Tag Archives: shore

Witty’s Lagoon – Photo Wednesday

Above:  Spring wildflowers abound at Tower Point, Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park in Metchosin, close to Victoria on Vancouver Island, BC.

The Haystack Rocks are just offshore and with their cloud crown, the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, supply the backdrop to a lovely sunny afternoon.

Grassy blooms, seaside. Witty's Lagoon, Metchosin, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

These alien-looking blooms are everywhere on Tower Point. Very eye-catching in the afternoon sunlight.

 

Macro of inflorescence. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Here is a macro look at the panicles. Anthers like little orbiting planets around the main spike, maturing in sequence from the bottom up… Click on the photo above for a really intimate view!

Here is another shot of these interesting “weeds”…

Spring inflorescence. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And then there were the spring classic flowers, the Camas lilies (Camassia quamash). Intense blue!

Camas Lily and its intense blue. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And Menzie’s Larkspur (Delphinium menziesii)… Bright purple.

Menzie's Larkspur, most intense colour! Photo by Andrée Fredette

After eating my picnic in the flower meadow, I made my way around to the beach at low tide. It’s quite a walk…

Ocean and mountains. The view at low tide, Witty's Lagoon, Vancouver Island, BC. The Strait of Juan de Fuca, Race Rocks and the lighthouse in the middle distance, and the mountains of the Olympic Peninsual in Washington State. Majestic.

Ocean and mountains: that is the view at low tide, from the beach at Witty’s Lagoon, Vancouver Island, BC. The Strait of Juan de Fuca, Race Rocks and the lighthouse in the middle distance, and across the international line, the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.   Majestic.

The water leaves intriguing marks in the sands of Witty's Lagoon. Photo by Andrée Fredette

I loved the ridges left in the sand by retreating tides.

 

Here is a special effects photo close-up.

Sand ridges, close up and with special effects. Photo by Andrée Fredette

 

And besides the dog walkers, there were young boogie boarders, getting to the water’s edge.

Boogie board teens, on the way to the water's edge, Witty's Lagoon, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And on the way back to my car, the shady trail revealed this treasure, a tall – as yet unidentified by me – flower spike. There was an entire colony of those, almost three feet tall, in the deep shade…

Trailside shade flower, Witty's Lagoon Regional Park, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And on May 1st, back at home, this was the sunset moment. A great end to a lovely weekend…

First of May sunset, viewed from Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Quand l’heure se fait plus douce…

Looking for a Snack – Shoreline Drama

I walk the shoreline several times a week, often with a camera in hand. You never know, something might turn up. The tide might be low enough to offer some interesting tidbits. Sometimes, I take pictures and I don’t really see what I’ve got until I get home and check out the pics on my computer screen, in actual pixels.

Katharina Tunicata
Black Katy Chiton cleaning up a Limpet

This is what happened here… When I took a closer look on screen, I saw the Katy chiton “invading” the limpet’s space. Then I wondered: is it attacking? Is the limpet lunch? Google to the rescue! I found an informative site here, which offered the following info:

Chitons are microphagous browsers that use a rasplike radula to scrape microalgae and associated organisms from the surface of rocks.

So my dramatic interpretation was just that: drama. This Katy chiton is just doing a cleaning up job on the limpet, who is probably “wearing” some microalgae… Or it’s a “get out of my way” move… Who knows?