(Almost) Wordless Wednesday – Marine Life Class at the Lantzville Sea Shore

Note: none of the sea life depicted here was harmed in any way during our class observations. We were observing and listening to our knowledgeable instructor, retired marine biologist and author Rick Harbo. All flipped over rocks were carefully and gently replaced to protect the wildlife revealed.

A windy but dry and sunny day for our field trip to Lantzville to explore the intertidal sea life.
Overturning a rock revealed this pair of Plainfin midshipman. The female is upside down because…
…she was depositing her eggs on the underside of the rock. Once done, she leaves and the male stays behind to guard the eggs until they hatch.
Closeup of the pair
Prickleback, found under another rock
Sea stars found clinging to yet another rock
Cast-off red rock crab shell
Live sand dollar
Underside of live sand dollar
Nudibranches (dark spotty things) and their egg casings (cream ribbony things)
Anemones
My favourite find of the day…Maggie (the sea dog!). Killing me with cuteness.
Maggie coming in for a boop while I was trying to get a closeup of the anemones.

Rock on,

The WB

56 thoughts on “(Almost) Wordless Wednesday – Marine Life Class at the Lantzville Sea Shore

    1. It was the BEST day! I could happily spend hours at the shore, and now I know even more cool things to look for. I need a Maggie Dog to keep me company! 😍 Thanks, Deborah 💕

    1. It was so exciting! Between the Tree course and the Marine Life course, I have learned so much about nature on this island in the past 4 weeks. Love it 😍 Thank you, Janis 💕

    1. Isn’t she though? It’s a good thing I don’t know where Ann (the owner) lives. I could become a nuisance in her neighbourhood, hoping for more Maggie time 😁. Thank you 💕

    1. I remember you telling me how much you liked exploring the shore! I did too, before…but now I have a much better idea of what to look for, and where…and when. Thanks, Ann 💕

  1. hilarymb

    Hi Deb – beautiful photos – and so good to see you’re taking the opportunity that’s available so easily on VI on so many subjects – excellent time … and great to see Donna and you will have another trip out there fairly soon – low tide prevailing. Cheers Hilary

    1. Thank you, Suzanne 💕 I know every kid goes through a “I wanna be a marine biologist when I grow up” stage and I was no exception…but growing up in southern Ontario I could only dream of the sea and its shores. Now I am truly “living the dream”.

  2. The Misadventures of Widowhood

    You are living a great life in your new location. Retirement suits you. Are these one day classes you’re taking or a series? Leisure time classes or graded? Either way, you’re getting a good introduction to the environment you are now tasked to enjoy and protect.

    1. These are classes specifically for retirees – a department of the local university called “ElderCollege” puts these on. All instructors are volunteers (usually fellow retirees) and that keeps the fees low. The Marine Life course was only 3 classes, and the Trees course was 4 classes. For the past 2 years the courses were all taught through Zoom, but now they are hosting in-person and field trip type classes as well as Zoom. ElderCollege participation has gone way up since Covid, as even people who live far away or aren’t as mobile can attend due to Zoom. One good thing coming out of this pandemic…Thank you, Jean 💕

  3. Clearly your new place to live is fascinating. While I like the Sea stars because they’re stars, Maggie may be the real star of this post. But you knew that.

    1. Maggie is absolutely the real star, the best find of the day for me 😍. (And I found out which kennel she came from and have already made contact…hehehe!) Thanks, Ally 💕

  4. debscarey

    What a fantastic class! Oh Deb, you are truly living your best life 🙂 Gorgeous pictures, such a wonderful variety of marine life. And Maggie is, indeed, an absolute cutie. Are you tempted? 😉

    1. Beyond tempted, Debs! I found out the kennel Maggie came from and I contacted the breeder. After I move I will be looking for a 4 legged companion and border terriers are high on my list. Thanks 💕

    1. I had never heard of the Plainfin midshipmen nor knew it was peacefully living its best life (procreating, actually) under the rocks I had been climbing over! Thanks, Kate 💕

  5. Wow! What an interesting day! Loved the starfish and the fact that a weird creature called a Plainfin midshipman exists….and that he guards the eggs like a good dad.

  6. I really enjoyed the photos and the informative captions. It brought back a memory of when I was younger at the aquarium in Vancouver and I fed a sea anemone (I gave it some inside of a shell) and it grabbed it. More like an octopus than grass – I was shocked.

  7. Hi Deb, Exceptionally fascinating information and stunning photos! I am sending this post to Chuck. His degree is in Zoology and he worked in Essex, Connecticut on boats during university years. I know he will find all of it interesting, too. I suspect you used your iphone for the photos? Loved this!!💕

    1. Maggie didn’t bark at all! She was very, very interested in some other dogs she saw on the beach, but the sea life was “meh”, so far as she was concerned. Thanks, Kari 💕

  8. Cool! I mean sort of — some of them are unusual to say the least! I think it would be very interesting for sure. Great photos. Weird though that this did not come up in my feed until your newer one popped up. Strange WP thing. Bernie

    1. WP didn’t release the newer post when it was supposed to either. I had to go back in and manually publish it. Don’t know why that happens sometimes. WP be weird. Thanks, Bernie 💕

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