Album of Ala Spit County Park Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford from a 19 October 2018 spider collecting trip (with Ron and Jerry Austin) to Ala Spit County Park on Whidbey Island, Island County, Washington. My friend Susan Wise-Eagle had been here a year ago on a wet day and got only 9 species. Our visit, on a foggy and dewy but otherwise relatively dry day, boosted the total to 30. The habitats on the long sandspit, relatively dew-free, were especially interesting. Ron came along to get more footage for a spider-collecting documentary; the spit was so photogenic it was hard to tear him away!
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2016 aerial photo of Ala Spit, Whidbey Island, Washington fake totem pole at Hwy. 20 and Troxell Road, Whidbey Island, Washington in the fog
Ala Spit, with Hope Island on right      (Island County, 2016) Fake totem at the crossroads (in the fog)           © Rod Crawford
dewy orbweb, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington dew in grassy field, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Dew is pretty but a pain for collectors    © Rod Crawford Dew in grassy field never really dried                © Rod Crawford
signs at base of spit, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington sandspit in fog, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Dire warning, but no one was trapped   © Rod Crawford I started hiking out the spit in the fog            © Rod Crawford
egg sac of hobo spider Tegenaria agrestis under driftwood, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington Distichlis-Salicornia saline meadow, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Tegenaria agrestis egg sac under driftwood     © Rod Crawford Excellent Distichlis-Salicornia saline meadow         © Rod Crawford
Puget Sound Gumweed, Grindelia integrifolia, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington Ron and Jerry Austin in the fog, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Puget Sound Gumweed        © Rod Crawford Ron and Jerry Austin set up camera in the fog          © Rod Crawford
gnaphosid egg sac under driftwood, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington fog starts to lift, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Gnaphosid egg sac (no spider)        © Rod Crawford Fog starts to lift                  © Rod Crawford
fangs and chelicerae of wolf spider Trochosa ruricola, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington carapace of wolf spider Trochosa ruricola, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Fangs of Trochosa ruricola            © Rod Crawford Carapace of Trochosa ruricola                  © Rod Crawford
unknown Philodromus crab spider found under driftwood, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington landward beach, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Juvenile mystery Philodromus under driftwood  © Rod Crawford There were active wolf spiders on the beach           © Rod Crawford
Salicornia depressa from saline meadow, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington male microspider Erigone aletris, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Salicornia from natural salt meadow     © Rod Crawford Erigone aletris was common out on spit              © Rod Crawford
drift log, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington sunshine on sandspit, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Drift log, also a habitat         © Rod Crawford Finally, sunshine on the spit                     © Rod Crawford
grassy patch of saline meadow, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington Hope Island from Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Grassy patch in saline meadow            © Rod Crawford Looking across at Hope Island                © Rod Crawford
Microlinyphia dana web at edge of woods, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington foggy alder woodland, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Dew on Microlinyphia dana web    © Rod Crawford Fog-shrouded alder woodland                    © Rod Crawford
orb web probably Araneus diadematus with dew, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington alder leaf litter, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Another dew-drenched orbweb         © Rod Crawford Alder leaf litter was productive                     © Rod Crawford
moss on alder trunk, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington tall beach meadow, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
A few alder trunks were mossy         © Rod Crawford One stretch of beach meadow dried enough to sweep      © Rod Crawford
yellow fall color, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington sun on alder woodland, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Fall color gets its chance to shine          © Rod Crawford Late sunlight on the park alder grove            © Rod Crawford
conifer foliage and fall color along Geck Road above Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington fog returns in late afternoon to Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington
Conifers to beat on bluff above spit   © Rod Crawford Fog returning as the sun sinks                © Rod Crawford
Canada geese in water at dusk, Ala Spit County Park, Whidbey Island, Washington sunset south of Oak Harbor, Washington on 19 October 2018
Honk, honk            © Rod Crawford Low-key sunset south of Oak Harbor         © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 15 September, 2020