Monday, January 16, 2012

Foliage Follow-Up 1.16.2012

Perfect timing for Foliage Follow-Up this month as I've been astounded to see the lovely lush greens of . . .


. . . string algae!  Although the water temperature is so cold that the koi are in hibernation mode, the algae is thriving. Did you know that giant sea kelp is also a form of multicellular algae? 


 Unicellular algae is what creates the "pea soup" conditions that our pond commonly suffers through in the spring.


Lots of winter sunshine here allows the algae to photosynthesize and grow, grow, grow!

Thanks to Pam at Digging for hosting Foliage Follow-Up each month! Read more here.

5 comments:

Desert Dweller said...

I had no idea...very cool! I was also taken by seeing and smelling some algae growing in my fountain when I got it fired up Friday...took a while to flush out the supply hose of the algae. Never seen it this bad, and it is a cold winter.

Yours' looks much more vibrant, almost aquamarine in color!

Pam/Digging said...

Hey, in winter we take the greenery wherever we find it, right? I've probably got string algae in my pond right now too -- it's been bright and sunny and warm lately. Thanks for joining in with your unusual foliage highlight.

David said...

What an interesting post. Nice photography and a nice surprise for a foliage follow-up! Hurray for Algae.
David/:0)

Ruth said...

Is it a problem for the fish while they hibernate? Will you get rid of it or just wait for spring?

Jocelyn H. Chilvers said...

DD - algae is tricky stuff, always waiting to pounce!

Pam - I know I'm stretching the concept of foliage here, but I wanted to join the "Follow Up" party!(Thanks for hosting!)

David - this time of year I get my photo fun in some strange and unusual places. (Hint: stay tuned!)

Ruth - the algae is not a problem for the fish unless there is a big die-off of algae and it starts to decompose in the water. So we will remove it manually (with a rake) if we get too much of it.