plant/animal reference) to get a bigger pictureCharlie gives an explanation | Taking a profile reading | Ala Spit team photo 2010 |
3-rayed seastar | Haliplanella lineata |
Eelgrass | Lugworm fecal spiral |
Sammye Kempbell's Ala Spit team hit the beach on May 14th when the tide fell back to -2.3 feet. Half of the team was made up of brand new Beach Watchers from the class of 2010 working on their very first monitoring project. They were eager to learn and bursting with enthusiasm. Highlights for the day included digging up a lugworm after finding a hole in the sand marked with the characteristic "cake decorator" fecal spiral, the discovery of a crescent gunnel that had taken refuge under an empty clam shell, and a mottled sea star (Evasterias troschelli) with only three full rays and 2 buds that marked the emergence of replacements for the two that were missing. A polychaete from the family Glyceridae entertained the team everting its massive proboscis and one of the new folks surprised even herself with the utterance that "Worms are fun!" The tiny anemone Haliplanella lineata was also found as were pickleweed and the native eelgrass, Zostera marina. A Skagit County Beach Watcher came by and said hello as he hiked along the spit working on his COAST bird survey. It was a fun day of sunshine and discovery!