Buzz's Marine Life of Puget Sound: 07/01/2013

Sunday, July 28, 2013

BACK TO THE WATERSHED

After 4 long day hikes in a short period of time the knees are telling me to slow down......it's hard to stay out of the mountains on these perfect Summer days.
I choose Grand Park in Mount Rainier NP for the last of the 4 hikes even though the 3rd hike was to the same location. Reason for such redundancy was my hiking partner who is nutso over frogs....and tadpoles.
The Grand Park hike has a large meadow pond that teems with tadpoles and frogs...and a few salamanders.
So it was an easy choice....I also though it would be easy enough to not stress out the knees too much...so much for that line of illogical thought.
So we are back off the beach and into the watershed....but the frogs and tadpoles made it well worth the pain and my hiking partner went nuts...another bonus.

THE POND AND A FEW RESIDENTS........

Meadow and Pond

Pond

Cascade Frog tadpoles

Tadpoles

Noelle absorbed with tadpoles

so many tadpoles

and more

Cotton Grass

Indian Paintbrush

Flies stuck on Deer Fly tape

Stuck Deer Fly

Nothing tastes better for lunch on a hike

Cascade Frog

Here's looking at you..

And more

Face of Nature

Thursday, July 25, 2013

LACUNA SNAIL REPRODUCTIVE EXPLOSION

Lately the number of Lacuna Snail (Lacuna variegata or vincta) egg masses on both eelgrass and seaweeds has exploded. Eggs at all stages of development crowd on the eelgrass blades while mating snails can be seen in huge numbers....many laying eggs on the shell rather than on the eelgrass surface. Eggs are yellow or green and there is likely some hybridization between species. Egg masses swell and lose color as they age ending up looking like tiny white doughnuts.

Lacuna Snail

Lacuna eggs at various stages of development

Lacuna snails mating

Lacuna matings

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

THE PROLIFERATING ANEMONE (BROODING ANEMONE) at Alki 7-24-13

Epiactis prolifera, the Proliferating Anemone is found on Eelgrass in shallow water. Most anemones are separate sexes but Brooding Anemones are either female or hermaphrodites, there are no strictly male individuals. Much reproduction by self fertilization so there is lots of inbreeding. The eggs and young are brooded until time for them to go on their way. The images show an individual with no young, an image with young, and finally an image with young in the groove at the base of the column and eggs (pink masses at right side of anemone). The eggs will be brooded in the digestive cavity until they reach planula stage at which time the parent will move the planula to the groove at the base of the column for final development stages. There are often young at various stages of development in the groove at the base of the column.
Food consists of mainly small crustaceans. The anemone is in turn fed upon by the Shaggy Mouse sea slug, Leather Star, and some fish.

Anemone with no young

With young in groove at base of colunm

With young in groove and eggs being released at right side of anemone.
eggs will move to digestive cavity where they will develop to the planula stage.
The parent will them move the planula down the column to the basal groove where they will develop.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

SCHMITZ PARK 7-21&22-13

Schmitz Park provided its usual collection of flora and fauna at low tide. However, there were a large number of Frosted Sea Slugs, (Dirona albolineata) commonly subtidal on the surface of large mats of seaweed. They have a very catholic diet, feeding on small snails which the crack open with strong jaws; sponges, bryozoans, tunicates, and small crustaceans are also on the menu. Sponge eating Sea Lemons, Moon Snails, Sunflower and Mottled Sea Stars, were also abundant. Drifting Fried-egg Jellyfish were also common; coming to a sad fate as they washed ashore. Tomorrow, July 22 offers a minus 3.1 ft. low tide followed by a minus 2.8 feet on Tuesday......good time to go exploring as these are the last best tides of Summer.
Some images are from Alki Beach Park - just a mile north of Schmitz....on the previous day.