Reading the shells?

  

While in Monterey last weekend, we were thinking about southern species that might become more common farther north if a major El Niño event arrives this fall/winter.  For fun, while walking the beach we gathered some shells and ended up with 11 of these species.  We used all of them to spell out El Niño in the photo above.

Three barnacles: Megabalanus tintinnabulum, Paraconcavus pacificus, Tetraclita rubescens

Six snails: Acanthinucella punctulata, Californiconus californicus, Hespererato vitellina, Atrimitra (formerly Mitra) idae, Pseudomelatoma torosa, Pseudopusula (formerly Trivia) californiana

Two limpets: Fissurella volcano, Lottia gigantea

You can click on the image above for a larger version, and here's an example with labels, a close-up of the "E":

 

 

 

P.S.  If you're interested, you can follow NOAA's El Niño predictions at this link (updated monthly). 

Love for the oceans

  

Seemed like this photo could be appropriate for World Oceans Day (8 June 2026).  

A heart from and for the ocean!

Here's the entire animal:

 

The heart shape surprised us, as the central opening on the underside of a sand dollar is usually circular.  But this skeleton broke in just the right way to create a perfect heart.  Pacific Sand Dollar (Dendraster excentricus) photographed in Marin County on 22 May 2026.

Sharing our thanks and love for all of the Earth's oceans. 

The colors of the sky...

  

...in a shell!  

Two close-ups of the inside of an abalone shell.  

I thought the first one (above) looked like an aurora, while the second (below) was more like a sunset.

[You can click on them for larger versions.] 

 

 

 

 Photographed in Monterey County on 6 June 2026.   

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.