One of Nature's brighter jewels

Today the weather in NE Scotland continues to be wet, cold and windy. Perhaps this colourful shell will help to lighten a dark day. It is the shell of an Ormer or Haliotis tuberculata as it is scientifically known.

Ormers are primitive marine snails that creep across rocks grazing algae in the same way that limpets do. The holes in the shell are the vents out of which sea-water is forced after flowing over the gills during breathing.

Ormers are good to eat and as you can imagine the lustrous shells have long been used in jewelry and other decorative arts.