Life changed for everyone in Pacific Palisades, Topanga and Malibu on January 7 2025. A year after the Palisades Fire those who live or work in its shadow still aren’t used to the endless roadwork, the delays, the road...
Originally published in the February 21, 2025 issue of Topanga New Times The Palisades fire is named for the Palisades Highlands, where the blaze erupted on the morning of January 7, 2025. The conflagration rapidly spread throughout Pacific Palisades...
Originally published in the March 7, 2025 issue of Topanga New Times The Malibu stretch of Pacific Coast Highway turns 100 next year. It’s strange to know its centennial will begin with a third of the houses, businesses, landmarks...
Villagers all, this frosty tide, Let your doors swing open wide, Though wind may follow, and snow beside, Yet draw us in by your fire to bide; Joy shall be yours in the morning! —Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in...
There are nearly 800 species of seaweed on the West Coast, and many of them grow right here, on the local coast. We often tend to ignore seaweed, unless we find ourselves tangled in it while swimming, but anyone willing to take a closer look will have no trouble understanding its appeal to collectors: it’s colorful, comes in an astonishing range of shapes and textures, and it can be found along almost any stretch of shoreline.
Here are some of the most frequently encountered local species, all of them colorful enough to delight the heart of any seaweed enthusiast!
Callophyllis is a widely distributed red algae genus with several local species. Its thin, flat blades make it a great choice for pressing, and the red color remains vivid even after the seaweed has dried. There are specimens in Victorian collections that are still as colorful today as they were the day they were collected. All photos by Suzanne Guldimann
Giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, is instantly recognizable for its rope-like stipe, oval floats—officially pneumatocysts—and large, leathery, wrinkled fronds. Fast-growing to as tall as 50 meters, giant kelp is a keystone species on the Southern Coast of California, forming undersea forests that support an entire ecosystem, from kelp-dependent invertebrates to sharks and marine mammals like sea lions.
Ruffled and bright neon green, sea lettuce—Ulva lactuca—is unmistakable. This widely distributed algae is nutrient-rich, fast-growing, and edible, although how edible depends on local water quality.
Common Coralline, Corallina officinalis, grows abundantly on the rocks in tide pools and frequently washes up on the beach. As the name implies, it resembles coral, and depending on conditions ranges in color from magenta to pale pink.
Marine algae provide critical habitat for a host of organisms, including this sea anemone, at home in a miniature tide pool garden of pink coralline, red Callophyllis, and vivid green sea lettuce.
The aptly-named Feather Boa Kelp, Egregia menziesii, really does resemble its namesake. The floats are similar to those of giant kelp, but they grow close to the flat, ribbon-like stipe. E. meziesii is abundant in local tidepools, where it shades and shelters a host of intertidal species.
TNT Editor Suzanne Guldimann is an author, artist, and musician who lives in Malibu and loves the Santa Monica Mountains. She has worked as a journalist reporting on local news and issues for almost two decades, and is the author of 13 books, including two local histories and a novel. She can be reached at suzanne@topanganewtimes.com
