Wrack Line 2018 – theoutershores

August 11, 2018

empty shells in the drift line

Purple varnish clams, Nuttallia obscurata dominating the drift line | Orcas Island, Washington

Seascape

Low tide in Eastsound | Orcas Island, Washington

Drifted succulent seaweed exposed on a sandy, gravelly shore

A dab of drifted Sarcodiotheca gaudichaudii | Orcas Island, Washington

Washed up and exposed on a rocky shore; fresh condition

Dock or coonstripe shrimp, Pandalus danae | Orcas Island, Washington

Dead, upside down, exposed on a gravel shore

Kelp crab, Pugettia, probably P. producta | Orcas Island, Washington

Barnacles on a bleached clamshell in the mud

The object of interest here are the barnacles, Balanus crenatus | Orcas Island, Washington

Flowering sea rocket poking up through small driftwood

Sea rocket, Cakile maritima making a go of it in the wrack | Orcas Island, Washington

August 10, 2018

Empty limpet shell, Lottia, resting in the crook between Pisaster rays | Orcas Island, WA

Empty limpet shell, Lottia, resting in the crook between Pisaster rays | Orcas Island, WA

Turkish towel on a bed of Ulva

Morning sunlight on Chondracanthus | Orcas Island, WA

Distant view of a great blue heron hunting in shallow water along the shore.

I’ll share the wrack line with a great blue heron any day | Orcas Island, WA

Two walking legs and a pinching claw, remains on a bed of Ulva

Helmet crab, Telmessus cheiragonus, met its match | Orcas Island, WA

August 9, 2018

From water's edge, the view north toward the head of East Sound. Rocky shoreline covered in Ulva and a bit of Saccharina

Low tide exposes Saccharina (some drifted, some attached) and Ulva | Orcas Island, WA

A drifted Saccharina blade on a bed of Ulva | Orcas Island, WA

A drifted Saccharina blade on a bed of Ulva | Orcas Island, WA

A drifted Chondracanthus blade, Ulva, and Fucus | Orcas Island, WA

A drifted Chondracanthus blade, Ulva, and Fucus | Orcas Island, WA

Attached stipes with crinkly blades

Saccharina latissima, I presume | Orcas Island, WA

a bleached clam shell with barnacles inside, crab carapace

This scene caught my eye | Orcas Island, WA

An intimate view of limp red blades on gravel

Low tide exposes Chondracanthus | Orcas Island, WA

Rocky ulva-covered shores

Low tide on Orcas Island | View west, across East Sound

Holdfast attached to a small rock, stipe, blade, exposed on a bed of ulva

Saccharina latissima, sugar wrack | Orcas Island, WA

Pinching claw, Cancer productus | Orcas Island, WA

Pinching claw, Cancer productus | Orcas Island, WA

July 14, 2018

Stairs down to the beach | Dawn

What will the wrack line hold?

Baby, almost transparent flatfish in a finger bowl

I have it on good authority…it might be in Pleuronectidae, the right-eyed blokes

Looking out over the sand and surf from inside

Low tide from Preacher’s Cave

Up on the rocks, holdfast and all

Drift sea palm, Postelsia palmaeformis

little Olivella plowing through the sand at low tide

Olivella biplicata, snowplowing

Just a right and a left, sided by side

Gull footprints

drifted sea lettuce on sand

Drift Ulva

Gull tracks in the sand where they had been pecking barnacles on an adjacent rock

Gulls can’t wait for low tide to peck ate exposed barnacle beds

Carcass on the sand

Pacific sardine, Sardinops sagax

Looking north toward Captain Cook's point

A sandy beach between headlands

Unidentified translucent white tube, on wet sand

Three inches long, if you know what this is, please let me know

On sand

Drift Desmarestia

a delicate red and a globular brown adorn drift black pine, of sand

Epiphytes on drifted black pine | the yellow balls might be Soranthera

River otter tracks on wet sand

Otter tracks, heading off toward the reef at the top of the image | river otters

A big rounded off log up in high intertidal rocks

It’s taken a bit of rolling to round off the edges

Beach, cobbles, forest

Morning stroll coming to a close

July 13, 2018

Dawn seascape - getting ready to hike!

The beauty of low tide at dawn

A drift line dominated by spruce needles and mole crab molts

A drift line dominated by spruce needles and mole crab molts

Reef seascape | waves, foam

Sea foam, at times, is a major wrack component on the reefs.

