What a beautiful day!

Today I explored the south shore. There weren’t any animals out and about, but the lower low Spring Tide exposed an abundance of sea life to check out, especially sea stars.

And, because it was such a low lower tide, beautiful sea urchins were exposed as well.

I also discovered this bright orange little guy, which I believe is a Metandrocarpa Taylori, if I’ve identified it accurately in “Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast”. He’s only a little over a 1/4 inche in diameter, but what he lacks in size, he makes up for in brilliance.

There were also millions of tiny fish swimming in schools and balls.

I spotted this berry, which I’d never seen before. It’s called Devil’s Club. The Northwest Coast Indians believed that Devil’s Club had magical powers, and made charms from its wood and tied bits of bark onto fish hooks to increase the chances of a large catch. I’ll have to get some for Al. They also made deodorant from the dried and pulverized bark, according to the Audubon Society’s Western Forrests.

As you can see, the thorns are quite large, and apparently very painful, should you come in contact with them. “The barbed thorns inflict wounds sufficiently unpleasant as to have given rise to the persistent myth that they are tipped with poison”. I’ve never heard of Devil’s Club Jam, so maybe the berries aren’t that tasty. Or, maybe they’re just too painful to gather. I’m sure that doesn’t stop the bears though.