In spite of our heat and smoky skies, the change in light is signaling that autumn is not much farther ahead of us. As we wind down and get ready to shift gears into the next season, I am taking some time to look back at some of my favorite moments from June-August. There are so many, I needed to break it down into digestible bits and pieces.
I had a great summer of Nudibranch spotting both in Seattle and on my trips to Oregon, the Olympic Peninsula and San Juan Island. If you are unfamiliar with these wonderful marine invertebrates, settle in and get comfortable! Nudibranchs (pronounced nudi-BRANK) are sea slugs. They are relatives of clams, snails, octopuses and terrestrial slugs & snails too. True nudibranchs wear their breathing stuff on the outside of their bodies. Sometimes these "gills" take the form of a flowery gill plume at the rear, other times they look like flexible leaves or feathers, sticking up all over the body. They crawl along on their big soft foot, and sometimes they swim or do a happy dance. Some eat plankton, some eat hydroids, some eat bryozoans, some eat sponge and some eat each other. They can be tiny like a grain of rice or as big as a football. Here are some of my favorites nudibranchs from the summer-
Dendrontus venustus, the Bushy Backed nudibranch. Spotted at Constellation Beach in West Seattle early on in the summer.
Eubranchus sp. with eggs, hanging out on its favorite food, hydroids! Spotted at Constellation Beach in West Seattle early on in the summer.
Hooded nudibranchs (Melibe leonina) were a highlight of my summer. I had been hoping to see one in the wild for years and this year I had the pleasure of seeing them twice. The first time was on my birthday in the San Juan Islands. Several large ones, about 4" in length, were swept into our cove with the tide. They were gorgeous and happily feeding on the abundance of copepods in the water.
Hooded nudibranch//Melibe leonina
The second sighting was at Seahurst Beach, just south of downtown Seattle. They were massing here, an event that also happened a few years ago. They were much smaller than the San Juan giants, most only an inch or two in length. They had the most beautiful speckles and dots that were absent on the larger ones. I took a bazillion photos, so here are some of my favorites-
Hooded nudibranchs will drop their leaf like paddles, called cerata, to distract a predator who might be bothering them (or a large human who wanted a closer look ..sorry nudibranch friend..we love you!! )
Another first for me this summer, Janolus fuscus//The Candy Corn Nudibranch
I have said it before and I will say it agin, White lined dironas//Dirona albolineata are my favorites. So elegant.
So many Leopard Dorids//Diaulula sandiegensis this summer on West Seattle beaches.
Eep! Cuteness overload! Red Sponge Eating Nudibranch//Rostanga pulchra on the Olympic Peninsula.
Biggest Clown Nudibranch//Triopha catlalinae I have ever layed eyes on. Must have been 5" in length! Marina at Friday Harbor, San Juan Island.
Noble sea lemon//Peltodoris nobilis. Rear view of beautiful gill plume.
Opalescent nudibranch//Hermissenda crassicornis