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baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Pike Spector (he/him)
@baronvonurchin.bsky.social
180 followers 120 following 83 posts
Biodiversity Program Manager at the California Ocean Protection Council (@opc-california.bsky.social). #Kelp forest lover, Phycology In General; here for SciComm, ecology, open data, dad jokes, and natural history #phycyeah! He/him. MSc
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baronvonurchin.bsky.social
It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.
Three persimmons on a branch with leaves being held by an outstretched hand. The persimmons are various shades of orange, the leaves are green but just starting to turn brown. I’ve background is blurry, but other orange persimmons can be seen among the leaves of a tree
November 1, 2025 at 7:31 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
She really is
Screenshot of a cellphone’s Lock Screen. A few cattle dog standing in a field with her head turned towards the camera is featured in the middle of the screen. A banner displaying the song “My Lovely Man” by the Red Hit Chili Peppers appears below the dog. Man is crossed out, Woman is written above
October 16, 2025 at 7:47 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
I may be *a little* biased, but this panel absolutely rocked!

So amazing and inspiring to hear from leaders in kelp forest restoration speaking about the state's efforts to protect and restore kelp forests! #phycyeah!
A screenshot of panelists for a webinar as seen by a viewer. Top row from left: California's Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot, OPC's Senior Biodiversity Program Manager Mike Esgro, Science Communicator Patrick Webster Middle row from left: Tolow Dee-Ni' Nation's Marine Program Manager Rosa Laucci, UCSC Research Biologist Dr. Jenn Caselle, Author/Artist Josie Iselin Bottom: California Academy of Sciences' Dr. Rebecca Johnson
June 18, 2025 at 8:11 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Interested in learning more about innovate restoration and kelp forest ecology?

Join me and Tristin as we dive deep into kelp forests and explore ways to help the kelp!

#phycologyFriday #marinelife

📅 May 13 | 🕔 5–6 PM
🔗 Register: cirweb.org/calendar/kelp-forest-restoration-webinar
A virtual flyer for an online event titled, “The What, Why, and How of Kelp Forest Restoration” with Pike Spector and Tristin Anoush McHugh. The top image is of intertwined golden brown blades of giant kelp rising towards the sun lit ocean surface. The water is blue and clear. Below is the title of the talk in white letters on a green background. To the right are stacked headshots of a blonde woman above a bearded man in a red beanie
May 10, 2025 at 2:52 AM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
What a sight for sori! 😍

Bull kelp (Nereocystis leutkeana) thrive in the cold waters north of Point Conception, so it’s a real treat to see one on the beach in Goleta.

Based on its size and relatively good condition, I wonder just how far north it came from! #PhycologyFriday #marinelife🦑
A picture of a large marine alga washed up on a rocky, somewhat sandy beach. This particularly alga, known as bull kelp, has a large almost bushy head of long golden fronds. Hidden below the fronds is a giant air bladder, which connects to a long, thick stipe curving away from the individual. The golden fronds are contrasted against the incredibly dark green stipe. In the background, small waves break against the rocky reef. Beyond the waves, the sea is calm
April 19, 2025 at 2:09 AM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
I'm still reveling in last weekend's much needed escape to Big Sur. Spring is in the air and it's no more apparent than in the #tidepools!

Look at all these ephemeral, seasonal species mixing in with hardy perennials. Bonus ochre stars and certified #algal phreak #phycologyfriday #marinelife🦑
A picture looking down on a diverse array of red algae in a shallow, clear tidepool. In the bottom of the frame are fleshy, bladed brownish red algae. In the center is a distinct, dichotomous branching species. At the top are even more diverse, chaotically branching, bushy red algae. The color palette is warm, with lots of shades of reds, oranges, and browns. An image looking across and down at a diverse tide pool full of brown, green, and red algae. Patchy red algae proliferate in all shapes and sizes across the granitic rock, bushy and thinly bladed green algae paint bright swaths of color. Pink coralline algae can be seen under the softer reds and greens. Three large, purple ochre sea stars (rare these days after a disease nearly wiped them out) take refuge on the shaded side of a large boulder the size of a small boulder. The sea stars are surrounded by the long, flat blades of brown algae. Other species of red and green algae paint a diverse picture. A honey colored cattle dog jumps in the air, catching a blade of brown algae in her mouth. Her teeth are barred in anticipation. She is jumping among scattered rocks and a miasma of algae scattered on a beach. In the background is a sheltered bay with small waves beneath a dramatic and green mountainside.
April 11, 2025 at 4:52 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Sunrise in paradise - Costo de Oro, Costa Rica
A sunrise scene on a tropical beach. To the left of the image palm trees are silhouetted against an orange and blue sky. In the foreground is a dark sandy beach; ocean is to the right and the colors of the sky are reflected in the water. In the background are uneven mountain peaks
March 4, 2025 at 12:18 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
This is a first #molluscMonday for me, a Venus clam Hysteroconcha lupanaria!

