Album of Silver Creek (near Alger) Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 24 April 2018 spider collecting trip to a section of hiking trail (a segment of the little-known Pacific Northwest Trail) east of Alger, Skagit County, Washington and just west of Silver Creek. Although the area looked promising in pre-trip research, our collections were only so-so, featuring a total lack of wolf spiders and poor diversity in conifer foliage and some other habitats. However, we did get a full sample of 26 species, including some nice males of Dipoena lana (see below).
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Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington, 2017 aerial photo Rod Crawford sets off on Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington
Section of the trail we followed      (Skagit County, 2017) Rod sets off up the trail                © Laurel Ramseyer
side road to clearcut from Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington new clearcut adjacent to Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington
We took this side road to a fresh clearcut   © Rod Crawford Mayhem in the forest                  © Rod Crawford
remnant old stump, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington view from hill in fresh clearcut, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington
Remnant stump from early logging days   © Rod Crawford View of nearby hill from mid-clearcut            © Laurel Ramseyer
big maple at clearcut edge, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington maple leaf litter, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington
Big maple, source of moss & litter         © Rod Crawford Bigleaf maple litter, usually a rich habitat             © Rod Crawford
salmonberry flower Rubus spectabilis, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington mud & dead wood in clearcut, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington
Salmonberry in bloom             © Rod Crawford Mud & dead wood, but no wolf spiders!                  © Rod Crawford
moss on tree, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington grass beside Silver Creek on Alger-Cain Lake Road, Skagit County, Washington
Slightly different moss spider fauna on limbs, trunk  © Rod Crawford Grass by the creek, but no wolf spiders!                  © Rod Crawford
juvenile Ozyptila crab spider from leaf litter, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington trailside Douglas-fir foliage, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington
Juvenile Ozyptila from litter         © Laurel Ramseyer Douglas-fir foliage, surprisingly unproductive               © Rod Crawford
Trillium ovatum flower with cerambycid beetles, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington trail scene, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington
Cerambycid beetles on a trillium       © Rod Crawford Scene along trail with promising-looking conifers       © Rod Crawford
Bassaniana and Xysticus crab spiders from Douglas-fir cones, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington pond beside trail, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington
Bassaniana and Xysticus from Douglas-fir cones   © Laurel Ramseyer No wolf spiders beside the pond!               © Rod Crawford
Laurel Ramseyer sifting moss, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington Dipoena lana cobweb weaver spider male from Silver Creek on Alger-Cain Lake Road, Skagit County, Washington
Laurel sifting moss                © Rod Crawford Dipoena lana male with his amazing carapace          © Rod Crawford
licorice ferns Polypodium on maple trunk, Alger-Silver Creek segment of Pacific NW Trail, Skagit County, Washington Silver Creek at Alger-Cain Lake Road, Skagit County, Washington
Licorice ferns on base of big maple      © Laurel Ramseyer Riparian grass by Silver Creek, surprisingly unproductive     © Rod Crawford
Microlinyphia dana sheetweb spider Linyphiidae, Silver Creek at Alger-Cain Lake Road, Skagit County, Washington Alger-Cain Lake Road bridge over Silver Creek, Skagit County, Washington
Microlinyphia dana in sheet web       © Laurel Ramseyer Main road bridge over Silver Creek               © Rod Crawford
under bridge on Silver Creek at Alger-Cain Lake Road, Skagit County, Washington Rod Crawford relaxing under Alger-Cain Lake Road bridge over Silver Creek, Skagit County, Washington
What lurks under the bridge?         © Laurel Ramseyer Convalescent Rod, relaxing after a full day                 © Laurel Ramseyer

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This page last updated 10 May, 2018