Early morning jetty

With Marty at Sandwich Town Beach.

We parked the car at 6 am. I expected the parking lot at the Cape Cod Canal Visitor's Center to be empty, but instead, about 10 cars were scattered around. Must be fishermen. There's certain phase of the morning when it's just you and the fishermen - usually right after dawn. I love that time of day. 

Gingerly, Marty and I walked over the stones on the side of the beach. The sand would have been easier on our feet, but we weren't going for easy. We were on a mission to collect anemones. 

I had never been to Sandwich at low tide before. In fact, I had come to the same jetty just a week before and concluded there were no anemones to be found. I was in the right place, but at the wrong time. When the tide goes out, the deep parts of the rock jetty are exposed, and the anemones become accessible. They hang like limp balloons on the sides of the boulders. Clusters of white and pink and brown individuals fill every crack and gap between the rocks. You just have to know where - and when - to look. 

Fluffy anemones, Metridium senile!

Marty and I waded through the surf with the water up to our knees, losing body heat to the early-morning sea. When the water became too deep, we climbed onto the algae-covered rocks. Marty knelt on a stone and pried anemones from a rock with a thin plastic scraper. I wedged myself into a crack, determined to reach a cluster of brown individuals within. We communicated silently, with the offer of a bucket or gesture of a hand, then called loudly to be heard around the rocks. Sometimes, I knew Marty was less than 5 feet away from me, but I was so wedged in, I couldn't see her. One by one, anemones filled our collection bucket.

The whole adventure took us just an hour, but it felt like much longer. Every rock face held a new treasure; every anemone felt like a victory. I was grateful for Marty's help and excited to help her discover some of the animals I love the most. The intertidal zone is a great place to find biodiversity, and I absolutely love exploring there. 

We got our anemones settled into their new homes in WHOI's flowing seawater tanks, then showered and warmed ourselves up. Every early-morning field trip must conclude with a bakery stop, so we grabbed croissants from the new French bakery in town. It was a great morning.