Friday, May 4, 2012

Foto Friday . . . trash or treasure?




Yesterday, I went to Galveston, to the beach . .
and there it was, the seaweed. Lots, and lots of it.
I would say that the majority of people find the seaweed, well nasty.
On the other hand, I'm over the moon when I find masses of it.

I got out of the car and headed towards the beach.
The first thing I did was start picking up clumps of the seaweed and shaking it.
You see, it's not just seaweed, it's life.
It provides shelter and food and is such an incredible habitat
that plays an important role in the life cycle of hundreds of marine animals.

Shortly after I started "shaking" a man came over and was curious as to what
I was doing. I explained to him that I was looking for the critters that live in this sargassum seaweed.
 As we were talking a few sargassum shrimp fell out and he called
his kids over to look at it. Our excitement peeked more curiosity and before I knew
it there was a handful of people shaking the seaweed!
He confessed to me that when they first got there that their thoughts were, ugh seaweed.
And now that he knew there were things living in it his perspective has changed to, wow seaweed.
I love that.



The first photo is a sargassum shrimp - it looks just like a frond from the seaweed.
The second photo is a sargassum crab, and she has an egg sac under her tail!




The first photo, and I'm just guessing here, looks like an egg sac of some kind. All of those yellow
ribbons are actually made up of what looks like little yellow eggs.
And then....he came over to show me something I have never seen before, and we figured it was some kind of snail or slug.  It's called a sargassum nudibranch or sea slug.





I decided to leave this spot and head to my "go to", park right on the beach and back up spot
so that I didn't have to carry my chair and had better access to my car for my nets and buckets and . . . .
Wow, there was so much seaweed that there was no direct access to the shoreline except for walking
over all the seaweed and wading knee deep in it. And in order to find anything I had to be where all the
fresh seaweed was. Hmmm, at first it was a little strange having so much seaweed thrown against my legs
by the waves, but . . . and hang on to your seats, I finally found something I have looked for but never seen.
My eye caught a glimpse of of something white so I quickly grabbed a large clump and through it on top of
the already piled up seaweed and there it was, a sargassum fish also known as an angler, or frog fish.
And it was beautiful!
I was at first hesitant to pick it up or handle it with some many appendages, not knowing if it would sting,
but, I'm still alive! lol  It was so calm, most small fish just try to flop around but he was so gentle.
My only disappointment was that I had no one else to share it with, I was the only one there, but
now I get to share it with you.





{Foto Friday - shadows}

Meet the sanderlings . . . one very fast flying bird and hard to capture!

{shoot, edit, submit}


This week Bonnie gave us the challenge of making photo art from our favorite book or our choice.
I'm not much of a novel reader, but in keeping with words I decided to add a quote to mine instead. I didn't
do much to this other than a pencil sketch, I just liked the simplicity of this.

{Photo Art Friday}

You have no idea how hard it was not to share all my pictures from this last week.... I think I have enough to last me a lifetime. There is just something about the beach (and flowers) that I simply can't get enough of.

"The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient.
One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach - waiting for a gift from the sea."
-Ann Morrow Lindbergh

I met some really fabulous people yesterday on the beach. I loved sharing with them my love of nature
and I love that they were curious. I even daydreamed about having an explore the beach class with children.
You know, I titled this post trash or treasure because it's all in how we look at it.
As the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure, but only because
we lack the knowledge to understand why.

Happy weekend!
Love Kim,
XO











 
 



Photo Art Friday


19 comments:

Honey from the Bee said...

Incredible... just incredible! I love the photo of that neat odd little fish. I would've been afraid to pick it up, too. I never liked the feel of seaweed around my legs, but you know if I'd looked at it as something to investigate or look closer at I might've gotten my mind off the willies.

Amanda said...

WOW!! Your photography is so inspiring!! Those were amazing finds, and I love your shots of the birds! GORGEOUS photos!!

Birgitta said...

Many great photos here and artwork!

Pat said...

What an interesting post, well demonstrating the life that can be found in a clump of seaweed! The pencil sketch effect works beautifully on the beach scene.

Ida said...

Wow Kim I had no idea that such creatures could be found in the Sea Weed. - Your find of that amazing little fish is awesome.
I loved your PAF photo too. It's been so long since I've been to the ocean so seeing your photo's was just a real treat.

Giancarlo said...

La natura ci regala sempre belle emozioni!! un felice week end per Te....ciao

Deanna said...

Oh do I long to walk those beaches with you, picking up the seawood, shaking to find the treasures buried inside. I did do this one of the last days I was there, and I even discovered a Porteguese Man of War washed up amongst the seawead. Something told me not to pick it up. Your images are wonderful and I am reliving my trip thru you. You would be perfect to lead a children exploration class....do it!!

Andrea Dawn said...

I love discovering more about you, Kim . . . we share a love for nature, especially flowers and the ocean. A most interesting post and I think you would be brilliant teaching a beach exploration class for kids.

Sherri B. said...

Words can't express how much I love looking at your photos - they're all so beautiful! Wow, what gorgeous photos of the beach and the life inside that seaweed, and how awesome that you introduced the treasures inside the "ugly seaweed" to other people, too. I would've never known to shake the seaweed - thank you for sharing that! Your ocean quotes are stunning, also...I will have to add a couple of those to my collection. Have a lovely weekend!

Anonymous said...

my favorite is the first one but they are all wonderful!

Jeanne said...

I have loved looking at your great photos, and hearing about your wonderful day at the beach. Isn't nature just so amazing! Love that you have shared these here!

Unknown said...

Amazing! I grew up along the beach and never knew what treasures were to be found in the seaweed. Fantastic photographs!

Kathryn Dyche said...

Wow Kim, incredible finds. I love how fearless you are and that you got to share this gift with others on the beach that day.

Anonymous said...

That is so cool, ya know, those kids will remember the 'lady on the beach in Galveston' who taught them about 'life in seaweed' & how you 'shake' it to find them, for the rest of their lives & they'll teach their kids & others, too... so you've passed on something extraordinary, knowledge! That's awesome! Spreading something positive in this world, instead of all the negativity, is fantabulous!!!
A class for kids on the beach is an awesome idea... it's positive, a never ending learning subject, knowledge, & they'll carry it w/ them forever & teach others, too, because it goes on forever... You know how kids are, they like to show others what they've learned, so they'll pass it on & on!

Anonymous said...

Sorry if I've gone a lil overboard w/ my enthusiasm, but something positive in this world deserves praise! God bless you! =)

Your pictures are very beautiful, too! =)

Unknown said...

Wow! You found so many amazing things, and got so many beautiful photos.

Lori @ Foto Friday said...

Incredible! Love your shots Kim, your shadow shot is awesome.


Thanks for sharing with Foto Friday,
Lori

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

"The story of the Earth" can also be found in your images and accompanying commentary - always grounding and inspiring. Love the art piece you prepared for Photo Art Friday Kim.

Carola Bartz said...

Your photos - all of them - are gorgeous, but I really like your pick for Photo Art Friday.

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