Vibrant Sea Stars and Anemones in Pacific Tide Pools
Saturday, July 18th, 2026 at 3:20:05 PM · 2026/Schoolhouse Beach Tide Pools
This striking photograph captures a dense assemblage of intertidal marine life exposed during low tide at Schoolhouse Beach. Multiple ochre sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus) in their characteristic color variations — vivid orange, deep purple, and pale ochre — are clustered together among a colony of giant green anemones (Anthopleura xanthogrammica), whose retracted, warty forms create a textured carpet across the rock surface. Dense beds of California mussels (Mytilus californianus) cover the upper portions of the rock, forming the classic Pacific coast intertidal zonation pattern. The wet rock surface, shallow tide pools, and the diversity of species present suggest a healthy, productive rocky intertidal ecosystem. The image conveys the abundance and ecological richness of the Pacific coast shoreline, with a mood that is both alien and beautiful.
Chronologically Adjacent
