Monday, September 8, 2008
Creatures from the deep

Actually, I guess they are "creatures from the shallow". Or even creatures from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. But you get the point.

This is from our last trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. On my way to their Online Field Guide to identify these critters I found out that their Jelly fish exhibit is going to end on Sunday. If you find yourself anywhere near Monterey this week you should stop in and see it. They are really beautiful. I am sure going to try to get there. I think they will still have jellies after Sunday, it's just the bigger collection of rare ones that is over... "Jellies: Living Art"

I did find the details on these guys too: Tube Anemone an interesting adaptation of an Anemone that can retreat into that long tube. And the crazy thing on the left is a Sea Pen, but he is not at a good angle to appreciate why he got his name. When they are standing up they look like a big fancy feather quill. I'll try to get a better picture when we go to see the jellies.

Friday, January 26, 2007
On The Ocean Floor

This is another shot from our recent visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was a fun trip, but it is quite a crowded place. If you don't like pushy people you should probably prepare yourself for a rough day. Personally, I think it is time to take my camera SCUBA diving and leave the crowds behind!

Saturday, October 15, 2005
Anemone

Looks delicate doesn't it? One of the sites I was looking at while trying to identify this specific type of Anemone said that once they are established, they are difficult to "eradicate." It goes on to tell that the plant even survives being run over by delivery trucks on the side of the driveway.

I was impressed.

Thursday, February 17, 2005
Land Flower

In contrast to my previous Anemone.

This was taken on my last trip to Carmel, while teaching a good friend of mine about photography.

The thing I love the most about this photo is the background. Just as surely as a poorly conceived backdrop can destroy an otherwise wonderful photograph, the right background turns a beautiful subject into a work of art. This one has the feel of a painting to me.

It was a very busy flower bed, a very low aperture setting on the camera caused anything not right at the same distance as the flower to be quite out of focus.

The most important thing however, is the fact that my friend really enjoyed taking pictures of the flowers. He had about the same level of enthusiasm for Photography that I do, and he is about the same age I was when I started snapping my first pictures. His name is Grayson, he is about three years old, and I do not think I will soon forget the smile on his face that day.

Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Sea Flower

The beaches in Santa Barbara are beautiful. And, if you time things just right when there is a really low tide you can see amazing things in the tide pools.

This is a Starburst Sea Anemone. And, contrary to the title of the image it is not a plant. It is actually a meat eating animal, a cousin of the Jellyfish.

The color however, is all plant (or mostly anyway). It comes from a symbiotic algae living in the translucent tissue of the animal and can range from blue-green, like this, to a much deeper green, or even near white if the animal lives in shade.

The rocks in the low tide around here can be covered with these. When they are in the air they fold their tentacles in and you can only see the outside which is covered with broken pieces of shell and rocks. So, if you are walking on the beach, and see a rock that seems to be covered with a bunch of broken shells, it is probably covered with Anemones just under the shells.

This picture is for my Mom. She has always loved tide pools and I have many great memories of wandering on the beach looking for exciting things at the edge of the water with her. Unfortunately, when she visited Santa Barbara, the tide was a little too high. Next time, we will check the tide charts first!