During Covid I’ve become increasingly hyper-aware of nature and how it just carries on regardless.


In particular:

Hormosira banksii, a.k.a. Neptune's necklace, Neptune's pearls, sea grapes, or bubbleweed.

A species of seaweed native to Australia & New Zealand with a unique in-built capacity for survival.

Abundant and thriving on low-energy rocky reefs at mid-tide levels, Neptune’s Necklaces easily outcompete all other algal species due to their high tolerance to dehydration.

Every single “pearl” on every single strand of each Neptune’s Necklace has a slimy skin that conserves moisture inside it.

The necklaces are made up of strings of olive-brown, spherical, gas-filled beads, each no bigger that your smallest fingernail. These beads taper toward a small anchor which is easily dislodged from the rock. Every single “pearl” on every single strand of each Neptune’s Necklace has a slimy protective skin that conserves moisture inside it.

Loose, broken off strands of Neptune’s necklaces can reproduce asexually from broken strands by means of sex organs that dot the surface of each bead. These sex organs are visible to the naked eye as rough-looking goose-pimples. They simply need to touch in order to multiply. Free love.

Unlike humans, this species has no intelligence and only very basic consciousness yet they’ll still be thriving when we’re long gone.