A is for Anemone, B is for Barnacle, C is for Crab, D is for Diatom, E is for Elegant Eolid, F is for Feather Duster, G is for…Gee, I bet some kids could help with this fun project! Before you can help, you probably have some questions - like, what is an Alpha-Bestiary?

Alpha - that obvious, right? It has to do with the alphabet: A, Z and all the letters in between.

Bestiary - this is probably a new word for you. A bestiary is a book of animals. Bestiaries first appeared in the 1300's during a time period called the Middle Ages (after the Dark Ages and before the Renaissance.) Because they didn't have computers, or cameras, or TVs way back then, artists drew pictures to show what animals looked like and put the pictures together into special books called bestiaries. Some animals in the bestiaries were real (horse, pig), some were strange - but real (aardvark, giraffe, zebra), and some were not real at all (griffin, unicorn).

If you put those two words together, you get Alpha-Bestiary - an alphabet book of animals.

HRAP needs YOU!
The Haystack Rock Awareness Program needs your help to create the Haystack Rock Alpha-Bestiary. We need you to draw the pictures! We started a list of animals (and plants) that starts with A, anemone and ends with Z, zooplankton. Check the alpha-list below for ideas or do your own research. You can even use your imagination to find something new! If you make up something, be sure to tell us what it is called and why you might find it at Haystack Rock. Send your drawings to:

Haystack Rock Awareness Program (HRAP)
PO Box 368
Cannon Beach OR 97110

Include: (1) your name, (2) your age, (3) your home town, and most importantly, (4) let us know if we have your permission AND your parent's permission to put your drawing on our website! Remember to make a copy for yourself; we won't be able to return your drawings!

A - anemone
B - barnacle
C - crab, chiton, cormorant
D - diatom
E - elegant e olid
F - flea, flounder
G - gull
H - hermit crab
I - isopod
J - jellyfish
K - kelp
L - limpet
M - mussel
N - nudibranch
O - oystercatcher, octopus
P - puffin, periwinkle
Q - quahog
R - razor clam
S - sea star, sculpin, snail
T - tube worm, turban snail
U - urchin
V - Velella velella (jellyfish)
W - whelk
X -
Y - You!
Z - zooplankton

Thanks to the Environmental Defense Fund for this fantastic idea!

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