The purple #seastar aka #OchreSeastar - Pisaster ochraceus - is one of the most commonly found #starfish along the coasts of #BritishColumbia. You can see they have thousands of tiny feet on their legs to help them move around.

The purple sea star is considered a #KeystoneSpecies & an essential indicator of #OceanHealth in #intertidal zone.

#WildlifeWednesday #SeaCreatures #MarineAnimals #wildlife #ProtectOceans #SupportMPAs #WildFirst #HealthyOceansHealthyPlanet #Environmentalist #nature #photography #WhatsInMyHand #MarineLife #LookAndLearn #educational #MarineBiology #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #SalishSea

#SilentSunday

#Beach gooseneck #barnacles find.
There's 3 different types of barnacles found in BC waters/on beaches - acorn, gooseneck & whale - the latter grows on whales' bodies. Barnacles are a longtime, year-round staple #seafood for coastal #Indigenous #FirstNations. In particular, the #Haida & #Kwakwakawakw & #Pacheedaht #FirstPeoples have several documented stories involving barnacles, including food prep recorded histories.

Barnacles are #ancient and can be dated to the middle of Cambrian period of Paleozoic because of Burgess Shale deposits in #BritishColumbia. They're #hermaphroditic #MarineAnimals.

#beachcombing #ectoparasites #MarineBiology #epibiotic #LookAndLearn #TraditionalFood #CoastSalish #shellfish #PortRenfrew #Kwakwakawakw #Haida #IndigenousFoods #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #WestCoast #Canada #photography #WorldInMyEyes #Educational #CoastalBC #marine

Native edible aquatic plant. American white water lilies at Prospect Lake in the Highlands. Nymphaea odorata. These are the only native water lilies in this area of the world. Other water lilies you see are invasive introduced species.
Beavers & muskrats like eating their stems.
Their seeds, flowers & rhizomes can all be eaten raw or cooked. Roots can be boiled to create a medicinal liquid to treat sore throats (gargle it) & for diarrhea (drink it). Many Indigenous peoples used the rhizomes to treat coughs/colds & crushed stems can be put on teeth to treat toothaches.

#Wsanec #Saanich #VictoriaBC #YYJ #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #NativePlants #perennials #nature #WaterLilies #bloomscrolling #florespondence #plants #botany #EdiblePlants #foraging #WildFood #botanical #Summer #lilypads #AquaticPlants #WorldInMyEyes #DisabledPhotographers #photography #LookAndLearn #peaceful