The blister glassy-bubble snail (Haminoea vesicula) is common in the sheltered eelgrass beds on the east side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Typically known as a “bubble snail,” this species of sea snail also goes by the name blister paper bubble, white paper bubble, and the white bubble shell. This unique marine creature belongs to the family Haminoeidae and is …
Eelgrass
Eelgrass Abstracts
A windy afternoon at Point Holmes, but nice to get some fresh air and look for nature abstracts in the strand line. Today there was plenty of eelgrass (Zostera marina) washed up on the sand and cobble but most of it was tangled and damaged from being tossed ashore in the waves. The blades of eelgrass were interesting and with …
Something Fishy—A West Coast Beach Seine
Last week I joined some folks with Raincoast Education Society in Tofino as they conducted a beach seine in the eelgrass beds on the shore right in the middle of town. It was a great opportunity to see fish that live in the extensive eelgrass beds around Tofino. The beach seine was a joint effort between Raincoast and Parks Canada and …
Eelgrass Tide Pools
There have been some really good low tides in the late afternoon this week and I’ve been able to get out on the sand flats and poke around in the eelgrass tide pools at Miracle Beach Provincial Park on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I love exploring tide pools because it doesn’t matter how often you do it, you’re sure to …
Flotsam and Jetsam at Goose Spit
We were pretty much house bound because of the weather in the Comox Valley. High winds and lots of rain mean that it is difficult to venture out. We made a few short forays out for walks around the neighbourhood between squalls but for the most part hunkered down. I was stunned to see the sun when I woke up …