Plumose Anemone

Photo: Neil McDaniel · CC BY-NC

Giant plumose anemones form dense white forests along the walls of Browning Pass, their feathery crowns extending 50 centimetres or more into the current to capture plankton. In strong tidal flows they contract to stumpy columns; in slack water they bloom into full ethereal expansion, transforming the wall into something resembling a moonscape. They are the primary structural element of the site's invertebrate community, providing shelter for nudibranchs, shrimp, and juvenile fish.