California Mussels

Littoral Learning

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”

Consider the Mussel

With a hat tip to M.F.K. Fisher, author of “Consider the Oyster,” why do California mussel shells change color over their lifespans? It’s not unusual to see dozens of half-inch long, pale gray striped shells on the littoral beach, along with a few adult shells. Typically, the shells have parted with their other halves. Mature mussel shellsContinue reading “Consider the Mussel”