Perspective is everything, so I’m taking this opportunity to show off two common Pacific seaweeds two ways. Both seaweeds favor sand-scoured settings on the open coast. A minus tide is not required to find them, but it helps, especially if you want to enjoy their charms at eye level. As suggested by the habitat description, you’ll see sand in all the photos, and if they came with sound, you’d hear the boom of surf in the background. The first pair of photos show two morning takes on a clump of Ahnfeltiopsis, probably A. linearis, a photogenic red seaweed.
Below, just a few minutes later, Phaeostrophion irregulare, a not particularly photogenic brown seaweed. (At least that’s how it’s always struck me.)
Notes: One of the many joys of the intertidal, especially if you like a puzzle, is the challenge of identifications. Phaeostrophion and Petalonia can look a lot alike. I think I’ve identified Phaeostrophion correctly here, mainly on the grounds of habitat, but if someone wants to argue for Petalonia, I’m open to it.
All of the scenes shared in this post are from April 27, 2021, just after sunrise— it was a very low tide.