Jade Cove

Monday 26 Feb 2018: Big Sur revealed its different faces today as a morning overcast sky gave way to drizzle, rain by early afternoon, and finally brilliant winter sun and crisp wind. Tonight clouds pass over a nearly full moon rising before sunset from the east, the short storm having now moved on. The bright stars of the Big Dipper are visible to the northeast. It is quiet in southern Big Sur, the temporary end of highway 1 just a few miles more to the south. The road closure and winter perhaps isolate this area a bit more than usual.

Jade Cove and the southern Big Sur coastline.

The low intertidal kelp, Laminaria setchellii with surfgrass,
Phyllospadix, in the background.

The low tide this afternoon was good, uncovering the kelps, surfgrass, coralline algae, and invertebrates of the rocky coastline of Big Sur. I was wet due to rain from above and surges of surf from below, but excited as a climbed over boulders to explore a new site. This was the area of Jade Cove – picked over by divers for the heavy nephrite jade – though I was there principally for the seaweed gems. The little cove was accessed by a steep and unstable trail from the bluffs south of Sand Dollar Beach.

At the lower tides, a cluster of large rocks towards the center of the cove were accessible by hopping like steppingstones across several slippery boulders covered in emerald surfgrass. Inshore of these rocks in an area somewhat protected from the full impacts of the incoming surf, there was a small population of a large brown seaweed Stephanocystis osmundacea (not a kelp, but typically growing with them) inhabiting the low intertidal and shallow subtidal zones. Despite the relentless pounding of surf here, some of these rocks were jagged and sharp with deep crevices, sort of like a geologically young mountain range thrust boldly into the sky, ignorant of erosive forces that will eventually smooth them.

Black abalone.

In these crevices I found several dozen black abalone, their smooth dark shells pressed against the rocks protecting a soft body beneath. They were wedged as far away from surf or predators as possible. The abs were of various sizes from a few centimeters long to about the size of my hand. There was also a lone red abalone of similar cryptic disposition in the low intertidal.

Across the cove, the kelps Laminaria setchellii and Egregia menziesii were the dominant large brown algae of the low intertidal, the blades of former species like little golden brown flags drooping from short flagpoles. Patches of purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) and the general dominance of pink coralline algae in the low intertidal suggested a harsh world for the fleshy red seaweeds which can otherwise dominate the low intertidal at other sites in central and northern California. There were some specimens of Chondracanthus corymbiferus and Prionitis but the lacy red seaweeds of the Delesseriaceae seemed generally missing from the algal community.

Offshore some large floats of bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) rolled with each incoming well. These plants are last year’s stragglers since this species is usually an annual. Farther offshore still, signaling perhaps the presence of a shallow reef hundreds of meters from shore, was evidence of a canopy of giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera. I counted perhaps 10 individuals of this same species in the low intertidal and shallow subtidal along the shore, separated from their offshore family.

Some sea caves in Jade Cove. Stooping, I walked through the one on the right.

As the rain of the early afternoon let up and the sky began to clear, there was a band of puffy white cumulus clouds bunched together low on the horizon over the sea. The sun broke through with the rising tide and being quite wet and very cold I was decidedly done exploring the intertidal. I had enough coordination left to climb the steep muddy trail back up to the bluff some 200 feet above. I walked around the bluffs for a time slowly warming in the sun. The wind kept up all afternoon and was especially strong at the crest of the bluffs which afford the most incredible views of a majestic unrepentantly wild coastline. 

Mill Creek at Big Sur

Macrocystis pyrifera (giant kelp) growing in a shallow pool in the intertidal.

Big Sur is one of my favorite places along the northeastern Pacific coast. Here the Santa Lucia Range presses against the Pacific coast, forming rugged rocky shoreline next to steeply cut valleys filled with redwoods and hillside slopes of chaparral and grassland.  

Much of the area is designated as California State Parks or National Forest (including wilderness) land. Big Sur has the usual California problems of invasive species, but the area has historically endured relatively little development. Tourists stream in along Highway 1 (in seemingly greater volume), particularly from the Monterey Peninsula, but much of the shoreline and coast range is too rugged for heavy human use.

I have a few favorite intertidal locations in Big Sur that I’ve visited intermittently over the years to tidepool, photograph marine life, or just collect seaweeds. Actually, quite a bit of the coastline is relatively inaccessible because of its steep topography, or for other reasons. For this month’s early morning spring tides, I visited Mill Creek on the southern Big Sur coast. Because of the early morning tide, I camped Sunday night at Plaskett Creek, and then Monday morning was lucky to have Mill Creek’s rocky stretch of coastline to myself.

