A Rare Sighting

I was walking around Green Lake yesterday and I cut through a grove of fir trees on my way over to Aurora Avenue so I could go home. It was getting late and I had to feed the cats (more about them later, I hope) and make dinner for myself.

There were a bunch of people clustered around one tree, pointing at something way up in the branches. One of them had some binoculars, and she was calling out information to the others.

"It looks like bird-- maybe a jay," she said. "It's blue-- no, brown!" Other people thought it was a squirrel, or a stray cat, stuck way up in the branches. I could barely see the thing, so I wasn't sure what it was, but then it swung from one branch to another, like a monkey.

"Wow!" I said. "That's no squirrel-- that's a Pacific Tree Octopus!"

Somebody came over with a ranger, but the tree octopus-- if that's what it was-- was gone. She (the ranger was a woman) explained to us that Tree Octopi are very rare this far inland (see the habitat map on the website above), but every once in awhile someone spots one in the park, usually toward the end of their mating season in July.

I was really impressed. Most Seattleans go their entire lives without catching a glimpse of the elusive Pacific Tree Octopus, and now I've seen one after being here just a few months!

Tree Octopi are so rare, in fact, they were once considered extinct, and some people began to doubt they ever existed. But thanks to preservationists, a breeding poulation has been re-establiushed, although they're still considered endangered. There is even some evidence that they're moving farther inland.

Here's another link to the Save The Tree Octopus website (same as above).The rare photo at right is from the site, so it's definitely worth checking out.

So the lesson from all of this is, no matter where you go, always, always ALWAYS bring your camera! I sure wish I had.