Found in the eastern Pacific, the shell of this species is unusual in that it has a double series of long, curved spines on the posterior slope of each valve.

Photos don’t do this bizarre bivalve justice #marinelife🦑🧪
A dorsal view of the Venus clam shell Hysteroconcha lupanaria. This unusual clam has beautiful purple striated groves along its shell, which terminate in long spooky protrusions near where the hinges of each shell meet A look inside of the Venus clam Hysteroconcha lupanaria. The smooth insides of the shell are purple where each half meets, allowing fading to an ombré white. The unique, spicy protrusions of the the shell are clearly visible; there are three spines in decreasing size on each side A dorsal view of the Venus clam Hysteroconcha lupanaria. The purple ridges on the clam’s shell are clearly visible; in this orientation the characteristic spiny protrusions are seen on the right side of each half of the shell
March 3, 2025 at 6:51 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Feeling Fucoid on this fine #phycologyFriday

Throwback to this amazing low tide series in summer 2022 on the ancestral lands of the Makah near the western entrance of the Strait of Juan de Fuca / Salish Sea

How many different phyla can you count?

🦑🧪
A rice golden yellow blanket of branching brown algae at low tide. A pale blue sky is contrasted against gold, yellow, and green tones of an alga in the order Fucales. The distinct "two finger peace sign" branch pattern and rough bumps on the blades of the algae easily identify this group. A close up of an exposed rocky reef at low tide. The underlying rock layer is barely visible as small barnacles encrust the surface. To the center right a small clump of a fucoid algae, golden and green, contrasts with the white, beige hues of the barnacles. Below and around are small, red clumps of a bushy red alga. In the center of the frame a thin, black, marine worm can be seen navigating around the barnacles. Here and there are small bits of bright green algae and other marine organisms too small to identify. A dizzying array of green, brown, and red algae dominate a rocky reef at low tide. Upon closer inspection, white clumps of barnacles and bluish purple mussels can be seen among the branching golden brown Fucoid algae, leathery red algae, and bushy green algae.
February 21, 2025 at 6:27 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Jumping on the #fungifriends bandwagon because saprophytes are simply stupendous
In the foreground a bunch of oyster mushrooms lie with their gills exposed on a downed log. The mushrooms have a dark tan lip and wavy, complex milky white gills. Unpicked oyster mushrooms are visible behind the picked bunch. Above and around the downed log are bright green sword ferns. Above the ferns lurks a happy red and orange cattle dog. Pine trees tower above the entire scene
February 9, 2025 at 9:15 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Please, pray for her (she had a bath after swimming in the ocean)
A sad looking cattle dog swaddled in towels and bathed in light. She has a tortured, distant look in her eye.
February 1, 2025 at 10:53 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
I may be biased, but elk kelp is *my* favorite canopy former

The elusive elk #kelp (Pelgophycus porra) doesn't typically grow to the surface, instead these deep-dwelling giants can form extensive subsurface canopies from 20m down to 90m! How cool is that!? #PhycologyFriday #marinelife #phycyeah
An imagine of an underwater rocky reef. In the foreground is a school of blue rockfish with their distinctive "war paint". Towering above the reef and fish is a forest of elk kelp. A long green-yellow stalk is capped by a bulbous air bladder, which sits below the antler-like branching pattern that gives this kelp its name. The blades of the kelp are long and flat and flow in the current. Photo credit: Brett Seymour / US National Park Service An image of a SCUBA diver posing under the canopy of elk kelp. The antler-like branching pattern that gives this kelp its name is on full display. The SCUBA diver is dwarfed by the long, flat, blades billowing in the current. Above and behind the diver are more elk kelp. The water is many shades of cold blue, contrasting with the yellow-green of the kelp. Photo credit: United States National Park Service A tattoo of elk kelp on human's shoulder and back. Tattoo and photo by Hira Lupe (the author is the subject)
January 31, 2025 at 7:26 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Maybe not quite what you’re looking for, but Island Visions is really incredible!
January 30, 2025 at 6:16 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Aaaaaaah I miss those waters! Take me back to the Strait
January 29, 2025 at 9:37 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
It’s a ruff job, but someone has to hold down the couch while I’m on calls
A cattle dog sprawls out on a couch covered in blankets. The scene is calm and cozy, the dog looks supremely comfortable
January 29, 2025 at 8:42 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Oh! #mushroommonday a thing?? All this recent rain really makes me miss the PNW!

