Club-Tipped Anemone
Corynactis californica

Ranging from Central California to Baja, these beautiful 1" wide anemones form colonies ranging in color from orange, red, purple, pink or brown to almost white.

Corynactis anemones are not the master of their domain -- they reproduce asexually, cloning themselves by splitting down the middle (that's known as "longitudinal fission", for you science buffs).  Each half then becomes a new member of the colony, genetically identical to every other member.  As a result, all members of a given colony are the exact same color.  However, you can often find several differently colored colonies adjacent to each other.

Lens: 60mm macro
Film: Kodak E-100s
Location: San Diego, CA
©1999 Garry McCarthy