Seaweed

Seaweeds are plants which grow only in salt water and attach themselves to rocks by a holdfast (a big, strong foot) to stop them being swept away in big waves. Seaweed, like all plants needs light to survive and so only grow in water which is 1-2 meters deep near the coast, as it gets too dark when you go any deeper.

The most common colours that you will see are brown, green and red. Some types are really big (usually the brown ones) whilst others are tiny and you will have to look hard in the rock pools to find them.

You are most likely to see seaweed at low tide when it is on the beach in big slimy piles but when the tide comes in the seaweed floats due to the air it holds in tiny little sacs in its leaves (also known as blades). The plants no longer look all slimy but actually look quite pretty.

In the past, seaweed was used for many different things including; soap, glass, cosmetics, medicines, paper, paint, fertilizer to put on the land and help other plants grow, animal food and it also played an important role in the human diet-in fact many people in the Far East still eat seaweed today.