Album of Mud Lake Field Trip

Also on 7 May 2010, after collecting at Big Rock we visited another Skagit Land Trust site, Mud Lake in the town of Clear Lake, which features some very high quality marsh (but some parts need blackberry control). To complete our collection from the area we also visited a Department of Wildlife site on nearby Beaver Lake, and a state forest land site north of Clear Lake, making the day's total 59 spider species! Photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer.
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2009 aerial photo of Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington

marshy shoreline of Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington
Aerial view of Mud Lake   (Skagit County, 2009) Shoreline looks as natural as you could wish      © Rod Crawford
interpretive sign (Skagit Land Trust) at Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington raincloud at Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington
Land trust's interpretive sign          © Laurel Ramseyer

Don't these clouds look ominous, though!      © Rod Crawford
cattaila, Typha, Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington north marsh at Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington
Cattail area               © Rod Crawford High quality sedge-grass marsh                  © Rod Crawford
emergent foliage at Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington linyphiid spider Lepthyphantes (Tenuiphantes) tenuis from Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington
Emergent plants, habitat for rare Tetragnathas      © Rod Crawford Lepthyphantes tenuis, a spider that balloons everywhere      © Rod Crawford
Nuphar lutea, yellow pond-lily, at Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington north marsh at Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington
Nobody sitting on the lily pads          © Rod Crawford More high quality marsh            © Rod Crawford
invasive Himalayan blackberry Rubus discolor at Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington male linyphiid spider Entelecara acuminata from Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington
The enemy: Himalayan blackberry encroaches      © Rod Crawford Eyes on the sky, but can't form images: Entelecara acuminata   © Rod Crawford
young Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis at Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington marshy landscape at Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington
Small but productive Sitka spruce       © Laurel Ramseyer Marsh landscape               © Laurel Ramseyer
foliage of Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis at Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington grassy part of north marsh, Mud Lake, Clear Lake (town), Skagit County, Washington
Spruce foliage              © Laurel Ramseyer The green grass grew all around              © Laurel Ramseyer

Beaver Lake (SE of Mud Lake), in more natural surroundings but mostly private, added several species.

2009 aerial photo of Beaver Lake, E of Mount Vernon, Skagit County, Washington Beaver Lake, E of Mount Vernon, Skagit County, Washington
Aerial view of Beaver Lake (our site at S end) (Skagit County, 2009) What placid water!                    © Rod Crawford
amusingly worded closure sign at Beaver Lake, E of Mount Vernon, Skagit County, Washington willow-dominated riparian woods at Beaver Lake, E of Mount Vernon, Skagit County, Washington
"Avoid the moor in those hours of darkness when the powers of evil are exalted." — Sherlock Holmes                    photo © Rod Crawford Swampy willow woods with worthwhile spiders         © Rod Crawford

Finally, a stop on state forest land 0.4 miles south of the Sedro Woolley/Skagit River bridge, mainly for a sample of moss-dwelling spiders, and then home.

2009 aerial photo of spider collecting site south of Sedro Woolley-Skagit River bridge, Skagit County, Washington moss on trees at spider collecting site south of Sedro Woolley-Skagit River bridge, Skagit County, Washington
Aerial view of our track through the woods   (Skagit County, 2009) Beautiful moss added 6 spider species        © Rod Crawford
setup for sifting leaf litter, spider collecting site south of Sedro Woolley-Skagit River bridge, Skagit County, Washington xystodesmid millipede, Harpaphe haydeniana, spider collecting site south of Sedro Woolley-Skagit River bridge, Skagit County, Washington
Convenient log was my sifting platform     © Rod Crawford Harpaphe haydeniana making good use of 62 legs       © Rod Crawford
access route to spider collecting site south of Sedro Woolley-Skagit River bridge, Skagit County, Washington sunset viewed from I-5 in northern Snohomish County, WA, on 7 May 2010
Our route into the woods           © Laurel Ramseyer This sunset decorated our drive home        © Rod Crawford
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This page last updated 29 March, 2012