The beauty of algae

Algae doesn’t have a lot of friends.

It’s fairly icky to swim in and, as the people of Toledo found out this week, it’s dangerous to drink water where some of it is found.

It’s not really algae’s fault. It’s just doing what algae does.

It’s the farmers who let the water run off their manure- and pesticide-laden land and the homeowners who simply must have the perfect green lawn no matter how much fertilizer it takes.

On a short flight over the St. Croix River between Prescott, Wisconsin and Afton, Minnesota, today, I noticed something else about algae. It’s pretty.

Photo: Bob Collins Photo: Bob Collins/MPR News Photo: Bob Collins Photo: Bob Collins Photo: Bob Collins