If you guessed "Vegetable" I wouldn't blame you. But these are not photos of a vegetable, and in fact they're not even plants! These are macro shots of a kind of soft coral (Dendronephthya sp.). The common name for this variety is "Broccoli Coral" and you can see why. For more info about this kind of coral, have a look at yesterday's post about Broccoli Coral.
This is a new blog to me - I love it! We had an experience swimming with a wild "pod")I guess that's correct)in Maui. I've never been so electrified by an experience! Truly amazing... ~~~Blessings~~~
I'm so glad to have discovered this blog. Although I live in a bushland paradise in Kenya, and I love all the animal-life around me here, sometimes I feel like I am in fact a child of the sea. I love being by the ocean, in the ocean, on the ocean. I learned to dive in Australia eight years ago, and can certainly say, if you haven't done it yet, do it soon! Thanks for sharing all your wonderful photos and more... Tanya (in Kenya) PS. I'm going to add you to my Links page in my Wilderness Diary.
Back when I had a reef tank I raised that species of coral. Softies (as we call them) are a neat type of coral that can inflate their bodies with water and seemingly 'grab' the current to snag passing plankton for food.
coral was my guess.... great macros! i went to a talk about global warmong yesterday, and they showed some slides of the toll the warming is taking on coral.... very sad.
Okay I knew it was coral, Bobbie...I don't come to your blog for nuttin' ya know! :) But I did think broccoli, LOL! Gee, Bobbie, take me with you, take me with you! I'm sure Jerry wouldn't mind...The Red Sea! Thanks for visiting me!
Hello there Bobbie Thank you for your kind comment.. I will be back here to view your beautiful looking pictures another time real soon... I will try and make the time tomorrow but I'll be back.. Once again thank you.
Thanks to all of you for visiting and leaving a comment. It looks like I didn't fool too many people with these photos of the soft coral. Most regular readers of The Right Blue seemed to know that this is a coral and that coral = animal. (Really does look plant-like, though.)
@ Rhonda - Yes, especially that first shot could be taken for cauliflower I suppose.
@ ZJ - Now that you mention it, fish eggs is another good guess.
@ Shari - I'm pleased to hear that you are sharing some of my photos with your children.
@ Gracie -- Lucky you to have that wonderful experience when you went to Maui.
@ Tanya (Pixel-Pixie) - I just saw your wonderful blog for the first time yesterday. I'm encouraging everyone who likes nature, wildlife, and great photography to visit it. I spent about an hour there yesterday and your blog already is a new favorite of mine.
@ Gattina -- I'm laughing at your comment, "a little pale." Come back -- I'm about to post more photos of these types of corals, but in much snazzier colors.
@ Christopher S. - I've never seen these in a reef tank. Were they hard to raise? And you are right -- they can plump themselves out or make themselves look wimpy and withered.
@ Mary - Okay, next time we head off to Egypt, I'll try to remember that you'd like to tag along. ;-}
@ Robert & Sarge Charlie -- Get back into the water! What are you waiting for?
Thanks everyone. I'm glad you liked the photos, and thanks for recording your guesses.
@ Kathy - The stalks are kind of rubbery, filled with a gelatinous material. They can inflate (by taking in water) and deflate. You'll see in the next few posts. The polyps mostly are feathery, but in some varieties they are stiffer, almost like little spikes when they are open.
@ Cynematic - Thanks for subscribing to the feed. Do you still dive? If you had to do only one dive in Hawaii, the manta ray night dive sure was a good choice.
One really amazing blog is what deals with the former love me the Sea. Still him I love, but I do not want to say other, because perhaps it is considered... disbelief. Because years ego, me gained the apiculture
The Right Blue refers to the goal of a lifelong pursuit. Sea water viewed from beneath the surface comes in many hues and shades. Surfers wait for the perfect wave; divers seek the right blue.
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Bobbie & Jerry