Album of above-Deer-Creek Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 2 October 2021 spider collecting trip to a stretch of Forest Road 18 on the north slope of Deer Creek Valley in the Cultus Mountains (a western outlier of the Cascades), Skagit County, Washington. Once again, a phantom road on a topo map (see below) fooled me; but we parked along the main #18 (Segelsen) road at a point near a small stream crossing, with accessible forest on both sides. The downhill side was alder-dominated and the uphill side was the best mature conifer stand in the vicinity! As Pasteur is supposed to have said, "Chance favors the prepared mind." The roadside hemlock foliage, alder litter, moss, grass, dead wood and roadside herbs were all so rich that although we quit a little early we already had 42-43 species!
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2017 aerial view of Road 18/Deer Creek site, Skagit County, Washington fall color (bigleaf maples) along Sauk River north of Darrington, Washington on 2 October 2021
Our site in red; conifers to N., alders & creek to S.     (NAIP, 2017) Maples becoming fall-colored already                 © Rod Crawford
roadside waterfall along Finney Creek Road, Skagit County, Washington overview of field site, Road 18/Deer Creek site, Skagit County, Washington
Roadside waterfall along the way          © Rod Crawford Just another typical stretch of forest road?                        © Rod Crawford
alder-dominated forest on south side of road, Road 18/Deer Creek site, Skagit County, Washington moss on alder trunk, Road 18/Deer Creek site, Skagit County, Washington
Alder-dominated forest south of road       © Rod Crawford Alders carried plenty of moss for the sifter                © Rod Crawford
Rod Crawford emerging from forest, Road 18/Deer Creek site, Skagit County, Washington western hemlock foliage, Road 18/Deer Creek site, Skagit County, Washington
Rod emerges from a hemlock-beating foray      © Laurel Ramseyer Hemlock foliage along road was very spider-rich                © Rod Crawford
isolated cottonwood trunk among the alder, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington spider Ethobuella tuonops male/female from moss, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington
Cottonwood tree isolated among the alder    © Rod Crawford Male & female Ethobuella tuonops, regular moss-spiders   © Laurel Ramseyer
small nameless creek near site on Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington grassy slope along Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington
Little nameless creek adjoined our site     © Rod Crawford Grassy slope along the road                  © Rod Crawford
leaf litter between boulders, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington mossy boulders along small creek, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington
Pockets of alder litter between boulders     © Rod Crawford Mossy boulders lined the creek: not the firmest footing!      © Rod Crawford
jumping spider Eris militaris from roadside herbs, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington rare microspider Wubana #1, male, from moss, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington
Eris militaris from roadside herbs      © Laurel Ramseyer Laurel sifted rare Wubana sp. #1 from moss       © Rod Crawford
Theridion varians from roadside herbs, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington female & male orbweaver Metellina segmentata, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington
Colorful Theridion varians from herbs      © Rod Crawford Invasive Metellina segmentata well established         © Laurel Ramseyer
sticks and dead wood on forest floor, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington mature conifer forest, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington
Sticks & dead wood, with spiders      © Rod Crawford Mature conifer forest on north side of road             © Rod Crawford
fungus on conifer forest floor, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington dead wood in conifer forest, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington
Very impressive shiny fungus             © Laurel Ramseyer Magnificent pile of dead wood                © Rod Crawford
nurse log with western hemlock seedlings, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington dead wood in conifer forest, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington
Nurse log with hemlock seedlings       © Laurel Ramseyer More and more dead wood                © Rod Crawford
female Pityohyphantes tacoma on roadside herb, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington female microspider Sisis rotundus from dead wood, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington
Pityohyphantes tacoma on herb          © Laurel Ramseyer Sisis rotundus from dead wood                     © Rod Crawford
female Misumena vatia from roadside herbs, Forest Road 18/Deer Creek, Skagit County, Washington large but still unnamed creek crossing road 18 just above road 17 in Cultus Mountains, Skagit County, Washington
Lovely Misumena vatia on roadside herbs  © Laurel Ramseyer Creek crossing homeward road, nameless despite its size      © Rod Crawford
Topo map showing pond and phantom road near Deer Creek, Cultus Mountains, Skagit County, Washington 2017 aerial photo showing Deer Creek and nearby pond, Cultus Mountains, Skagit County, Washington
Topo map shows dirt road to creek, passing pond    (USGS) You can barely make out the track on aerial photo, but not on the ground!   (NAIP, 2017)
Whitehorse Mountain from Darrington, Washington on 2 October 2021 periphery of sunset near Arlington, Washington on 2 October 20201
Whitehorse Mountain from Darrington        © Rod Crawford Only edge of sunset visible near Arlington             © Rod Crawford


This page last updated 13 October, 2021