Album of Mill Creek Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 5 October 2025 spider collecting trip (with Kathy Whaley) to the Highland cemetery complex and Mill Creek (at Cole Road), NE of Colville, Stevens County, Washington. The cemetery sample was rather lackluster, but at the creek we boosted our take to 29 species (counting 4 old records from the area). Laurel got the prize specimen, a male Xysticus elegans! And we had lovely weather, today and going forward.
READ TRIP NARRATIVE PHOTO ALBUM INDEX MAIN JOURNAL INDEX
Colville cemeteries from the air, 2023 denser trees at south edge, Calvary Cemetery, Colville, Washington
Colville cemeteries from the air        (Stevens County, 2023) Denser trees toward the cemetery plateau's edge      © Laurel Ramseyer
Araneus gemmoides from Calvary Cemetery, Colville, Washington Calvary Cemetery, Colville, Washington
Araneus gemmoides                © Rod Crawford Scene in the cemetery                       © Rod Crawford
field site on Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington male crab spider Xysticus elegans, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington
We parked at the red dot            (Stevens County, 2023) Laurel's prize Xysticus elegans                      © Laurel Ramseyer
cottonwood leaf litter, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington cottonwood trees, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington
Cottonwood litter, rather too dry            © Rod Crawford Trees of cottonwood spinney on Mill Creek               © Rod Crawford
cottonwood litter in sifter, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington cottonwood trees, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington
Cottonwood litter in the sifter          © Rod Crawford Looking up into the trees                © Rod Crawford
Gravel bar productive of spiders, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington gravel bar unproductive of spiders, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington
Mr. Good (gravel) bar            © Laurel Ramseyer Mr. Bad (gravel) bar              © Rod Crawford
cottonwood thicket, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington field and young conifers, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington
In the thick of the thicket              © Rod Crawford Lovely grassy field with accessible conifer foliage                  © Rod Crawford
larch foliage, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington grassy field, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington
Larch foliage was common           © Rod Crawford Plenty of grass to sweep                      © Rod Crawford
juvenile spider Oxyopes scalaris from Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington under bridge, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington
Oxyopes with prey from bridge          © Laurel Ramseyer Underside of bridge yielded 4 species                © Laurel Ramseyer
sun setting, Mill Creek at Cole Road, NE of Colville, Washington Sunset between Colville and Chewelah, Washington, 5 October 2025
Sun setting at our site               © Laurel Ramseyer Sunset on the road to Chewelah                         © Rod Crawford

[Native Wildlife Gardening Home]     [Bug Information from The Scarabs]     [Bugs of the Month Home]

This page last updated 19 October, 2025