Vibrant Starfish and Anemones at Low Tide
Saturday, July 18th, 2026 at 3:19:31 PM · 2026/Schoolhouse Beach Tide Pools
This striking nature photograph captures a dense assemblage of intertidal marine life exposed during low tide at Schoolhouse Beach. Several ochre sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus) in vivid orange and muted tan/peach colorations are scattered among multiple purple sea stars, their bumpy textured surfaces glistening with moisture. Clustered between and beneath the sea stars are dozens of giant green anemones (Anthopleura xanthogrammica), their tentacles retracted into squat, sand-encrusted columns with characteristic teal-green oral discs visible. Dark blue-black mussels (Mytilus californianus) are packed into crevices along the upper right portion of the rock, forming the classic Pacific Coast intertidal community. The wet, barnacle-encrusted dark basalt rock provides a richly textured substrate, and the overall scene conveys the incredible biodiversity and ecological complexity of a healthy Pacific Coast tide pool ecosystem.
Chronologically Adjacent
