Larval calcareous tubeworms start out life in the plankton- it’s a badge of honor among tide pool inhabitants. Once they settle, young worms secrete calcareous tubes within which they reside for the rest of their lives. Below, six or seven red trumpets, Serpula columbiana, have laid down loose coils around a giant barnacle shell, Balanus…
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Closed tight, this empty glass jar floated as far as it could, washing ashore when it ran out of fetch on a cobble covered Oregon strand. It arrived in a beach cast of Velella velella, real-life professional drifters, so much so we call them by-the wind-sailors. The jar probably made landfall a few days before…
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When I show images of chitons I always want to ask, “do you know which way the head is pointing?” Today I’ll refrain because I want to talk about the fine lines of Tonicella lineata. Just about everybody knows T. lineata as the lined chiton. The wavy bluish-white lines on the shell are eye-catching and…
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Renewal in Nucella canaliculata calls for a crowd. Winter and spring aggregations of channeled dogwinkles, that’s their common name, copulate and lay eggs over a several week period. In the finale, females deposit eggs in straw-colored vase-like cases. I took the photo above on April 19, 2018. If I am interpreting it correctly, the cases,…
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An alluvial miocene formation shaped by changing sea levels, wave action, and boring clams has an otherworldly appearance. The seaward part of the headland, in the foreground, is Angora Peak sandstone. Composed of well-cemented particles, this resistant shelf once hosted a multitude of boring clams. You can still see shells in some of the the…
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When a narrow trail opens to reveal a peek at the surf zone and the Pacific beyond, it’s easy to forget the forest. There are faces in the emerald frame- shore pine Pinus contorta, salal Gaultheria shallon, and Sitka spruce Picea sitchensis. They’re at home on the exposed outer coast, tolerant of its salt spray.…
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Since I laid my hands on the new edition of Druehl and Clarkston’s Pacific Seaweeds, I’ve spent hours letting it guide me through the diversity of west coast seaweeds. It’s a celebration of morphological variety. Chapters on green, red, and brown seaweeds are organized by morphological theme- crusts, cylinders, simple blades, branched, bushy, feather-like, and…
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Settled on a vertical face in the highest intertidal, Lottia digitalis sits out low tide clamped down tight. With the surf pounding just below, there is silence in these shells. Note to arachnophiles: While preparing this post I noticed a red speck on the shell of the middle limpet. That’s a red spider mite (Neomolgus…
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First time I noticed the weathered old stump was seven and a half years ago. I didn’t think I’d see it again, but it was impressive, so I took a photo of my gear and myself leaning leaning against it. I got a chance to recreate the scene earlier this month. Notice any changes? I’ve…
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Enjoying Life In New Ways
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ich zeige euch meine stadt wie ich sie sehe
my photography and other observations
