With the low tides of the summer months, it's possible to explore areas that are often inaccessible. In one of these areas there is a lot of green algae and it's the of many creatures seeking protection from their predators. Here we invade the privacy of the Purple Shore Crab, Hemigrapsus nudus, a rather aggresive resident of this inter-tidal zone.

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This is definitely a slimy type of habitat as we see one of the crabs emerging on the left. The photograph on the right shows some of the crab's true colours and explains its common name, Purple Shore Crab.

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Bull Kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana, has an impressive growth record growing up to 80 ft/24m long in a single season. At the end of the year it dies and storms wash it up onto the shore.

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Bull Kelp grows in underwater forests in shallow oceans and offers a secure home or a source of food to many sea creatures. Sea otters love to use these thick kelp beds. The plant is secured by an enormous holdfast. It also has a bulbous float that keeps the fronds afloat and at low tide can be seen bobbing about in the water.
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Spiral Wrack, Fucus spiralis, ---

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Rockweed, Fucus distichus, is very common in the middle intertidal zone. A shoot grows from a holdfast and repeatedly divides. It produces slimy mucus to help prevent it from drying out when exposed.

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The Sunflower Star, Pycnopodia helianthoides, is the largest sea star in the world and worth looking for in the tide pools as it may be stranded as it forages for food. When young it has 6 arms but as it ages it can have more than 20. It is a rapid mover compared with the other stars and causes panic amongst other animals when it enters any tide pool. Sea urchins are a favourite food.

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Sea Lettuce, Ulva sp, is edible and grows in the low to mid interidal one. It occurs on the west coast from Alaska down to Chile. Its main habitat is on rocks in shallow areas that are protected from strong waves and the sun. It is also common in esturies where it ataches itself to eelgrass, it can also grow on pilings and boat docks if conditions are favourable.		Another intriquing name for a seaweed is Nail Brush, Endocladia muricata, it is very common an appears dark red to purple and sometimes brown. it favors the very high reaches of the shore, clinging to the rocks with the Acorn Barnicles. Many small creatures crawl inside the tangles of this alga to shelter from predators and the elements.
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The bright reds of Turkish Towel, Chondracanthus exasperatus, are easily spotted when washed ashore.
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As the Turkish Towel ages it loses this bright and intense colour and turns dark purple to nearly black. Then in the winter the blades die off and are a frequent addition the other seaweeds washed up on the shores after the storms. The holdfast however waits for spring to start new growth.
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The California Mussel, Mytilus californiensis, is quite unmistakable and it thrives in vast number huddled together in the pounding surf. They may layer themselves on the tops of others and this in turn can cause them problems. The mussels at the bottom have a hard time holding into the rocks in stormy conditions with all the extra weight. Large waves can then tear out masses of these creatures. When this happens, the bare rock is quickly re colonized.
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