Vibrant Starfish and Anemones at Pacific Tide Pool
Saturday, July 18th, 2026 at 3:20:05 PM · 2026/Schoolhouse Beach Tide Pools
This striking photograph captures a dense, colorful assemblage of Pacific intertidal life exposed during low tide at Schoolhouse Beach. Multiple ochre sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus) in vivid orange, purple, and tan hues are draped across clusters of giant green anemones (Anthopleura xanthogrammica), whose retracted columnar forms are covered in shell fragments and sand. Dense beds of California mussels (Mytilus californianus) crowd the upper right portion of the frame, while kelp and other algae add earthy tones to the composition. The scene conveys the remarkable biodiversity and ecological richness of the Pacific Northwest intertidal zone, with each organism competing for prime rocky real estate. Shot with a telephoto lens, the image compresses the scene effectively, emphasizing the layered density of life in this habitat.
Chronologically Adjacent
