This book is an intimate family album of the diverse animal and plant life inhabiting the 2,000 miles of coastline stretching from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Tijuana, Mexico. Combining personal observation and scientific insight, celebrated nature writer Susan Tweit brings dozens of nature's most intriguing species to life. Bat rays and banana slugs, pickleweed and giant Pacific octopuses, monarch butterflies and moon jellyfish are all captured in Tweit's thought-provoking essays, each vividly illustrated by artist James Noel Smith. With recommendations on the best places and times for your own coastal explorations, plus a list of further readings, this book is both a distinctive field guide and lively companion for the armchair nature lover. 100+ full color illus.