Feb 12, 2014 - 1 min read

A Solid-Rock Nature Walk

Cliffs, shallows, and life on Tsunoshima

By Tristan Scholze

Community writer

Rocky inlets and cliffs to explore

The jagged coastline views are beautiful even on a cloudy day

Watching over the grassy land above the rocks

This is kame-no-te, literally "turtle foot," an edible stalked barnacle (Capitulum mitella)

As the tide falls, beadlet anemone (Actinia equina) tentacles will retract until they look like red blobs

Bits of green find a home on these rocks, too

Flowering in spring

A sea urchin shell left on land, presumably by its predator

White sand is easily visible in these clear waters

A small cave-like formation

A look out on the Sea of Japan

A tidal pool full of life

Coral Blue Beach lies just beyond those cliffs

Dangerous beauty

I found small dashes of color

Electric blue rock

An osprey patrols its territory

The osprey back on the nest at the top of an isolated cliff

Looking back on the "church" and campsite from the grass above the rocks

Near a lighthouse, between Ohama Campground and Cobalt Blue Beach on Tsunoshima, live some rocks. They are indeed alive; so close to civilization yet in an undeveloped area, they thrive with marine life and are home to osprey patrolling the shoreline grasses and beaches. Look closely, deep in their cracks and crevices and across their broad surfaces, and discover their character softly singing out to you. Their stories whisper a colorful, ancient melody.

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Tristan Scholze

By Tristan Scholze

Community writer

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