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Saturday, May 23, 2026

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. 

4 comments:

Wendy said...

That's stunning! Here along the strait of the Olympic Peninsula I'm thrilled to find them, so tiny and colorful! They're usually shades of orange and pink, each one unique. I love your blog.

NHBH said...

Hi, Wendy!

Good to hear from you! We also usually see this species in shades of red/orange/pink, so this individual stood out to us.

Back in 2016, Eric put together a cool mosaic showing the variation in the patterns of their central discs:

https://bodegahead.blogspot.com/2016/10/colorful-discs.html

:) Jackie

Wendy in Port Townsend said...

That's amazing, just like snowflakes. Today I gathered a dozen molts of juvenile Red Rock Crabs, and each is also unique!

Limantour walker said...

Oh, the amazing beautiful diversity! We are so blessed to be enlightened to something new and delightful! Thank you!