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Surf and low tides deliver surprises to sandy beach explorers
by Judith Lea Garfield
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The nonnative worm Polyophthalmus pictus originated in the Mediterranean Sea, where it was first described in 1839. Likely introduced when inadvertently transported along with whatever native alga it lived on, the worm has adopted a local, native green alga as it home. © 2009 JUDITH LEA GARFIELD
The nonnative worm Polyophthalmus pictus originated in the Mediterranean Sea, where it was first described in 1839. Likely introduced when inadvertently transported along with whatever native alga it lived on, the worm has adopted a local, native green alga as it home. © 2009 JUDITH LEA GARFIELD
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Mine! A young Western gull (Larus occidentalis) fends off other birds to stake a claim on a Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas). © 2009 JUDITH LEA GARFIELD
Mine! A young Western gull (Larus occidentalis) fends off other birds to stake a claim on a Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas). © 2009 JUDITH LEA GARFIELD
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© 2009 JUDITH LEA GARFIELD Low tide attracts a variety of seabirds, like gulls and pelicans looking for easy pickings in the exposed sand.
© 2009 JUDITH LEA GARFIELD Low tide attracts a variety of seabirds, like gulls and pelicans looking for easy pickings in the exposed sand.
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© 2009 JUDITH LEA GARFIELD Adult sea hares (Aplysia californica) are commonly seen in rocky tidepools, but not so baby hares, which typically live offshore.
© 2009 JUDITH LEA GARFIELD Adult sea hares (Aplysia californica) are commonly seen in rocky tidepools, but not so baby hares, which typically live offshore.
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© 2009 JUDITH LEA GARFIELD A green stink bug (Chlorochroa sp.) settled on seaweed may have been blown to the beach by coastal breezes. To survive, it must find its way back to the native and cultivated garden plants on which it is commonly found.
© 2009 JUDITH LEA GARFIELD A green stink bug (Chlorochroa sp.) settled on seaweed may have been blown to the beach by coastal breezes. To survive, it must find its way back to the native and cultivated garden plants on which it is commonly found.
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© 2009 JUDITH LEA GARFIELD Tiny white spiral worm tubes live attached to a giant kelp strand and so are at the mercy of the alga. Impossible to identify without a microscope, I can say they are filter feeders, meaning that when under water they thrust out a feeding crown of feelers, which comb the water for minute morsels.
© 2009 JUDITH LEA GARFIELD Tiny white spiral worm tubes live attached to a giant kelp strand and so are at the mercy of the alga. Impossible to identify without a microscope, I can say they are filter feeders, meaning that when under water they thrust out a feeding crown of feelers, which comb the water for minute morsels.
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Winter’s extreme low tides reveal acres of hard-packed sand on some beaches but this is no desert. Instead of crouching among exposed rocky tidepools, elbow to elbow with the hoi polloi, head to La Jolla Shores to take a sandy beach walk. You may reap even more sea life finds despite the moonscape appearance. True, seaweed and other algae can’t subsist on a sandy beach because there’s no fixed anchorage, but clumps and fragments of red, green and brown photosynthesizers end up on shore by surge, surf and currents. Though the salty foliage is interesting in itself, closer inspection may reveal a host of hapless hitchhikers. As with all nature exploration, take only pictures, leave only footprints.

— Judith Lea Garfield, biologist and underwater photographer, has authored two natural history books about the underwater park off La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores. www.judith.garfield.org. Questions, comments or suggestions? E-mail jgarfield@ucsd.edu.
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