A lone seaside plantain, poking out of a cobble and seas shell rubble

Seaside plantain, Plantago maritima, pioneering onto a wrack line rubble of cobbles and sea shells

Striped shore crab, Pachygrapsus crassipes | they love crevices in big high intertidal rocks

Striped shore crab, Pachygrapsus crassipes | they love crevices in big high intertidal rocks

June 15, 2018

intimate view of a drift mass

Ever lovely Macrocystis

Drift bull Kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana, and a side of Macrocystis

Drift bull Kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana, and a side of Macrocystis

A good-sized beached jelly, over 30 cm across | has fried egg characteristics, so Phacellophora camtschatica?

A good-sized beached jelly, over 30 cm across | has fried egg characteristics, so Phacellophora camtschatica?

From the swash zone to the spruce forest, drift Fucus, in the mirror

From the swash zone to the spruce forest, drift Fucus, in the mirror

People in these parts call these cellophane tube worms, Spiochaetopterus costarum, what do you think?

People in these parts call these cellophane tube worms, Spiochaetopterus costarum, what do you think?

Drifted forest branches

A nod to terrestrial connections

Desmarestia

Desmarestia

Gulls loafing on the rocks

Gulls loafing, bellies full of crabs and barnacles

Signature workings, guess who | Olivella biplicata

Signature workings, guess who | Olivella biplicata

I know some beach hoppers that are going to be overjoyed once this bull kelp find a resting place higher on the beach

I know some beach hoppers that are going to be overjoyed once this bull kelp find a resting place higher on the beach

June 14, 2018

In the drift line

Mostly dried surfgrass in the drift line, a little Zostera, a bleached Velella, and welk eggs

Epiphytic Ulva on a bull kelp stipe | note beach hopper workings in the sand

Epiphytic Ulva on a bull kelp stipe | note beach hopper workings in the sand

Feather boa, Egregia menziesii

Feather boa, Egregia menziesii

Macrocystis pyrifera

Macrocystis pyrifera

Eccentric sand dollar shell

Eccentric sand dollar shell

Sargassum

Sargassum

Surfgrass, Phyllospadix

Surfgrass, Phyllospadix

Gull pellet | contents: gooseneck barnacles

Gull pellet | contents: gooseneck barnacles

Sea palm, Postelsia palmaeformis

Sea palm, Postelsia palmaeformis

Trace of Olivella biplicata plowing through beach sand

Trace of Olivella biplicata plowing through beach sand

Olivella popped out of its burrow and started racing for...somewhere

Olivella popped out of its burrow and started racing for…somewhere

Gull pellet | contents: rock crab

Gull pellet | contents: rock crab

Gull pellet | contents: acorn barnacles

Gull pellet | contents: acorn barnacles

Drift feather boa

Drift feather boa

A drift line trifecta: bull kelp, feather boa, Macrocystis

A drift line trifecta: bull kelp, feather boa, Macrocystis

A wad of eelgrass, surfgrass, a bull kelp stipe, pelagic goose barnacles, a bleached Velella

Drift line quiz: how many species do you see?

Drift Fucus and beach hopper workings

Drift Fucus and beach hopper workings

May 18, 2018

Deserted beach, cloudy morning

Beach to myself, except a gull eyeing me

Dark drift log

Where’s this drift log from? The cliffs above?

"Congratulations" balloon, older drift Velella

“Congratulations” balloon, older drift Velella

Good-sized drift wood

Good-sized drift wood

Drift line mostly older bleached Velella velella

Drift line mostly older bleached Velella velella

Unfortunate mole crab, , Emerita analoga | note the bright, freshly-yolked eggs

Unfortunate mole crab, , Emerita analoga | note the bright, freshly-yolked eggs

Dungeness carapace

Dungeness carapace

Whimbrel tracks

Whimbrels all over the beach, hunting Emerita

Whimbrels eat so many Emerita eggs it turns their poop orange

Whimbrels eat so many Emerita eggs it turns their poop orange

May 17, 2018

Blue buoy barnacles attached to Velella velella

Blue buoys, Dosima fascicularis, on a spent by-the-wind sailor

Lone by-the-wind sailor

Lone by-the-wind sailor

Empty plastic water bottle

Too much of this

Mix of fresh and bleached Velella velella

Mix of fresh and bleached Velella velella

Blue plastic carboy

Freshly arrived carboy inhabited by lots of distressed pelagic barnacles

California mussel, Mytilus californianus

California mussel, Mytilus californianus

Drifted Fucus

Drifted Fucus

A small white bivalve

I’ve always called these tellins, but I’m not positive

Seascape

There’s a seascape out there

Dungeness pinching claw

Dungeness pinching claw

April 20, 2018

Epiphytic red blades

Bull-kelp nori, Pyropia, on a drifted bull-kelp stipe

Mostly blades on wet sand, stipe too, but holdfast blocked from view

Drift bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana

Good-sized Velella, 5 cm, approximately

Drift line dominated by the partially bleached remains of drifted Velella velella

