Mazzaella splendens is one of those red seaweeds known for the looks it throws your way. Its iridescence isn’t a given, but when things fall into place, rainbow leaf, as it is sometimes known, lights up the low intertidal.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Cut off from the shore, I’m grateful for simple pleasures past.
Addendum: There couldn’t be a bigger mismatch between Mazzaella‘s beautiful blades and what’s going on in the real, human world. I was not able to finish this post until I dreamt:
There I was, in the stands at a packed Major League ballpark. A day game. “Curveball!” I exclaimed aloud, letting my my eyes rise to follow a sky-high pop up. When they drifted back down, I startled myself when I noticed, on my lap, Druehl and Clarkston’s Pacific Seaweeds. The incongruity was so jarring it woke me.
