Stronger than Spider Silk
I found this three-level limpet world adrift in the current, like a planet that had escaped its star. The larger limpet has smaller...
Regeneration
Like most schoolkids, I learned that starfish regenerate arms. Recently I read that a severed arm of some species of starfish (or sea...
Surreal Sea Slug
There are few tidepool creatures more otherworldly than the alabaster nudibranch, Dirona albolineata. Today I watched an alabaster turn...
Stinging Nettle
Today I collected an intact but dead sea nettle jelly, Chrysaora fuscescens, about one mile north of Haystack. The nematocysts of sea...
Octopus Rescue
Today a Haystack Rock visitor pointed out a small octopus stranded in a shrinking pool. Worried that the octopus would get trampled or...
Dendronotus Density Dispatch
Today at Haystack a startling abundance of nudibranchs in the genus Dendronotus appeared. The name Dendronotus is derived from dendrite,...
Cephalopod Alert
At least two cephalopods were sighted today at Haystack. One creature seemed alive though not very active; another was almost certainly...
Smitten with Invertebrates
This is one of four alabaster nudibranchs, Dirona albolineata, I spotted today in the tidepools at Haystack. One of the luminous dragons...
Alabaster at Last
This morning, after several months of searching, I finally spotted an alabaster nudibranch, Dirona albolineata. Its white lines glowed...
Christmas Present
Today at The Needles a Christmas anemone was present. The sight of this animal's strange coloration in the morning sun was a gift to my...
