This sighting is from over a month ago, when the King Tides were taking place. Cindy Morey had a wonderful find during the extra low tides. She wrote, “This Sea Star with 22 arms was alive and in a tide pool way out in the rocks during low tide on Irish Beach. It was really something to see. I've only seen one other one near the same place many years ago.” What Cindy photographed was a beautiful Sunflower Sea Star, Pycnopodia helianthoides.

About ten years ago, a disease called the Sea Star wasting disease severely impacted many Stars, but it seems to have hit the Sunflower Stars the hardest. It’s estimated 90 percent of the big Stars died. I have not had a sighting of one since the outbreak so Cindy’s photo was so very welcome. I shared Cindy’s photo with folks at NOAA and they were excited too. Sunflower Stars prey on Purple Urchins which proliferated in the Stars absence, so with the Stars hoped for recovery, balance may be restored in the ocean.

Thanks to Cindy for allowing me to share her photo with you here. Cindy is an artist with the Coast Highway Artists Collective. You can take a look at this link: https://coast-highway-artists.com/

Rain has returned to the Mendonoma Coast. Hooray!