Pismo State Beach
Encyclopedia
Pismo State Beach is a beach
on the Pacific
coast of California
. It is approximately 17 miles long and fronts the towns of Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, and Oceano
in San Luis Obispo County
, California
. It is managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation
.
The area includes beach and dunes.
. It is a popular place to bird watch and is the largest over-wintering colony of monarch butterflies in the U.S.
, anemone
, several types of sea bass
, crabs, kelp
, California moray
, sea urchin
, several varieties of shark
s, as well as many other marine life. Several types of birds also live at the beach such as brown pelican
, great blue heron
, ivory gull
, and several other species.
It has a large monarch butterfly population who winter over at the Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove. It is popular to view the monarch migration from October to February. Docents provide guided tours.
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
on the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
coast of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is approximately 17 miles long and fronts the towns of Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, and Oceano
Océano
Océano is the third studio album by Argentine singer Pablo Ruiz. It was released in 1989.- Track listing :# Océano# La Chica De La Tele# Soñando En La Lluvia# Mi Corazón Se Fue# Este Mundo# Quiero Tu Amor# Hawái# Ámame Pronto# Hey Valentina...
in San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It is managed by the California Department of Parks and Recreation
California Department of Parks and Recreation
The California Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as California State Parks, manages the California state parks system. The system administers 278 parks and 1.4 million acres , with over of coastline; of lake and river frontage; nearly 15,000 campsites; and of hiking, biking, and...
.
The area includes beach and dunes.
Recreational Uses
The beach offers many attractions such as camping, hiking, swimming, surfing, fishing, and is home to the famous Pismo clamPismo clam
Tivela stultorum, also known as the Pismo clam, is a species of saltwater clam in the genus Tivela. It is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean . As the name implies, the Pismo clam lives in Pismo Beach, California....
. It is a popular place to bird watch and is the largest over-wintering colony of monarch butterflies in the U.S.
Animal and Plant Life
The beach is home to several types of marine life, such as abaloneAbalone
Abalone , from aulón, are small to very large-sized edible sea snails, marine gastropod molluscs in the family Haliotidae and the genus Haliotis...
, anemone
Anemone
Anemone , is a genus of about 120 species of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae in the north and south temperate zones...
, several types of sea bass
Sea bass
-Family Serranidae:* Barred sand bass , lives mainly off the coast of California* Black sea bass , whose range is the eastern coast of the United States...
, crabs, kelp
Kelp
Kelps are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera....
, California moray
California moray
The California Moray, Gymnothorax mordax, is a Moray eel of the family Muraenidae, found in the eastern Pacific at depths down to 40 m. Its length is up to 152 cm.They live up to 30 years old and have no pelvic, pectoral fins, or gill covers....
, sea urchin
Sea urchin
Sea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea of the echinoderm phylum. They inhabit all oceans. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from across. Common colors include black and dull...
, several varieties of shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s, as well as many other marine life. Several types of birds also live at the beach such as brown pelican
Brown Pelican
The Brown Pelican is the smallest of the eight species of pelican, although it is a large bird in nearly every other regard. It is in length, weighs from and has a wingspan from .-Range and habits:...
, great blue heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
, ivory gull
Ivory Gull
The Ivory Gull Pagophila eburnea is a small gull, the only species in its genus. It breeds in the high arctic and has a circumpolar distribution through Greenland, northernmost North America, and Eurasia.-Taxonomy:...
, and several other species.
It has a large monarch butterfly population who winter over at the Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove. It is popular to view the monarch migration from October to February. Docents provide guided tours.