Two-lugged float on sand

Lugged float

Carcass on sand

Northern fulmar

Drifted bull-kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana

Drifted bull-kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana

Beached bull-kelp drift mass

Delicate red epiphyte on bull-kelp stipes

pair of gull tracks

Almost washed away in the swash

Regugitated capitulum, Pollicipes polymerus | Gulls eat these and barf up the shells

Regugitated capitulum, Pollicipes polymerus | Gulls eat these and barf up the shells

Dungeness crab trap half buried in sand, exposed at low tie

This trap won’t fish

Rough keyhole limpet, Diodora aspera | just the shell, now go find a live one on the rocks!

Rough keyhole limpet, Diodora aspera | just the shell, now go find a live one on the rocks!

On orange on a bed of Velella velella

What’s out of place here?

Circular tracks of Olivella biplicata in the sand

Olivella’s a show off

April 19, 2018

Carpet of drifted Velella velella

Carpet of drifted Velella velella

Ends a long float up in the cobbles on a bed of Velella

Ends a long float up in the cobbles on a bed of Velella

Shearwater?

Shearwater?

Remains from a regurgitated gull pellet: plates from the capitulum, Pollicipes polymerus, goose-neck barnacle

Remains from a regurgitated gull pellet: plates from the capitulum, Pollicipes polymerus, goose-neck barnacle

Orange toothbrush

More common in the drift line than you might think

Blu rubber boot with a clump of large pelagic goose barnacles on the sole

Got the hitchhikers to prove it’s been afloat awhile

February 10, 2018

High tide's all about the cobbles and an early morning glow

High tide’s all about the cobbles and an early morning glow

Lidless plastic bait jar on the cobbles

Bait jar

a dried clump, holdfast and all, washed up on the cobbles

Strap kelp, Lessoniopsis littoralis, some people call it tree kelp

Wet sand makes nice tracks

Fresh morning dog tracks

Intact dried clump, bright red, with holdfast on a cobble

I wonder if this might be bush seaweed, Scinaia confusa, just a guess

washed up on the cobbles

Feather boa, Egregia menziesii

Five stacks of cobbles on a drift log

When life gives you cobbles…

Sunset brings a falling tide and a glow

Sunset brings a falling tide and a glow

Sun dips into the horizon

Waiting for a green flash

A sunset low tide reveals a sandy beach

A sunset low tide reveals a sandy beach

January 3, 2018

Trail to the beach

Anticipation

Sea oats, Nucella eggs, Emerita fragment (lower right)

Sea oats, Nucella eggs, Emerita fragment (lower right)

Pine cone, twig from a different conifer (both unidentified)

Couple conifers

Three ecosystems represented: forest (Sitka spruce), estuary (eelgrass), open ocean (pyrosome)

Three ecosystems represented: forest (Sitka spruce), estuary (eelgrass), open ocean (pyrosome)

A round of Douglas fir, meant to be split for firewood

Meant to be firewood; what now?

Probably Corbicula fluminea, a freshwater or brackish clam | a drifted shell from a nearby river?

Probably Corbicula fluminea, a freshwater or brackish clam | a drifted shell from a nearby river?

Shell fragment with distinctive chodrophore

Fat gaper, Tresus capax

Bleached shell on sand

Razor clam, Siliqua patula

The swash rushes out

The swash rushes out

Dungeness, Metacarcinus magister

Dungeness, Metacarcinus magister

Drifted bamboo

Drifted bamboo

Drifted glass salad dressing bottle

Drifter

Delicate blades of a red epiphyte on a bull kelp stipe | Perhaps Pyropia nereocystis?

Delicate blades of a red epiphyte on a bull kelp stipe | Perhaps Pyropia nereocystis?

Marine mammal skeleton, no head, bleached ribs pointing skyward

Your guess is as good as mine

Press Enter To Begin Your Search

×

%d bloggers like this: