#sunflower-star

2 articles

A many-armed sunflower sea star spread over a granite reef boulder in green kelp-forest water, with young kelp stipes and purple urchins nearby under a sunlit canopy.

Field Notes: A Sunflower Star Back on the Quadrat

A Tidewright dispatch: the first sunflower star recorded on a long-running transect since the wasting years, and an honest crew argument about what one animal means.

Jack Callum · September 12, 2026

A large sunflower sea star spreads its many arms across a rocky reef at the edge of a kelp forest, purple urchins grazing nearby in sunlit green water.

Encyclopedia11 min read

The Decline and Slow Return of Pycnopodia: A Species Case Study

Sea star wasting disease erased billions of sunflower stars in a few years and reshaped whole kelp coasts. Here is what happened — and why hope is returning.

Dr. Mara Ellison · August 21, 2026

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