Sun Lakes, Eastern Washington (Dial up warning)

[Snipes]

This week I went to a research station with my class "Understanding Species" in the scrub plains of Eastern Washington. Here are some pics.

These beetles are everywhere

A pretty bug

We climbed to the top a little while after we got settled

Lots of things found in the bathrooms included these

Things I found while sitting in one place for two hours. The spider with the ants was unintentional, but had an interesting consequence.

Someone found a scorpion. Hadrus sp?

Bunny!

Apparently this bug is uncommon. It is found found under rocks and is nocturnal, but I found it just laying on the surface. I think its a Jerusalem Cricket. Later, it ate one of the beetles in the tub we put it in.

Our lab/dining hall

There were aphids that were blue with white puffs living in the trees. The air was filled, and once every hour or so for a few minutes there was a burst of them and it was all but impossible to breathe without sucking some of them in. This pic was not taken at the peak minutes, but still, lots of them.

It landed on me. A pretty lil thing.

It took me quite a while to catch this one. I froze it for a few minutes, looked at it and let it go when i woke up.

The last night with a full moon made for a nice picture

Ahh, home sweet Evergreen State. GO GEODUCKS!

 

[JPD]

Looks like you had a nice trip! I am amazed at what a drastic change in terrain there is once you approach Ellensburg.

 

[JSN]

that scorpion resembles S. mesaensis or S. Vachoni Vachoni, but its hard to tell as their are scorps that look similar to these...did you keep it?...

 

[Snipes]

No, i think someone froze it. I am not sure where it is. I will ask.

 

[Ryan C.]

The scorpion is Paruroctonus boreus, most likely a male.

 

[JPD]

The scorpion is Paruroctonus boreus, most likely a male.

This and U.mordax are the only two scorpion species known to occur in Washington.

 

[KennyGee]

Wow, i live in western wa and boy does eastern wa look different. Thats crazy.

 

[Snipes]

where in western WA?

 

[Vadim Golovetskiy]

The wolf spider looks to be a (hogna frondicola) I think, and scorpion is (paruroctanus boreus) as I believe. any way nice findings, i have never been in eastern Washington though, but I know the species of arachnids that might range there or be there, by the way I'm planing to go to eastern Washington, YAY!!! .

 

[bean man]

there are a lot of those beetles you find in southern turkey too, they are mostly really sleepy and they always hide under rocks, they only seem to be in arid and hot places, haven't seen any in Black Sea. does any one know their name?