Flotilla

  

We were in Monterey yesterday (5 June 2026) for a concert, but we drove down early to spend a little time along the coast.  Here's a nice seascape including a flotilla of sea otters in the kelp offshore from Pacific Grove.  [You can click on the photo for a larger version.]

Yellow-bellied

  

A quick look at a Western Yellow-bellied Racer (Coluber constrictor mormon) this afternoon (3 June 2026)

With its head raised, the nice yellow color on the underside was easy to see:

 

 

Golden-edged and fine-lined

  

It's hard to believe that this striking flatworm remains undescribed.  Abby noticed it in the low intertidal zone last week and Eric was able to get some video for documentation (see video clip below).

This flatworm is listed in the Intertidal Invertebrates of California (Morris, Abbott, and Haderlie 1980) as Eurylepta sp.  They didn't include an actual photo, but instead represented this species with a painting.  The colors are a little different, but I think you'll see the resemblance:

 

Modified slightly from Morris, Abbott, and Haderlie (1980) 

 

There have been more recent discussions regarding whether this flatworm is in the genus Prostheceraeous, but at this time we can't locate a reference to cite for that, so we'll just say that it's in the Euryleptidae family.

 

There are only a few records of this species in Marin County, and none that we know of north of there.  Most observations are in the Monterey area and farther south. 

 

If you happen to see one, we'd love to see photos and to hear about other records. 

 

And now for the video!  Eric put together a few clips so you can appreciate the color pattern and the flowing movements of this flatworm.  [If you're reading this in an e-mail, click on the title of the post above to go directly to the NHBH website to see the video player.]

 

 

 

With many thanks to Abby for sharing her observation and to Eric for creating the video!

Rock star?

  

Whew, we were busy with field work during the low tides this past week, but we managed to take a few photos on the side.  

Here's one that Eric took in Mendocino County today (23 May 2026) -- a beautiful Daisy Brittlestar (Ophiopholis kennerlyi) on the underside of a rock with clusters of small tubeworms. 

Sky blue

  

Walking over to the farmers market this morning, I caught a glimpse of a dragonfly exploring the sun-exposed branches of a willow tree.  It disappeared, but when I turned the corner I started scanning up high, looking for potential sites where it could have landed.  I was about to give up, when my eyes caught the blue of the darner's eyes.

Blue-eyed Darner (Rhionaeschna multicolor) in Sebastopol on 17 May 2026. 

Beauty and the beast?

  

Coastal Bluff Morning-glory (Calystegia purpurata ssp. saxicola) and Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum), 14 May 2026 

Ocean art

  

 Early morning sand patterns in the swash zone, 6 May 2026