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Fieldtrip to Big Creek, Pacific Valley, & Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur Coastline, Monterey Co., CA, December 26-28, 2008

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Image Caption	Whale Pt. cabin, where we stayed at Big Creek. We saw and heard many grey whales passing by on their way south to the breeding grounds in Baja California Sur.	Image Caption
Big Creek Bridge	New yurt at Big Creek Reserve	Image Caption
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Last poison oak leaves of the season	Image Caption	Image Caption
Image Caption	Image Caption	I saw a ringneck snake disappear into these rocks on Cardiac Trail, above Big Creek
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Image Caption	Banana slug	Image Caption
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Image Caption	Image Caption	Potter's beach south of Big Creek
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Image Caption	Entrance to beach just north of Pacific Valley	Image Caption
I did not attempt to use the rope I found to get down to this beach.	Image Caption	Image Caption
The trail to the left led to easier beach access.	Image Caption	Image Caption
Image Caption	The beautiful green- or brick-colored rocks on this beach near Pacific Valley, southern Big Sur coastline, are great example of the exposed Franciscan formation, also found further north at Big Creek Reserve.	Image Caption
Lottia digitalis or L. austrodigitalis "barnacle morph" finger limpets, well camouflaged on gooseneck barnacles (Pollicipes polymerus)	"Rock morph" finger limpets higher on the shore	Lower limpet is a "rock morph" finger limpet. The upper limpet is probably Lottia pelta (shield limpet), although it might be a L. paradigitalis.
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Image Caption	Lottia fenestrata is often found fully or partly buried by sand.	L. fenestrata
Cyanoplax dentiens	Lottia digitalis or L. austrodigitalis	Lottia digitalis or L. austrodigitalis
Nucella ostrina with egg capsules	N. ostrina	Lottia digiatalis or L. austrodigitalis "rock morphs"
Image Caption	Cyanoplax dentiens (note high intertidal individuals like these next few examples are much larger and darker than the numerous colorful individuals found in the low zone).	C. dentiens
C. dentiens	Image Caption	Image Caption
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Image Caption	Image Caption	The owl limpet, Lottia gigantea, on its territory, near California mussels (Mytilus californianus)
The rock louse isopod, Ligia sp., and a large isolated gooseneck barnacle with three "barnacle morph" finger limpets	Image Caption	The rock louse isopod, Ligia sp., and a large isolated gooseneck barnacle with three "barnacle morph" finger limpets
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"Rock morph" finger limpets	"Rock morph" finger limpets	"Rock morph" finger limpets
L. gigantea with a L. scabra on the back of its shell	"Rock morph" finger limpets	Pisaster ochraceus
Gooseneck barnacles	Finger limpets	Finger limpets
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Image Caption	Image Caption	Banana slug
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Image Caption	Image Caption	The Phoenix at Nepenthe, Big Sur
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Pfeiffer beach near town of Big Sur	Image Caption	Image Caption
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Image Caption	Image Caption	Two chitons of the rare brooding chiton, Cyanoplax thomasi, next to a limpet (Lottia digitalis or L. austrodigitalis). I have been studying this species for over two decades but it has always been difficult for me to photograph with natural light because it is restricted to such dark cracks and crevices, usually in wave swept areas unfriendly to cameras. To see how I took these images in a dark sea arch, see here.
Cyanoplax dentiens	C. thomasi	C. thomasi
C. thomasi	C. thomasi and possibly C. hartwegii behind	C. thomasi
C. thomasi	Image Caption	Image Caption
C. thomasi	Nuttallina californica	Possibly Lottia pelta
Typical "sea cave" low zone flora and fauna	Lottia persona	Lottia persona
Lottia persona	Lottia digitalis or L. austrodigitalis	Lottia gigantea
Limpets and whelk	Image Caption	Image Caption
Lottia pelta and mussels	Nucella ostrina and mussels	Image Caption
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