If You Look Really Closely…

Spring is in the air, and in the water as well! Along the shores on Long Island Sound, spring also means the return of many different animals. Often the first creatures we see are tiny zooplankton. Some, like the ubiquitous copepod, are laying eggs and multiplying quickly. Others, like crab zoea and barnacle cyprids, are juvenile stages of more familiar animals. Later in the season, these larval plankton will settle to the bottom (the benthic zone) and develop into their adult forms. Many other fish and invertebrates return to the coastline from their deeper water or offshore winter habitats. Next, as the weather gets even warmer, we’ll expect to see horseshoe crabs begin to lay their eggs on the sandy beach habitats around the Sound!