Dropping down on a new reach of shore is disorienting enough that it takes a while to shake it off. It’s not unusual to arrive with questions about how and where to proceed. (Most of these, with a bit of planning, can be answered in advance). Once I’m on a new shore, all preparation seems…
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There is enough variety among the small, branched, and somewhat similar tufted red seaweeds to keep them forever interesting. The reds I’m talking about are delicate and limp when exposed by low tide, which adds difficulty in observing the details of undisturbed tufts. On August 19, 2020, I inched up to Microcladia borealis (I’m pretty…
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January 25 January 26 March 8 March 9 July 6 July 7 July 13 August 19 August 20 October 17 Favorite Images of 2020
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Anthopleura xanthogrammica, giant green Anthopleura artemisia, moonglow Anthopleura elegantissima, pink-tipped green To see more images of these and a couple non-Anthopleura anemones, head over to my sea anemones page. An Alphabet Challenge–Subjects That Begin with the Letter A
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It’s the setting, height, and shape that make the rock below an intertidal superstar. This surf zone heavy-hitter sits in an intertidal sweet spot where accessibility and rarely exposed lower reaches find the optimal balance. It’s a leviathan tall enough to support all the intertidal zones, and its steep broad faces impart visibility to the…
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The low tides of late summer brought me a tidepool treat. I’d read about a connection between a red seaweed called slimy leaf, Schizymenia pacifica, and the Katy chiton, Katharina tunicata, but hadn’t seen it myself. I had seen Katy chitons decked out with various seaweed and animal hitchhikers, but I did not recall slimy leaf among them. By…
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A strip of open space between adjacent colonies of pink-tipped green anemones, Anthopleura elegantissima. Communication or no? Communication
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Just memories now, of a beach walk, August 19, 2020 6:17 am: Accepting an intertidal invitation. 7:02 am: Touching base with an old friend, a study in zonation. 7:58 am: A pause to take in morning sunlight on exposed surfgrass. 8:19 am: A fortunate turn of my gaze, just in time to discover sunbeams penetrating…
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Welcome to my small celebration of symmetry. This beach party’s a renewal of kinship with animals we share symmetry with and a reminder that symmetry varies in ways worth appreciating. An in-depth survey of symmetry would expose developmental and evolutionary mysteries better left to zoology and comparative anatomy courses. Instead, let’s head to the shore,…
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This little flatfish, one of those pesky pleuronectids, the righteye flounders, was just a babe, washed up as so much sea wrack when I noticed its perky eyeballs protruding from the smooth, featureless surface of a sea of swash zone sand. The experts I consulted believe it’s a juvenile starry flounder, or maybe a curlfin…
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ich zeige euch meine stadt wie ich sie sehe
my photography and other observations
