Meet the Seaweed - Bladder Wrack
You can find Bladder Wrack (Fucus vesiculosus) all along the coast of Wales and in many other parts of the UK too. All the beaches around us at Dinas and Newport are home to a thriving population of this seaweed, which grows on the rocks between the high and low water marks.
A Pressed Bladder Wrack
Note the now flattened bladders, and how it has delaminated from the paper it was pressed on.
This seaweed has an olive-brown hue and is characterised by its distinctive bladders which enable it to float upright when it is submerged.
After a storm
This example was found at Cwm-yr-Eglwys beach after a raging northerly storm. It has some lovely examples of the Sinistral spiral tubeworm (circular shells) and also some Thorny sea mat (honeycomb shapes) attached to it too.
Due to its thick coverage, it serves as a fantastic hiding place for numerous seashore creatures, including shore crabs and winkles. It is also considered a delicacy within the periwinkle family.
Spiral Wrack
This is an example of Sprial Wrack (Fucus spiralis), it grows in close proximity to Bladder Wrack - It looks very similar, but note the lack of bladders.
It’s not the easiest seaweed to press, due to it’s thick gelatinus make up, and may take a little experimenting to get it right. It is also likely detach from the paper when it has dried out, if this happens, you can just apply some small sections of tape to hold it in place.
More info on the spiral tubeworm can be found on the Marlin website: Sinistral spiral tubeworm, and there is also a page about the Throny Sea Mat.
A selection of our Bladder Wrack prints
