-+Ribbon+Kelp

//Nereocystis Luetkeana// (Greek for mermaid's bladder)

Photo by Dino Labiste Location: moving cold water of the Pacific NE Ocean, between channels of islands Habitat: Low intertidal to sub-tidal zones to 30 feet in areas with rocky bottoms, grows in "kelp forests" Uses: Only leaves are harvested. Good cooked. Coastal people put the stipes and bulbs to many practical uses. Size: 100 ft. Fastest growing seaweed in the world. 2 ft a day from spring to fall by Kylie♥
 * Carbon Monoxide in the bulb pulls the kelp up so that the blades float close to the surface and get sunlight
 * Olive green to dark brown. Bulb has numerous blades attached
 * By winter they are dying. Storms and waves leave them on the beach, where they appear as "bull whips."
 * Provides food and shelter for animals.
 * A single stripe attaches to a big rock(holdfast)
 * Water is slowed as it moves through the thick vegetation, softening the force of waves and thereby decreasing beach erosion.