy habitats there amid the private land. The bad news, it's badly invaded by Himalayan blackberry. With four hours to collect, and Audrey succumbing to a food allergy halfway through, I managed to get 22 species, just squeaking by with a sample but including some very cool wetland specialists.
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Index-Galena Road near Index on 1 March 2015 showing snow-free mountains Index-Galena Road washout E of Index, WA
Index-Galena Road; note nearly snow-free mountain
© Rod Crawford
Road ends abruptly; when they say a washout, they mean a washout!
© Rod Crawford
wet habitats near Index-Galena Road washout, E of Index, WA posted private land near Index-Galena Road washout, E of Index, WA
Habitats were sodden…                © Rod Crawford …those that weren't posted private               © Rod Crawford
seep on roadcut bank near Index-Galena Road washout, E of Index, WA Whitehorse Trail W of Oso, Washington, 2012 aerial photo
Water literally oozing from the ground       © Rod Crawford Whitehorse Trail (in red) west of Oso        (Snohomish County, 2012)
Audrey Zehren helping collect spiders at Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington
Audrey really stands out amoung the muted winter colors
© Rod Crawford
Trail passing through the marsh        © Rod Crawford
shore of pond, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington marsh beside Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington
Pond shore: note new spring grass already! © Rod Crawford Beautiful marshland, just off the trail             © Rod Crawford
distinctive alder tree, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington Audrey Zehren helps sift leaf litter, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington
Distinctive symmetrical tree        © Rod Crawford Audrey helps scan the sifting cloth              © Rod Crawford
invasive Rubus armenicaus, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington invasive blackberry vines hiding in grass, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington
Horrid invasive blackberry          © Rod Crawford Blackberry vines hiding in the grass           © Rod Crawford
trail bridge, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington marsh habitat beside Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington
Trail bridge           © Rod Crawford Nice marsh habitat is too wet for blackberry          © Rod Crawford
Phragmites marsh grass in winter, © Rod CrawfordPhragmites marsh grass in winter, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington juvenile microspiders Linyphiidae, probably Dismodicus, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington
Old winter and new spring grass       © Rod Crawford But all the Dismodicus were still juvenile            © Rod Crawford
ferns on alder trunk, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington moss on alder tree, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington
Ferns on alder (some moss removed for sifting)
© Rod Crawford
Mossy alder trunk              © Rod Crawford
fir tree Abies sp. beside Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington alder trunk with ferns, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington
Planted fir tree beside the trail          © Rod Crawford Fern understory beside alder trunk              © Rod Crawford
Ceraticelus sp. female from conifer foliage, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington female Pachygnatha dorothea from swamp alder litter, Whitehorse Trail west of Oso, Snohomish County, Washington
Female Ceraticelus sp. fron conifer foliage   © Rod Crawford Pachygnatha dorothea from our first bag of alder litter      © Rod Crawford


This page last updated 4 March, 2015