The Daily Bucket is a regular feature of the Backyard Science group. It is a place to note any observations you have made of the world around you. Rain, sun, wind...insects, birds, flowers...meteorites, rocks...seasonal changes...all are worthy additions to the bucket. Please let us know what is going on around you in a comment. Include, as close as is comfortable for you, where you are located. Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the patterns that are quietly unwinding around us.
August 2014
Salish Sea, PNW
The kelp beds along the Strait of Juan de Fuca are just past peak sun-gathering mode, as the days shorten toward fall. Some are breaking off and washing up on shore. Out here on Iceberg Point, in the swift currents where the bluff drops straight down, the beds still look dense and vigorous - the spent strands are washing ashore in the bays. It's an active marine zone, useful to fish and invertebrates down below as well as the more visible birds and mammals on the surface. In fall and winter, it gets broken down and eaten by countless scavengers, and turned into nutrients for next year's photosynthesizers (makes a great fertilizer for gardens too!).
Some kelp bed critters below the tangle of Bull Kelp...
(All photos by me. In Lightbox...click to enlarge)
The big brown leafy blades are fast-growing species of the Brown Algae family (Phaeophyta). It's Bull Kelp mainly (Nereocystis), the one with the leafy bulb at the end of a long strong flexible cord, firmly attached to the rocky bottom. I also see Sugar Kelp, Feather Boa and Sea Colander among others easily visible from up on the bluff.
The green stuff is actually a flowering plant rather than algae. These thin blades are Surfgrass (Phyllospadix scouleri), the rough-water counterpart of Eelgrass (Zostera marina). Eelgrass requires quiet protected waters.
Seals, gulls, herons and kingfishers are common out here, among others. The kelp bed harbors plenty of fish prey.
Enjoy the kelp bed from above...
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Peak summer sun has passed, regardless what the temperature is. We're closer to the fall equinox than the summer solstice now. You may being seeing signs of that where you are, like I'm seeing the seaweed starting to break off and wash ashore here.
Signs of shortening days in your part of the world? Other nature news in your backyard? Please share your observations in the comments below.
"Spotlight on Green News & Views" is posted every Saturday at 1:00 pm Pacific Time and Wednesday at 3:30 on the Daily Kos front page. It's a great way to catch up on diaries you might have missed. Be sure to recommend and comment in the diary.