What's in the name of this blog: Mopalia ?

So what, you may ask, is MOPALIA?

It's the name of a mollusk invertebrate that I began researching when I was working on my PhD in Marine Ecology at UC Berkeley's Bodega Marine Lab in the 60s. I left Marine Biology and moved to textiles and got my MA from UCB in the Design Dept in the early 70s instead.

Mopalia muscosa, common name 'mossy chiton' is a slow-moving, attractive little animal. and more good photos here.

Below is a very nice photo of a Mopalia muscosa taken
by E. Eugenia Patten © California Academy of Sciences. There is a lovely collection of invertebrate photos at the site where this photo was located : Cal Photos

In case you are interested in my background, how I got from tide pools to textiles and quilting and knitting - here's a bio of me from approximately late 1998.

Mopalia muscosa photo by E. Eugenia Patten © California Academy of Sciences