Stars of the Sea is a new exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Visitors meet sea stars such as the venomous crown-of-thorns and spider-like brittle stars and learn about how the nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific is working to save the largest sea star of them all: the critically endangered sunflower sea star.
Also, visitors will see a reimagined section of the Aquarium’s California Terrace that focuses on coastal habitats, featuring the new immersive outdoor touchpool experience, Our Living Coastline. This new exhibit includes a life-like rock structure, multiple viewing windows, and surging cascades of water, designed to mimic a real tidepool on a rocky shore. Visitors of all ages will be able to learn about and touch different sea star species, including bat and ochre sea stars, along with sea urchins and sea anemones from California’s northern and southern coastal regions.
These colorful creatures are one of the oldest marine invertebrates and have ancient roots in our World Ocean, dating back 450 million years. The five-armed structure of a sea star we commonly see is a remnant of their early lineage, but some modern sea stars can have up to twenty-six arms, like the sunflower sea star. They have evolved into more than 2,000 species, but some remain under threat and may disappear forever.
Environmental stressors in the ocean because of climate change, like warming temperatures, pollution, and changes in its chemistry, threaten the lives of sea stars. These stressors affect the immune systems of over twenty sea star species, making them susceptible to their primary threat: diseases like sea star wasting syndrome. Many sea star populations have not been able to bounce back to their former numbers because of these threats, but scientists and other experts are working together to find ways to help.
These multi-armed invertebrates are pros at regulating their respective ecosystems. In tidepool habitats, ochre sea stars eat mussels, creating space for other species to live. The sunflower sea star has a starring role in their kelp forest homes where they control the urchin population. Without this management, urchins can overpopulate and graze kelp forests away.
The population for this kelp forest guardian plummeted due to sea star wasting syndrome, leading to sunflower stars becoming functionally extinct along the coast of California in 2013. The Aquarium of the Pacific is part of ongoing conservation efforts with the goal of rebuilding the number of sunflower sea stars in California. This includes the Aquarium of the Pacific’s role as one of the founding partners of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) SAFE sunflower sea star program. The Aquarium is also focused on sunflower sea star conservation through its role as a founding member of the Pacific Coast Ocean Restoration Initiative (PCOR), a comprehensive, collaborative statewide effort aimed at restoring and recovering degraded marine ecosystems across California such as kelp forest ecosystems.
-0-
SOMETHING FOR THE SUMMER!
STARS OF THE SEA EXPERIENCE / OUR LIVING COASTLINE
Aquarium of the Pacific
100 Aquarium Way
Long Beach, CA
1 562 590 3100
aquariumofpacific.org
*Timed tickets or advanced reservations are required!*
Southern California gardening experts say it time to get out, explore and enjoy the 2025 roses season. Officials at The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens report, “…the spring bloom begins in mid-April and extends beyond Thanksgiving, thanks to Southern California’s mild climate…”
Gayle Anderson was live at what’s described as “L.A’s Most Treasured Rose Garden,” the Exposition Park Rose Garden, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks says the Rose Garden is closed every year from January 1st to March 15th for pruning back of the roses, so the current blooms are spectacular. For more information check the website: laparks.org/park/exposition-rose-garden
Descanso Gardens in La Canada Flintridge is known for its glorious roses because the facility has played a pivotal role in the cultivation of spectacular roses.: descansogardens.org/event/rose-stravaganza/2025-06-21/
Other special rose locations include:
*Virginia Robinson Gardens Rose Gardens: robinsongardens.org
*Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden: parks.lacounty.gov/los-angeles-county-arboretum-and-botanic-garden/
* Lake-Shrine-Gandhi World Peace Rose Garden: worldpeacerosegardens.org/the-gandhi-world-peace-memorial/
* Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens: rancholosalamitos.org/ranch-house-and-gardens.html
* Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum Rose Garden: dominguezrancho.org/dominguez-rancho-gardens/
*Tours of Tournament Roses Wrigley Mansion & the rose garden: visitpasadena.com/directory/tournament-house-and-wrigley-gardens/
If you have questions, please feel free to contact Gayle Andersonat 323-460-5732, email Gayle at Gayle.Anderson@KTLA.com, Facebook: Gayle
Anderson, Instagram and Threads: KTLAChannel5Gayle, X (Formerly Known As
Twitter:) KTLA5Gayle and ktlagayle.bsky.social.
