California Sea Lion

July 24, 2016

California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) may number more than 350,000 individuals in their range from southeast Alaska to central Mexico, including the Gulf of California. They may be so abundant along the Pacific coast of the United States that the population is at or near the natural limits of resources to support them. Natural populations fluctuations seen when populations approach these limits may be part of the reason more malnourished and sick sea lion pups are found along our coast.

Sunrise on Malibu Creek as the fog disperses.

Misty Creek

July 17, 2016

Malibu Creek flows 13.4 miles from its source in the Santa Monica Mountains to the sea. It a true gem in southern California, and portions of its watershed have appeared in numerous TV series and movies. Its lower reaches are also home to steelhead trout, a form of rainbow trout to migrate out to sea like salmon. The creek is impacted by many factors that make life for the steelhead very challenging.

A close-up of the knob-like spines and dermal gills on the back of a knobby sea star (Pisaster giganteus). — A close-up of the knob-like spines and dermal gills on the back of a knobby sea star (*Pisaster giganteus*).

Spines of the Sea Star

July 4, 2016

Sea stars belong to a group of marine animals sharing the characteristic of having hard, spiny inclusions in their outer body covering. The knobby sea star (Pisaster giganteus) has a whole array of blunt spines scattered across its upper surface. While usually having a blue ring surrounding each spine and a brown or tan background color, the individual in this photo is more yellow/orange with white rings.

Pink-mouth hydroids (Ectopleura crocea) cling to the legs of an oil rig off the southern California coast. — Pink-mouth hydroids (*Ectopleura crocea*) cling to the legs of an oil rig off the southern California coast.

Tiny Tentacles

June 18, 2016

Hydroids are relatives of sea jellies and sea anemones. All possess stinging cells in their tentacles. Hydroids are colonial, with individual polyps connected through a common base through which nourishment is shared.

A Straight Zig Zag

June 13, 2016

Captured while exploring the banks of the Missouri River in Omaha, Nebraska on a bright, sunny afternoon, this shadow pattern caught my eye. What is it?

Bridge structure and the shadows it casts frame a red umbrella at the far end.

Shadows and steel

June 5, 2016

Looking for shapes and shadows on a cold, windy, and sunny March afternoon in Omaha, Nebraska, I came across a bridge whose structure and shadows seemed to come together to make the red umbrella at the end a major focal point.

Curving above the Missouri River, the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge sinuously connects the cities of Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Curves

May 30, 2016

The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge linking Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa across the Missouri River has a sensuously curving deck that caught my eye while exploring Omaha on a recent trip.

A large sea cucumber (Stichopus pseudohorrens) crawls across the bottom on Rainbow Reef off Vanua Levu in the Republic of Fiji. — A large sea cucumber (*Stichopus pseudohorrens*) crawls across the bottom on Rainbow Reef off Vanua Levu in the Republic of Fiji.

Undersea Alien?

May 21, 2016

Sea cucumbers, relatives of sea stars and sea urchins, come in quite a variety of shapes and sizes. Those common to my neck of the woods are typically a bit larger than a very good-sized banana. But I’ve never seen a monster like the one in today’s photo until I made a dive on Rainbow Reef off Vanua Levu in the Republic of Fiji.

A California blue doris (Femilare californiensis) searches for food on a reef off Santa Catalina in Southern California. — A California blue doris (*Femilare californiensis*) searches for food on a reef off Santa Catalina in Southern California.

The Thin Blue Line

May 7, 2016

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The California blue doris (Felimare californiensis) is a dramatically colored nudibranch found of the coast of North America from Monterey Bay, California to Bahia de La Paz in Baja California Sur, Mexico. It apparently became extinct in the northern part of this range, and was completely gone from California by 1984. It began to reappear in a few isolated places in 2003. Apparently Santa Catalina Island is one of those isolated place, as this was where today’s photo was taken in 2015.

The reason for the local extinction in the northern part of the range is unknown, but it is speculated the disappearance along the mainland coast of southern California, but not at Santa Catalina Island could be due to industrial pollution reducing this nudibranch’s preferred prey, sponges in the genera Stelleta and Haliclona.

This photo was taken with a Canon EF100 mm f/2.8 macro lens on a Canon EOS 5D Mk. III in an Ikelite underwater housing. Lighting was provided by an Ikelite DS161 strobe set to eTTL exposure. The exposure was set to 1/60 sec at f/11 and ISO 200.

An ocellated Phyliddia nudibranch (Phyliddia ocellata) crawls across the reef in Dolphin  Cove off the coast of Taveuni in the Republic of Fiji. — An ocellated Phyliddia nudibranch (*Phyliddia ocellata*) crawls across the reef in Dolphin Cove off the coast of Taveuni in the Republic of Fiji.

