Watery suns

It's too hot. Summer has come, finally, to the Lower Mainland, and it's making up for lost time. Out at the far end of the Fraser Valley in Chilliwack, the temperature reached a record 34.7 °C (almost 90 °F) almost 2 °C higher than the previous record, 90 years unmatched. They tell us it will be hotter later in the week. Oof!

Here in Delta, we're a bit cooler; 30 °C (86 °F).  It's still 'way too hot for me; I'm a product of the westcoast rain forest. I'm glad to have my shade garden, with its sheltering circle of tall evergreens. I cringe away from the naked sun of our summers.

But these cool suns from Vancouver Island, I have no trouble with:

Sunfish, otherwise known as the sunflower star. Cool and wet. Lovely!

Deep red sunflower star, under a couple of inches of water.

This one's a baby, barely a couple of inches tip to tip.

And I may as well add a few stars, too.

A pink brittle star, maybe the Daisy brittle star. It is less than the width of my thumbnail.

Long-armed brittle star, burrowing into the sand. Also very tiny.

Blood star, of some sort. Long, skinny arms.

A small leather star. I like the sunburst in the centre; two rows of brown dots connected by radiating lines.

And the ubiquitous purple star.

Four purple stars. One is pinkish orange, but it's still a purple star. Names can be confusing.

Aaahhh! I feel cooler, already.