I hope this weekend’s precipitation brings out more fruiting bodies from our fungal friends
The underside of two small orange mushrooms growing on a piece of bark. The vibrant orange contrasts against the rich earth brown of the bark, dark green gross grows on the periphery and in the background are green sword ferns The underside of a young oyster mushroom delicately held between thumb and forefinger. The bright gills are illuminated against soft light breaking through a pine forest A mature Morell mushroom growing in the forest floor. The rich brown cap, textured by the unique Morell pattern, stands out against its milky white stalk A bright white shaggy mushroom growing up from a rich forest floor. The thick bulbous cap had a strange texture and pattern unique to shaggy mushrooms
January 27, 2025 at 10:13 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
We stand with Juniper!
January 27, 2025 at 6:07 AM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
My feed is now full of cats, which is fine. But what about the #dogs of BlueSky?!

Please appreciate this picture of my pup, she’s outstanding in her field
A profile of a reddish cattle dog stands with her front feet up on a log. The image is taken in a bluff above the ocean. Behind her is a dazzling orange and yellow sunset with trees in the middle distance
January 27, 2025 at 4:46 AM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
“But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.”
― Samwise Gamgee

Happy Friday everyone!
A dog facing away from the camera holds a stick in her mouth. She is a reddish dog with a fluffy tail, looking along a dry and cracked trail towards an ominous sunset.
January 24, 2025 at 11:58 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
So glad to see that #phycologyfriday is still a thing!

Here in California we're lucky to have not one, but TWO species of canopy forming kelps! #Giantkelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) and #bullkelp (Nereocystis leutkeana).

Who's your favorite canopy-former?

#phycyeah #marinelife

📷 credit in alt text
Bull kelp growing towards the surface on a rocky reef. The water is a mix of blue and green, the young bull kelp are golden yellow. A bright orange sponge grows over the reef in the foreground. Photo by Patrick Webster / UnderwaterPat A bright swirl of giant kelp canopy glows golden yellow on the surface of the water. Looking up towards the surface, the shallow water is a light blue. In the foreground, bright pink coralline algae shelters a juvenile rocky fish, which can be seen swimming next to thick eelgrass. Photocredit: Patrick Webster/Underwater Pat A bright señorita, a cigar-shaped fish, swims in the foreground in front of thick strands of yellow green giant kelp growing towards the surface. The cool ocean water is a hazy blue. More fish and kelp can bee seen in the background. Photocredit: Pike Spector Rich, golden giant kelp as seen from the sky. The intricate patterns of giant kelp canopy mix with silty gray-blue water. Photocredit: Ralph Pace
January 24, 2025 at 6:49 PM
baronvonurchin.bsky.social
Hey! I'm Pike and I'm new to this place where the skies are blue

In my day job I'm the @opc-california.bsky.social's Biodiversity Program Manager, I'm deeply passionate #marineecology & the ocean

Get @ me for all things #kelpforest, #phycology, job postings, & most importantly, pics of my dog!
An underwater image looking up the stipe of a giant kelp individual towards the surface. Giant kelp has many golden brown blades arching towards the sunlight surface of the ocean. In the background are more giant kelp individuals. This what the upper canopy of a kelp forest looks like A bearded man wearing a red beanie and a blue and red vest is laughing while a dog wearing a bandana licks his face A happy cattle dog with reddish brown fur looks towards the camera. Her mouth is open and her ears are pointed up, she looks very happy. In the background is chaparral An artistic image of a tide pool at sunset. Red and brown algae glow in the soft light
January 23, 2025 at 12:01 AM