A trip to the west coast of our island was on the calendar for Valentine's Day and the weather cooperated. The cool air made me glad for my down jacket, toque, and gloves, but no rain fell and the sun played peek-a-boo for a couple of hours. The time to visit Botanical Beach is at low tide, and that was scheduled for 10:30.
A short hike down the wide trail from the parking lot, followed by a walk through the forest where tangled roots, curved trees growing across the path, and a bit of mud took us to the beach.
Although the tide wasn't particularly low, we found plenty of tide pools to explore. It's fascinating to kneel and peer into them and the longer we peer the more we see.
Prickly purple sea urchins, pink coral, silvery-blue mussels, tiny fish, and more inhabit this coast. Unfortunately the sea urchins are decimating kelp forests. It's a delicate balance, and one of the urchin's few natural predators, the sea otter, was hunted in the last century, allowing the urchins to proliferate.
In the far distance the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula are visible. Pewter-coloured pools reflect sun and clouds.
A look down the coastline - harsh and rugged, but beautiful.
Herons are one of my favourite birds. This one posed so well, not too far away from us, and then the sun came out. His beak is a perfect match to the light filtering through the pieces of kelp.
A breeze ruffled the water while we gazed into a tidal pool and I thought the refracted patterns looked like an abstract piece of art.
The tide changed and water rushed in upon the shore. We moved towards the forest once again. Halfway between sea and forest someone had placed an empty urchin shell on a tree stump, perfectly posed for a photo.
It may not have been a traditional Valentine's Day outing, but we had a wonderful time together.
Your pictures are just beautiful, Lorrie. I would love to visit your wonderful island one day! It's on my bucket list.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a magical Valentine's Day outing!
ReplyDeletePurple sea urchins were shown in the documentary film that we saw. :) They look pretty but the damage they cause to the ecosystem was mentioned (and some cute sea otters were shown as well). Macrocystis pyrifera... What a fascinating organism. Also its Finnish name contains the word 'pear'. Internet tells me its "holdfast is pear-shaped and is the only part that survives during winter storms". But what does holdfast mean? Ah, it's the "roots" of the kelps. Of course. :)
Thank you for the beautiful and interesting post, Lorrie. Have a happy weekend!
I love that photo of the trails through the woods. Those trees and their trunks and roots all scattered about look enchanting and the bit mysterious. Very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely way to spend a day together. Your photos of the beach look so very similar to our Cornish beaches, grey, rugged and rocky.
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ReplyDeleteWhen I admired your deep purple sea urchins on instagram I didn't realise that they were actually causing damage to the kelp forests.
ReplyDeleteSuch a wonderful excursion…with the one you love in such an incredible setting! Perfect!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a perfect Valentine's day outing to me. What fun to peer into those pools and see those wonders.
ReplyDeleteThose sea urchins are gorgeous -- a pity that they are doing such damage. I'm glad your weather was nice for your excursion. The photos are terrific and it looks like a great day!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures and a cool way to spend Valentines Day 💗💗💗💗
ReplyDeleteCalming and beautiful day out and about. The scenery is perfect for a Valentine's Day.
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely Valentines Day outing, you shared some lovely time together and some great photographs with your blogging friends. That heron really did pose nicely for you.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend.
All the best Jan
What a lovely Valentine outing, Lorrie. I am always in awe at your nature photography. Those purple sea urchins are amazing and everything that you capture gives me a beautiful glimpse of where you live. You are so fortunate to be surrounded by all this beauty.
ReplyDeleteYou know so much about the ocean! I love the empty urchin shell, it's so pretty, but I would not have known what it is! Also all the other sea life you notice. It's beautiful when you explain it. You caught a nice photo of the heron. I find that difficulet, as they usually don't stand out, but rather fade into the grey background where I walk.
ReplyDeleteLorrie, your photos are absolutely stunning.
ReplyDeleteAnd what a fantastic way to celebrate Valentine's Day!
Hugs and blessings
Lovely purple sea urchins, pink corals and clams. I hope the kelp forests continue to grow as they are essential. Fantastic idea for Valentine's Day. Thanks for sharing, be well!
ReplyDeleteThe pewter colored pools are amazing! That really looks like an oil painting! Love the things you see in the water. What a marvelous earth we have to enjoy when we spend time outdoors! A perfect day!
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky to have so many beauties around you! Such beautiful pictures!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful walk. We don’t have such beautiful sea urchins. And a beautiful heron. Perfect. B x
ReplyDeleteA walk on a wild Pacific Coast beach is my idea of a perfect Valentine's Day (or really any day at all). How nice to get there at a low tide in such good light; your pictures are wonderful. We tried twice to hit a minus tide when we were in Oregon last summer, but missed both times (I think it poured down rain once and we were too late the other time. Of course a day at the coast is never wasted so it was all fine.)
ReplyDeleteNon-traditional, yes, but what a lovely Valentine's Day outing! I thoroughly enjoyed the photos of your sightings.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a very nice way to spend Valentine's Day together. I've only once seen a tide pool in person and found it to be fascinating.
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect Valentine's adventure. I love visiting the sea in winter. Your visit did not disappoint in it's beauty!
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