Spider Collector's Journal: Diobsud Creek Album

Album of Diobsud Creek Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 19 October 2021 spider collecting trip to Diobsud Creek Trail (and Diobsud Creek Road approaching it), near Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington. The national forest hiking trail up the wild part of the creek got us to a lovely spot, but spiders were pretty sparse there; some interesting species, though! Different habitats where the road crossed the City of Seattle powerline added another fauna to the 22 forest species for a satisfactory total of 37 species.

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2017 aerial photo, Diobsud Creek and powerline, Skagit County, Washington fall color along highway to Darrington, Washington on 19 October 2021

Red dots mark trail site on left, powerline on right; Diobsud Creek
lower left, Skagit River far right (NAIP, 2017) Maple trees along highway grow yellower and yellower         © Rod Crawford

Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington forest along Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington

Typical segment of trail            © Rod Crawford Mature forest along the trail                      © Rod Crawford

snail on Douglas-fir needle, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington base of bigleaf maple tree with moss and litter, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington

Snail on Douglas-fir needle              © Laurel Ramseyer Base of bigleaf maple tree in forest                © Rod Crawford

maple litter and moss, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington bigleaf maple litter, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington

Moss on tree, litter on log          © Rod Crawford Bigleaf maple litter                      © Rod Crawford

Douglas-fir trunk, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington Linyphantes sp. #1 from litter, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington

Douglas-fir trunk with impressive bark     © Rod Crawford Linyphantes species #1             © Rod Crawford

fungus on split trunk, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington big rocks along Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington

Fungus decorates a split trunk       © Rod Crawford Big rocks along the trail                  © Laurel Ramseyer

Rod Crawford on Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington

Rod on the trail                © Laurel Ramseyer And there he goes                     © Laurel Ramseyer

fallen bigleaf maple leaf, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington big rock along Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington

Maple leaf starts transforming to litter © Laurel Ramseyer More big rocks along the trail                  © Rod Crawford

Rod Crawford gathering leaf litter, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington forest floor moss, Hylocomium splendens, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington

Rod gathering litter to sift           © Laurel Ramseyer Hylocomium splendens was wall-to-wall carpet             © Laurel Ramseyer

netfull of moss for sifting, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington landslide damage to Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington

Laurel, clearly not a rolling stone, gathered this moss
© Laurel Ramseyer Landslide damage to trail              © Laurel Ramseyer

mycetophilod fungus gnat on mushroom, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington wrecked sifter Rod fell on, Diobsud Creek Trail NE of Marblemount, Skagit County, Washington

Mycetophilid fungus gnat on food source © Laurel Ramseyer Rod fell on his own sifter and wrecked it!               © Rod Crawford

Giving up on the slim forest pickings, we spent our last couple of hours in the powerline clearing.


Beating broom produced usual suspects © Rod Crawford	Diversely vegetated powerline clearing © Laurel Ramseyer

Young Douglas-fir © Laurel Ramseyer	The foliage proved spider-rich as usual © Laurel Ramseyer

Even small maples turn yellow © Rod Crawford	Grassy field and vine maple © Rod Crawford

Some rocks had spiders under 'em © Laurel Ramseyer	Diobsud Creek Road © Rod Crawford

Unidentified beetle under rock © Laurel Ramseyer	Multicolored tree © Rod Crawford

Araneus diadematus in web © Laurel Ramseyer	Sunset in powerline clearing © Rod Crawford

Zelotes egg sac, eggs long gone © Laurel Ramseyer	Sunset west of Marblemount © Rod Crawford

This page last updated 28 October, 2021


Red dots mark trail site on left, powerline on right; Diobsud Creek lower left, Skagit River far right (NAIP, 2017)	Maple trees along highway grow yellower and yellower © Rod Crawford

Typical segment of trail © Rod Crawford	Mature forest along the trail © Rod Crawford

Snail on Douglas-fir needle © Laurel Ramseyer	Base of bigleaf maple tree in forest © Rod Crawford

Moss on tree, litter on log © Rod Crawford	Bigleaf maple litter © Rod Crawford

Douglas-fir trunk with impressive bark © Rod Crawford	Linyphantes species #1 © Rod Crawford

Fungus decorates a split trunk © Rod Crawford	Big rocks along the trail © Laurel Ramseyer

Rod on the trail © Laurel Ramseyer	And there he goes © Laurel Ramseyer

Maple leaf starts transforming to litter © Laurel Ramseyer	More big rocks along the trail © Rod Crawford

Rod gathering litter to sift © Laurel Ramseyer	Hylocomium splendens was wall-to-wall carpet © Laurel Ramseyer

Laurel, clearly not a rolling stone, gathered this moss © Laurel Ramseyer	Landslide damage to trail © Laurel Ramseyer

Mycetophilid fungus gnat on food source © Laurel Ramseyer	Rod fell on his own sifter and wrecked it! © Rod Crawford