Smitten with Invertebrates

This is one of four alabaster nudibranchs, Dirona albolineata, I spotted today in the tidepools at Haystack.

One of the luminous dragons moved across a bland kelp background, but the other three were secreted away in tidepools painted in hallucinogenic color schemes. I was struck by the sight of this specimen moving amid aggregating anemones and across pink coralline algae.

A few days ago I returned from viewing orcas in Puget Sound, an awe-inspiring experience. But I was just as excited to lie down on a dock when the boat trip ended and stare at anemones, scallops, and tunicates covering the dock pilings. I am smitten with invertebrates.