The Urban Pantheist

Our June Urban Nature Walk was at Savin Hill Beach in Dorchester. This sun-bleached European green crab shell on dry seagrass is a good symbol of how hot and dry it's been.

( more than 4 pics means use a cut )

Photo by cottonmanifesto. Location: Castle Island beach, South Boston (low tide).
Urban species #187: Irish moss Chondrus crispus

The cold rocky beaches of the North Atlantic are decorated with numerous species of seaweeds--the highest concentration of these organisms in the world. While not plants (taxonomically speaking), these marine algae perform much the same role in the ecosystem: they turn sunlight into carbohydrates, and produce oxygen as a waste product. They also provide food and shelter for marine animals.

Irish moss is found on both coasts of the Atlantic Ocean. It belongs to the red algae group, bearing distinctive proteins that mask the green of its chlorophyll and give it a reddish brown color. In Boston, at the turn of the twentieth century, great quantities of Irish moss were harvested for carageenan, a food additive that thickens custards and dairy drinks and helps prevent ice cream from freezing. Other species of algae, more efficient carageenan producers, have replaced Irish moss in the food industry, allowing this interesting colorful organism to live wild and unmolested on the rocks along the city shore.


This sickly clump of Irish moss thallus is attached to a piece of melted metal.