What is algae?

Algae are tiny living things that can be found in water and even on wet surfaces, like a pond or your bathroom floor after a shower.

Algae look kind of like green paint, they're usually green, but sometimes blue or brown too. They don’t have roots or leaves like plants, so you could think of them as water-dwelling grasses.

Algae grow by using sunlight just like plants do. But instead of growing up from the ground, they float in water and use it to help them grow bigger. You might see them swirling in a lake or making your bathtub look like it has green spaghetti in it after a long bath.

Sometimes algae multiply really fast, you can go from a few specks of green to a whole green blanket covering the surface of a pond! It’s like when you leave cookies out and ants come running. Algae just love water and sunlight, so they grow where those things are plentiful.

Algae also help make our oceans healthy by giving food to little sea creatures, kind of like how your lunch gives you energy to play.