Album of SE-of-Custer Field Trip

Selected photos by Rod Crawford and Laurel Ramseyer from our 21 June 2018 spider collecting trip to sites near Interstate 5, SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington. We wanted to hit areas between previously-sampled Blaine and Lynden along the Canadian border, but accessible habitats that I found were uncomfortably close to either the freeway or the border. However, we managed to get a decent sample of 34 species, including the first Washington record of European sheetweb weaver Linyphia triangularis. Laurel didn't escape being questioned by ICE, however…
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2015 aerial photo of Custer, Washington area with spider sites in red Himalayan blackberry jungle along trail to pond, SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
Custer to NW, red dots are our main sites         (USDA, 2016) Laurel negotiates a blackberry jungle               © Rod Crawford
Himalayan blackberry, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington salmonberry along trail, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
The nasty vines have nearly swallowed the trail      © Rod Crawford Finally, some native salmonberry                © Rod Crawford
leaf litter in alder-fir thicket, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington riparian moss, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
Leaf litter in cottonwood-conifer stand      © Rod Crawford Moss next to pond, surprisingly productive           © Laurel Ramseyer
erigonine microspider Ceraticelus fissiceps, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington bracken Pteridium aquilinum beside the trail, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
I got a nice series of Ceraticelus fissiceps     © Rod Crawford Bracken lined parts of the trail             © Rod Crawford
Douglas-fir cones in cottinwood thicket, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington Laurel Ramseyer tapping cones for spiders, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
Lots of Doug-fir cones on the ground      © Rod Crawford Laurel finding no spiders in the cones!          © Rod Crawford
vegetated soil bank above trail, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington open glade along trail, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
Very productive bank-top vegetation       © Rod Crawford Open glade along trail beside pond                 © Rod Crawford
gate leading into clearcut, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington open field-like habitat in clearcut, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
Gate leading into clearcut          © Rod Crawford Luxuriant field-like habitat looks like great sweeping!       © Rod Crawford
invasive blackberry in clearcut, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington lush-looking habitats in clearcut, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
Alas, lurking blackberry interfered       © Rod Crawford And it looked so very lush too!           © Rod Crawford
male and female veined white butterflies mating, clearcut nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington daisies along clearcut dirt road, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
Veined white butterflies mating      © Laurel Ramseyer Daisies along clearcut access road       © Laurel Ramseyer
jumping spider Eris militaris in leaf retreat, clearcut nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington leaf retreat of jumping spider Eris militaris, clearcut nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
Jumping spider Eris militaris in retreat   © Laurel Ramseyer Rolled-up alder leaf retreat of Eris militaris          © Laurel Ramseyer
sheetweb weaver spider Linyphia triangularis, newly recorded in Washington in clearcut nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington planted Douglas-fir, clearcut nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
Linyphia triangularis by James Lindsey       (Wikimedia Commons) Young Douglas-fir foliage was Linyphia habitat         © Rod Crawford
empty pasture nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington Laurel Ramsyer attracting Jersey cattle, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
At first this pasture appeared empty      © Rod Crawford But then came Laurel, the Cow Whisperer!               © Rod Crawford
we attempt to leave herd of Jersey cows behind, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington Jersey cows attempt to follow us, nr pond SE of Custer, Whatcom County, Washington
So long, Jersey cows               © Laurel Ramseyer Oh no, they're following us!                     © Laurel Ramseyer
Tegenaria domestica webs, Custer rest area long I-5, Whatcom County, Washington leaf litter on forest floor, H Street Road, Canadian border east of Blaine, Whatcom County, Washington
Tegenaria domestica web at I-5 Custer Rest Area   © Laurel Ramseyer Lush leaf litter, 1/2 mile south of Canada                © Rod Crawford
H Street Road, Canadian border east of Blaine, Whatcom County, Washington moss on tree limbs, H Street Road, Canadian border east of Blaine, Whatcom County, Washington
Forest along H Street Road, 1/2 mile S of Canada  © Laurel Ramseyer Lush moss on tree limbs, 1/2 mile south of Canada           © Rod Crawford

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This page last updated 12 July, 2018