Visits to the ocean will be different now that we have tapped into the tidal pools (Maria did all the research, I admit). She spent some beautiful hours crouched down and watching the teeming world of the pools, something neither of us have ever paid much attention to.
Going to the ocean with never be the same.
I like this photo of her crouched down at low tide, reveling in the snails and shrimp and crabs and seaweed. A whole new dimension for being at the ocean.
Jon…
When we lived a short drive from Galveston, we spent spare time at the beach. Life at the shoreline can be very interesting.
At the surf line, sand crabs (aka mole crabs) feed continuously by waiting under the sand for a wave. When a wave breaks, they rise to catch tiny organisms dislodged by the turbulence of an uprush. Then they quickly burrow below the sand to avoid becoming prey, themselves, after the backwash. But they can be discovered by the holes they leave after submerging. You can scoop them up if you’re quick.
The topology of the shore line can also encourage formation of tidal pools. The place we studied was undisturbed by human recreation. But, because these locations appear and vanish with the changing tides, tidal pool residents must be very adaptable to change.
A common tidal pool resident is the hermit crab. Because it cannot grow a shell, it spends its life inside a borrowed one. During its lifetime, will outgrow its shell and need to find a new one. We once saw a hermit crab changing shells.
Thanks, Jon, for this great photo. You may already know that the Gulf of Maine, of which your photo is a part, is considered to be the most quickly warming of all the oceans on the planet. The Gulf of Maine runs from Cape Cod across to Nova scotia and all of the water from there north along the coasts of Massachusetts, NH, and Maine. It’s getting too hot for various fish, other creatures, and vegetation.
I never see Maria wearing bifocals or “cheater glasses.” Considering all of the close work she does sewing and her interest in tiny things, how in the world can she see so close up? My optometrist says that most people over 40 start to need something for up close seeing. I’m already envious of her ability to sit on her heels. That woman is a walking miracle!
Having spent numerous hours over my lifetime in Maria’s position I can confirm that she will continue to be drawn to the explosion of life waiting to be viewed at low tide.