Ocean Life – Mashabu

After the Fire

Palisades Fire seen from PCH at 11:21 a.m.

Re-framing fire’s destruction through nature’s lens.

At the foot of Temescal Canyon, within earshot of the roaring traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway, a littoral ecosystem emerges with the twice daily tides. In the intertidal zone, on a boulder-strewn jetty constructed perpendicular to the shore to slow the beach erosion, limpets are busy growing alongside two species of barnacles and mussels.Continue reading “Littoral Learning”

Sea Stars

King Tides arrived this weekend in Southern California, and with them, a rare opportunity to see marine life that’s typically underwater. On Broad Beach, in western LA County, this constellation of five sea stars was spotted at low tide on a large boulder. Considered a keystone species in intertidal zones, sea stars keep mussels inContinue reading “Sea Stars”

By-the-Wind Sailor

One delight of walking the shore is seeing what treasures have washed up with the tide. Yesterday morning, we spotted several blue-gray colored oval shapes in the wrack. At first glance, I thought that a trove of rare blue beach glass was underfoot. On closer examination, I realized the sapphire blue-rimmed discs had translucent triangular sailsContinue reading “By-the-Wind Sailor”

Gray Whale

During an ordinary beach walk, a gray whale slipped into our sight yesterday, a benediction from the sea. Perhaps we should have known something unusual was happening in the Santa Monica Bay because several groups of brown pelicans were seen diving for fish, making a big splash before taking off in flight repeatedly. Known to migrate through Santa MonicaContinue reading “Gray Whale”