i love the crusty seacoast texture of this colony of freshwater mussels, left on the shore by a fisherman who must have thought he’d hooked the big one for a few thrilling seconds. i can’t help falling for the barnacled pelt they have wrapped around this branch, although i’m afraid they might be zebra mussels which means this is more of an infestation than a colonization.

(zebra?) mussel encrusted branch

vadnais lake, saint paul, minnesota