Sunday, September 02, 2007

What Lay Beneath

I started my rock-flipping day at Shore Acres, at the rocky outcropping near the site of the old tennis court.

The first several rocks I flipped, disappointingly, had nothing but smaller rocks underneath. A few sand fleas hopped away too quickly to be photographed.

Finally this shrimp-like creature was revealed.

Then a bug iin the shape of a peace sign.

There were few rocks along the path; this one had roots under it.

I arrived at Simpson Beach in time for low tide.

This one reminds me of a wet sowbug.

Sea snails.

Rocks like this one that were much too large to flip still sheltered creatures like...

Starfish...

Sea anemone waiting for high tide to bloom again...

and Mussels.

A brilliant little purple crab scuttled for the camoflauge provided by some nearby seaweed.

Various shelled creatures blend cleverly with the landscape.
I've seen what's under the rocks now, if only I knew what they are.
Rose

2 comments:

Dena Braves said...

I enjoyed your blog - interesting insights and your photos are gorgeous.

nina at Nature Remains. said...

A starfish! I'd searched all my life to find one in a tide pool and finally discovered my first this summer in Maine! (I'm in OH, so every once in a while we go coastal)
What a beautiful area you have to discover--I've always heard Oregon is beautiful and nice to find you here to keep up with.