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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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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I’ve surprised myself twice recently by unexpectedly noticing species I’ve never seen in the wild in my photographs featuring other species. The periwinkle below, the little striped snail, escaped my attention while I engaged in a four-photograph sequence featuring the limpets. The little snail is Littorina sitkana, the Sitka periwinkle. Who knew a snail could…
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Sunrise on beds of seagrass and kelp Will future generations marvel at sunrises over these lush beds? You’re part of this
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The intertidal can be a drab place, it usually is where I wander. In these images I’ve made it all the more so by dialing down the colors to grayscale. Everything but the reds. A patch patch of Plocamium looks good against the surrounding grays. Below, a red epiphyte, probably something like Antithamnionella pacifica. The…
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Bangia-like filamentous reds are a naturalist’s delight in the exposed upper intertidal, where they favor the tops of rounded boulders and rocks. The filaments of these inscrutable reds wave in the swash like thinning human hair, soaked and windswept on a blustery day. When the surge recedes the filaments fall limply, like a mop or…
Read MoreEnjoying Life in the Ozarks
Writing & Photography Services
ich zeige euch meine stadt wie ich sie sehe
my photography and other observations
Exploring my local ecosystems, learning about the creatures I find, and sharing the beauty of nature!
Write what you feel, coz it doesn't make you fear
