plant/animal reference) to get a bigger pictureGreen sea urchin | Coupeville Town Park Beach team photo 2010 | Evasterias troschelii |
Nucella snail tied up by byssal threads | Fucus spiralis | Verrucaria (Lichen) |
It was a really soggy day. In spite of conditions that had even ducks seeking shelter, avid Beach Watcher John Purcell showed up to help team captain Mary Jo Adams survey Coupeville Town Park Beach on May 28th. This beach has one huge and several less massive erratics located at different intertidal levels and it was on one of those that John spotted a patch of the purple encrusting sponge Haliclona. He also found green sea urchins, several large thatched barnacles, and two mottled sea stars (Evasterias troschelli). Bay mussels had apparently turned the tables on one predatory Nucella snail; it was seen hanging off a rock, bound up by numerous byssal threads and literally hung out to dry. The survey team also identified Fucus spiralis. The blades of this brown seaweed tend to twist as they dry and tiny tufts of hair can be seen dotting their surface. Verrucaria and other lichens were noted on rocky surfaces in the splash zone. It was a fun and interesting day in spite of the trying conditions.