Leo Carillo Tidepools

A piece of kelp brought in by the tide

I must say that I tend to form a bubble around where I live in Los Angeles.  I never venture too far from my home and the Museum, where I work.  If anything happens outside of a 15 minute driving radius, I seriously question if it’s worth it.  And Los Angeles is great in that way, I have all the food options, grocery stores, shopping and entertainment right where I am.  For me, Los Angeles is exactly between the Page Museum in Miracle Mile and Downtown LA, south of Wilshire and North of MLK.  And while I personally feel this is the “authentic” and “real” Los Angeles, I do feel like I miss out on places and activities that happen outside my bubble – in areas where I think most people imagine “Los Angeles” happens.

 

The point is, since I’ve been in LA, I’ve probably gone to the beach/west side maybe(?) 10 times.  Which isn’t nearly enough. In my defense I am rather particular about my beaches and my ocean side experiences.  I’m not a long stretch of white sandy beach lounger all day kind of person.  If the defining feature of a beach is just it’s sand, I’m frankly not that interested.  If the beach has some particularly interesting natural features like cliffs or pebbles that is more of a draw for me.  And the Leo Carillo Tide Pools in Malibu are exactly that!

With all that being said one of my favorite ecosystems are tidal pools!  I think what I like most about is is that they are in a way a miniature of an ocean – and miniatures might be one of my favorite things ever.  I also like how the animals and plants in the tidal pools have to be so adaptable.  In any given day they are subjected to varying temperatures, salinity and oxygen levels in their living spaces and many of the animals have very impressive variations to adapt to their constantly changing environment.

Well, without any further ado, the beauties!

See the hermit crab in the middle left side?  There were so many at the pools!  Some were even battling it out.




Some interesting specimens - looks like some type of mussle mixed in with dinosaur scales!  I asked the collection manager at the museum what the scaley ones are and he figured they're most likely Goose Neck Barnacles (Lepas anatifera)!



An anenome underwater trying to get some tasties as the waves come in and out.



A closed anenome.  It's important to protect it's tendrles from the sun!  I wonder why it has all that debris attached to it.



Sea Star!

Some urchins!  They used to freak me out with their pointies... still kind of do.

Bees - My Totem

Honey Bees.  I really love honey bees.  If I were to have some sort of spirit animal or witch’s familiar I’m pretty sure it would be a honey bee.  Why?  I love how they all work cooperatively and so hard for their community, I love their symbiotic relationship with flowers, I love how beautiful they are, I love them as symbols of fertility, I love honey, I love how most of the hive is female, I love the hexagonal honeycomb, I love their translucent wings, I love how intent and focused they are on their task of collecting nectar and pollen, I love the sound they make, I love how they are producers of their own food and make wax.  I think they’re great.

Butterflies Get All the Glory

Look at these beautiful moths! 

Regal Walnut Moth - Source

White Moth - Source

Pink Star Moth - Source

I prefer moths over butterflies. There is a delicate subtle beauty to them, like they belong more in nature than butterflies do... I think I feel that way because their colors are more nature colored and their habits seem more reasonable for nature -- quite unlike butterflies with their daytime gallivanting, irreverently flashing around their unnatural hues!



Wavy-lined Heterocampa - Source

Moths also beat out butterflies in the cuddle-factor department.  Their modified scales give them a cute furry apperance... just look at them!  They're almost like flying hamsters!  Last I checked, hamsters are generally more cuddly than arthropods (which I love too!  Just not for cuddling.)

Flannel Moth - Source