A Bit of Psychedelia

April 16, 2016

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Nudibranchs, essentially shell-less snails or slugs of the marine world, are known for their often bright and outlandish colors. The ocellated Phyliddia (Phyliddia ocellata) is no exception to this trend. With a basic background color varying between orange and gold, and various black patches typically surrounding yellow tubercles with white rings, this nudibranch is a real stand-out on the reef.

Like most nudibranchs, the ocellated Phyllidia feeds on sponges and other small encrusting creatures on the reef. The pair of rhinophores perched atop the head end of this slug provide sensory cues used to locate prey and avoid predators. And like most nudibranchs, the bright colors serve as a warning to would-be predators that this creature would be a noxious snack.

Today’s photo was made on a dive in Dolphin Cove on the island of Taveuni in the Republic of Fiji with a Canon EF100 mm f/2.8 macro lens on a Canon EOS 5D Mk. III in an Ikelite underwater housing. Light was provided by an Ikelite DS-161 strobe in eTTL exposure mode. The exposure was set to 1/60 sec. at f/6.7 and ISO 100.

Winds sweep across Bechers Bay on Santa Rosa Island sculpts the water and sand into similar patterns.

Windswept

April 9, 2016

The wind is a constant companion on Santa Rosa Island, the second largest island in Channel Islands National Park off the California coast. The wind is responsible for much of the start beauty of both Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands in the park. The wind sculpts the sand, sea, and soil.

These aren't sponges, but sea squirts. A species much more closely related to humans than are sponges.

Correction - Green Barrel Sea Squirt, not a jeweled sponge

April 2, 2016

Oops. This wasn't a photograph of sponges, but of sea squirts. They belong to a group of animals more closely related to humans than any of the invertebrates species found on Earth.

With colors mimicking emeralds and rubies, sponges continuously filter microscopic particles out of the water for food.

Jeweled Sponges

March 13, 2016

Sponges are likely the most ancient form of multicellular life found on Earth, dating back at least 760 million years ago. Loose colonies of cells, sponges filter microscopic plankton from the water for food.

The badlands flanking Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park.

Hills of Gold

March 6, 2016

Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park in California was once the bottom of ancient Furnace Creek Lake. Various geological process contributed to the colorful sediments that are now high, dry and heavily eroded.

The sun sets over the Somosomo Strait which separates the Fijian Islands of Taveuni and Vanua Levu.

Fijian Sunset

February 27, 2016

The sun sets over the Somosomo Strait dividing the Fijian islands of Taveuni and Vanua Levu. Fiji was struck by an enormous cyclone last week, and much damage was done. Having visited in 2015, I hope the people there have survived and suffered minimal loss.

Hay lies cut and rolled on the Montana prairie.

Rolling Prairies

February 21, 2016

Rolls of hay on the Montana prairie illustrate a basic ecological principle. Natural ecosystems are complex networks of interactions between huge numbers of species. It is all of the species found interacting within an ecosystem that we call biodiversity. A result of these interactions, generally based on flow of food from plants into animals, ecosystems supply important resources and services for all life on Earth.

Thor's Hammer

February 13, 2016

Bryce Canyon National Park is known for its fantastical sandstone structures and the impact of light reflecting off of the richly colored surfaces to create a breathtaking effect. I was able to capture this alternative view of Thor’s Hammer in the park’s main amphitheater on cool October afternoon under a sky filled with fluffy white clouds.

Soft corals and fish swirl in the clear waters of Purple Wall off the coast of Vanua Levu, Republic of Fiji.

Fully Inflated

January 30, 2016

The Republic of Fiji in the western tropical Pacific is considered to the soft coral capital of the world. Soft corals can inflate their soft bodies to extend the polyps out into the passing currents to capture plankton. Unlike hard corals, soft corals lack the single celled algae that provide a food source and must depend on food caught by the polyps.

A ranch house sits abandon and decaying near Winifred, Montana, on the Great Plains of North America.

Montana Prairie

January 23, 2016

An abandoned ranch house stands as a lonely sentinel on the prairie near Winifred, Montana. Temperate grasslands like the Great Plains of North America harbor the richest soil on the planet, and play a major role as reservoirs of atmospheric carbon. Once plowed under or over-grazed, this ability is greatly reduced.

A Catalina or blue-banded goby (Lythrypnus dalli) poses on a rock while intently waiting for the next planktonic morsel to drift by. — A Catalina or blue-banded goby (*Lythrypnus dalli*) poses on a rock while intently waiting for the next planktonic morsel to drift by.

Tiny Predators

January 17, 2016

Among the most colorful of fish found off the coast of southern California is the Catalina or blue-banded goby (Lythrypnus dalli). These formidable predators feed primarily on planktonic organisms drifting by in the current. Their normal behavior is to sit motionless on an outcrop and watch for organisms drifting by on the current.