A blue by-the-wind sailor stranded on tide pool rocks at a San Diego beach

By-the-wind Sailor

📍 San Diego By-the-wind Sailor (Velella velella) Not a jellyfish but a colonial hydrozoan, each Velella is a raft of specialized polyps topped by a chitinous sail that catches the wind. Mass strandings are common along San Diego beaches in spring and summer when persistent onshore winds push entire flotillas ashore. Wikipedia | iNaturalist