Sea stars at Mill Creek, including Henricia leviuscula (center) and two examples of what may be
Leptasterias, a species complex of 6-armed Pacific coast stars. 

Desmarestia munda, acid (!) "kelp".

Excellent low tides notwithstanding, large swells offshore can keep the low intertidal relatively inaccessible for those wishing to stay relatively dry, but one solution to this is to don a wetsuit, at least up to one’s stomach, and make way into the low intertidal and the deeper intertidal pools. With some decent off-shore waves, this trip benefited from that method and I was able to access the deeper pools and photograph quite a few marine treasures with my underwater camera.

Mill Creek has a good mix of seaweeds (large brown seaweeds, foliose and finely-branched red algae, and some green algal species), seagrass (Phyllospadix) and invertebrates (anemones, seastars, mussels, etc.) – an example of a high diversity, less disturbed stretch of central California coastline. The substrate here is a field of large boulders, a cobble beach, and larger bedrocks with areas of coarse sand. The boulders tend to be rather large and are covered generously with algae and invertebrates.

Small seastars were common this month. Many were the whitish Leptasterias spp. (a six armed star typically a few cm across), but some were also juveniles of larger species. These new recruits perhaps represent local evidence of the reported rebound in sea star populations after the wasting disease phenomenon that led to a crash in west coast sea star populations in the last couple years.

Brightly-colored nudibranchs were also abundant and I spent some time photographing these beautiful animals underwater in the shallow pools. I observed at least 5 to 6 species including Okenia rosacea, which has seemed pretty abundant across the central to northern California coast over the last year. Yellow dorids were the most common on this trip ato Mill Creek. 

Two Mill Creek nudibranchs. Left: Triopha catalinae. Right: Dendrodoris fulva or Doriopsilla albopunctata.

Hermissenda crassicornis on articulated red coralline algae.

References

Behrens DW. 1991. Pacific Coast Nudibranchs. Sea Challengers, Monterey, CA.

Morris RH, Abbott DP, Haderlie EC. 1980. Intertidal Invertebrates of California. Stanford University Press, Standford, CA.

Summer showers in the Ventana Wilderness

This month I completed my fourth backpacking trip to the Ventana Wilderness along the Big Sur coast. Actually, my first visit to Ventana some 16 years ago was my first backpacking trip ever*, a fun adventure with friends right after college. This time, like before, I traveled via the popular Pine Ridge Trail from Big Sur Station east into the wilderness. I originally intended to travel no more than the 7-8 miles to the campground at Barlow Flat, but decided en route to go an extra couple miles to Sykes, a popular destination because of its hot springs. Starting at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, the trail ascends and descends along the northern slope of several mountains in the Santa Lucia Range, running roughly paralleling the Big Sur River.

A south-facing slope north of the Big Sur
River. Mountain valleys, with their more
mesic soils, support populations of red-
wood, Sequoia sempervirens.

The Ventana Wilderness is located in the northern part of the Los Padres National Forest, south of Monterey on the Big Sur coast. Big Sur is of course world renown for its dramatic coastline, where mountains several thousand feet in height immediately hug the Pacific coast. The result is spectacular views of a vast Pacific expanse that transitions from turquoise near shore to deeper blue offshore. The marine influence creeps onshore when the coastal valleys fill with fog, but the higher mountain ridges and valleys farther inland are dry and warm.  

Vegetation along the Pine Ridge Trail alternates between chaparral, oak woodland, and redwood forest. The drier hillsides and ridges tend to support chaparral, while the river valleys and folds between mountains contain redwoods which are dependent on the coastal fog. Madrone, with its beautiful red bark (often peeling back from the trunk in curls) was common throughout my hike.

Tiger lily!

At the floor of the valley below the Pine Ridge trail runs the Big Sur River, which has never seemed to have much water during my visits. This month, flows were likely reduced even further because of the lingering drought in California. The valley floor is a pleasant corridor of riparian habitat with trees such as redwood, alder, sycamores, and oaks. The river is also a corridor for one of my favorite flowers – the tiger lily. I found several blooming along the river, the beautiful orange flowers pendant like small decorative lanterns lighting up the shaded valley.

Adiantum jordanii, a maidenhair fern.

The hillslopes of Ventana were covered in poison oak, and a week and a half later I can thankfully say that I did have a reaction to its menacing oils, even though I brushed against the plant a few times in 20+ miles of hiking. On the drier slopes, flowers included orange monkey flowers, red columbines, and some paintbrushes. For relatively dry habitat, there were also quite a few ferns. There were two or more species of maidenhair ferns, Pityrogramma, and other species.

