Exploring underfoot: Point Defiance Park, Fort Nisqually

On Sunday, I visited Point Defiance Park, which is densely forested and not managed for logging - quite a lot of snags and also many older trees. Good place to see pileated woodpeckers, but I was there to look down, not up.

I observed at several spots close together, and with the iffy GPS reception, I'm not sure there's much point trying to differentiate. If I wanted to be more methodical, I'd have to keep better records of what I observed where. I did notice that the beetle mites (which were very common) were mostly associated with locations containing decaying wood.

I observed mostly on and near the bluffs above the water, so these were fairly exposed locations. On another day I'll see what I can find near the center of the park.

I found different springtails here than I found at the other locations, and I was able to observe several different varieties. That was exciting! I also saw a couple interesting-looking snails and some very cool mites. My favorite observation of the day, however, was a little purple globular springtail - I suspect of a cosmopolitan species - who displayed very actively, seemingly in response to my camera. I have to admire the pluck. Imagine challenging the Death Star to a duel...

The springtail must have won, because my camera and I departed.

Posted on November 1, 2022 01:17 AM by wildnettle