plant/animal reference) to get a bigger picturePycnapodia | Brittle star | Entodesma |
Ophlitaspongia | Haliclona | Porcelain crab |
Partridge Point team photo 2008 |
It was a small but determined group who took on Partridge Point on May 7th. Overcast skies could not dampen their enthusiasm as they identified over one hundred seaweed, seagrass, and invertebrate species. Brand new Beach Watcher Lili Yokom dove right into monitoring, her eagle eyes picking up several species that would have otherwise been missed. She reported that the highlights of the day for her were finding
sea cucumbers (Cucumaria miniata) and brittle stars. Brian Giles spotted a Northwest ugly clam (Entodesma navicula) a species uncommon on Whidbey beaches. Jan Holmes and Libby Hayward focused on documenting quadrat data, sorting through a thick blanket of layer upon layer of seaweed and surfgrass (Phyllospadix sp). Exploration of the rich fauna yielded kelp crabs (Pugettia producta), pygmy rock crabs (Cancer oregonensis), porcelain crabs (Petrolisthes), red (Ophlitaspongia) and purple (Haliclona) sponge, and several small sunflower stars (Pycnapodia helianthoides).