One of the species I paid more attention to on this trip was the California bay, Umbellularia californica, a mid-sized tree that was relatively common throughout my wanderings. Snapping the leaves emitted a strong aroma. Umbellularia belongs to the Magnoliids, a group of flowering plants believed to be among the more primitive of all angiosperms. It is classified in the Laurel family, Lauraceae, that also includes Cinnamomum the host of our spice cinnamon.

Umbelullaria californica, the aromatic "California Laurel" or "California Bay".

Madrone leaf and its collection of water
droplets after a day-time summer shower.

My initial hike up the Pine Ridge Trail felt very humid and the midday sun turned to cloud cover and then eventually to a half hour or so of rain showers, even moderately heavy at one point. This was a refreshing change for the usual dry California summer. It brought back memories of a backpacking trip here years ago in late June when a daytime summer storm was also accompanied by lightning. We were evacuated from the wilderness early the next morning when it turned out that one of the lightning strikes started a fire. Later named the Basin Fire, it became one of the largest fires in recent history in California. This year, fire scars were evident, but not particularly abundant.

The Ventana gets heavy use, but it is one of the few wilderness areas situated right along the Pacific Coast of the lower 48 states. For the diversity of plant life, close proximity of varied habitats, and a chance to see redwoods near the very southern end of their range, it is certainly worth a visit.

Redwood sorrel, Oxalis, a common herb of the redwood understory. The plants at left were in the shade; those at right had folded to minimize exposure to direct sun.

*In the intervening years, I have definitely learned to travel lighter on overnight trips (though camera lenses and books are a constant temptation). On this first trip I probably had a pack that weighed some 50-55 lb, the culprits being a heavy book, at least one canned food item, a steak (yum) and other gear.

Reference: Baldwin BG et al. 2012. The Jepson Manual. Vascular Plants of California, 2nd ed. UC Press, Berkeley, CA.

Whales!

Big Sur is one of my absolute favorite places. I don’t visit frequently enough. Being there rejuvenates my passion for exploration and for wilderness. And though it has perhaps become more crowded over the years, one can still find relative quiet and a chance to be absorbed by the immensity of this rugged and beautiful place.

With my two youngest kids I took a day off work to camp and tidepool over an extended weekend. Long sunny days and cool temperatures – the weather was perfect.

We camped at Plaskett Creek, a small US Forest Service campsite just east of California highway 1 in the southern stretch of Big Sur. Given that the low tide was very early the next morning, it made for convenient tidepooling at nearby Sand Dollar Beach. The site is a wide sandy cove, buttressed along the whole shoreline by bluffs, except for a single point of access via a stairwell at the southern third of the cove. There are rocky intertidal areas at the northern and southern ends of the sandy beach.

Sand Dollar Beach

The encrusting sponge,
Haliclona.

On any visit to the coastal rocks my eye is trained for seaweeds, but my most significant impression of the intertidal biota on this visit was the abundance of Phragmatopoma californica, an annelid worm that constructs intricate dwellings of sand at the edge of intertidal rocks much like a marine beehive. The colonies seemed to be quite abundant, challenging my memory of whether they were so common on my visit to this same site years ago.

Returning to the plants, steel grey-green Porphyra were common on rocks in the high intertidal zone and from the mid-intertidal down there were rich coverings of seaweeds. Small individuals of giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, were frequent in the lower intertidal and I also found about three small bull kelp sporophytes.

Bands of the light brown Phragmatopoma colonies lining intertidal rocks.

One of the treats of the long drive along the Big Sur coast was spotting 4 grey whales – three near Willow Creek (a beach access point near the outpost of Gorda) and one farther north. The group of three swam together close to the rocky shore for quite some time, surfacing briefly perhaps every minute or so. Their dark grey mottled backs would appear at the surface, or sometimes a lone flipper would poke into the air. They frequently swam close together, at some points appearing a pair appeared to be nestled together.

Grey whales, now mostly only a northeast Pacific species, migrate annually between Baja California and Alaska. These animals, the loitering in Big Sur aside (I can’t blame them), were probably on their way north. Today there are perhaps about 20,000 animals along the west coast of North America, so the chance to observe several on our trip was fantastic. 

A trio of grey whales surfacing together.

We also saw sundry other marine mammals.

Macrocystis pyrifera, giant kelp.

Fucus distichus, Silvetia compressa and various red seaweeds on intertidal rocks.