Life Between the Tides

Between the sea and the land there is an intertidal zone where different species interact, each graced with adaptations to maintain its survival and existence. In this lyrical narration, British author Adam Nicolson observes, examines, and reflects on the creatures that are carried into the micro-ocean crevasses, ones that he has chiseled from the Jurassic limestone along his estate on the Scottish coast, rock hollows that allow the sea entry and exit during the tidal pulls.

Observing the creatures that enter these enclosures, the text continues with his detailed appreciation of the anatomical intricacies and the endurance behaviors of sandhoppers, winkles, crabs, anemones, and others. Current and past historical scientific studies of these creatures enhance the mystery of their survival skills. The story continues with hints at relationships between human faculties and those of sea creatures.

The patterns of life illustrated in these rock pools are further magnified with the thoughts of scientists, poets, and philosophers such as Virginia Woolf, T. S. Eliot, Heraclitus, and many others. The sea is not only water; it contains interconnecting worlds in which the author insightfully inspects our relationships.