In life, bull kelp is the picture of grace. Its scientific name, Nereocystis luetkeana, is graceful too. What about after bull kelp’s short life ends, does it retain its grace? Every fall, storms dislodge bull kelp from its rocky anchors. Once adrift, some are tossed ashore where we can answer the question without getting wet.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
I call it graceful. What do you think? For more photos of drift bull kelp you’ll find some good ones on my Brown Algae page. I wrote a bit more about bull kelp in Bull Kelp Drift: A Subtidal-to-Surf Zone Connection.
The Seaweed Lady on Bull Kelp is a short YouTube video with bull kelp fun facts from an expert.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
