Ulva fenestrata is a leafy green seaweed with a thin, flat body (flat, leafy seaweed bodies are called “blades”). Ulva blades are nearly translucent because they are only two cells thick! There are many species of Ulva around the world, including many in British Columbia, and they are often referred to commonly as “sea lettuce”. Ulva fenestrata often has small holes scattered throughout the blade (“fenestra” is Latin for “window”) and is common in many intertidal habitats, from open coast rocky intertidal to sheltered sandy bays and mudflats. Click the icons above for more images, a life cycle and a peak inside the Beaty Biodiversity Museum’s collections of this species.

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The green seaweed Codium fragile has a thick, spongy body divided into cylindrical, finger-like branches and is commonly called “Dead Man’s Fingers” (other common names include: Sea Staghorn, Felty Fingers, Oyster Thief, to name a few). The body of a Codium seaweed may be large, but it is actually one enormous, thin cell. As the seaweed grows, the cell stretches, branches and twists in an elaborate arrangement that produces a body that, to our eyes, appears multicellular but isn’t! Codium fragile is a common green seaweed found throughout the world, including Antarctica. Codium fragile grows attached to hard surfaces, most often rocks, and is found across a wide range of intertidal habitats throughout British Columbia. Click the icons above for more images, a life cycle and a peak inside the Beaty Biodiversity Museum’s collections of this species

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