plant/animal reference) to get a bigger picture
Chthamalus dalli |
Partridge Point team photo 2009 |
Stalked jelly |
Katharina tunicata |
Epiactis sp. |
Porcelain crab |
Jan Holmes put together an enthusiastic team of nine to study Partridge Point on July 22nd. Betty Brosheim, from the WA Dept. of Natural Resources and who is involved in establishing a new marine reserve area that will border the west side of Whidbey Island, accompanied the team and got a good overview of what beach monitoring is all about. The late morning low tide plunged to -3.2 feet revealing the truly remarkable diversity of this beach; a diversity that was reflected at the end of the day by a species list comprised of 75 invertebrates, fish, and seaweeds.
Among the highlights were stalked jellies and 4 species of anemones ranging in size from the little brooding anemone (Epiactis sp.-diameter to 2 inches) to the much larger Christmas anemone (Urticina crassicornis-diameter to 10 inches). Flossie Pearson got a kick out of the sight of a large hermit crab toting around a shell that was much too small to accommodate its body. The team also encountered black katy chitons (Katharina tunicata), porcelain crabs (Petrolisthes sp.), and little brown barnacles (Cthamalus dalli). Bob Gentz brought his new waterproof camera and got photos of any critter that would hold still long enough for him to snap the shutter.