The tidepool world is awash with the shapes and colors of shells, pebbles, and sea plants. And the sea itself offers the symmetry of northern starfish and green sea urchins. Barnacles crowd for space on seashore rocks. They define the upper limits of high tide because they must be covered by water twice a day to survive. Rockweed is floated by pairs of air bladders.
Irish moss is also present.
Common eider, an oceanic duck, lives near the shore on barnacles, crabs, and sea urchins. Herring gulls are constant companions here. They often follow fishing boats for scraps, rising a real racket. Rock crabs are often caught in lobster traps. They are common food of gulls.