TGIF: Barnacles put a ring on it

barnacle_mready

Have you ever seen the bottom of a barnacle? Or to be totally accurate, the top? I hadn’t either until a good friend and photographer, Michael Ready, showed me this photo he took in down in Baja California. There is just something about it, that I find absolutely stunning. Similar to annual growth rings found in trees, barnacles have growth rings as well. These concentric rings that represent cyclic growth periods are called ecdysal lines (also known as cuticular slips) and are associated with barnacle molting.

For more on Mike’s work photographing the natural world, please visit: www.michaelready.com