low tide again...

most of the time i go for walks alone. just me and my camera. but once in awhile it is fun to go with someone else, especially someone who is as kid-like as i when it comes to exploring the life around us. my friend Emily is one of those people, and we hit the sand today just a little before the low tide reached its peak. we were on a long spit of land that i love to explore, and first we headed to the exposed outer beach where the wind chilled us despite the sun. the wide stretch of sand was dotted with pools here and there and before long i was wading through the seaweed water searching for creatures. after we crossed the road over into the mud flat expanse of the protected inner side, feeling the soft mud suck at our sandals. above you can see a little bit of what we saw - click on any image for more info. we saw ochre stars and leather stars, sea anemones tucked up tight against the air, hermit crabs and sand dollars, oysters and mussels, stranded jellyfish, mudflat snails and whelks and little shore crabs. two creatures in particular kept us fascinated for quite some time: an ornery and impressively-clawed rock crab, and the graceful but massive bulk of a lewis moon snail.

so many incredible creatures sharing this little piece of coast with us, on a bright beautiful spring day. i hope your sunday had a little nature in it too.

ETA: just looking back through some posts and realized Em and i went on a walk in the exact same spot one year ago minus a day. interesting to compare the two, or at least interesting to me...