#orbicella

[crochetbabe]

I am finally finished with my sculpture of the boulder star coral, Orbicella annularis, for the Resobox World Amigurumi Exhibition of endangered species! This piece took a very very very long time to make, and I’m super proud of how it turned out. I’ll make a listing for this soft sculpture on my Etsy shop as well, but this specific collection of marine life is off to New York on Monday! 

[crochetbabe]

Orbicella annularis 

My instagram

My Etsy

[crochetbabe]

Boulder Star Coral (Orbicella annularis) with sea sponges 

[crochetbabe]

Details and angles of my miniature coral reef featuring the boulder star coral Orbicella annularis and various sea sponges. 

My Etsy

My Instagram

[crochetbabe]

Orbicella annularis

A fiber art study of coral polyps 

[crochetbabe]

Boulder Star Coral Fiber Art

Orbicella annularis, or the boulder star coral, is a type of reef building coral that lives in the Caribbean Sea. As the individual coral polyps fuse their calcium carbonate skeletons together, they create beautiful lobed colonies. Boulder star corals are extremely important to reef ecology. The meandering, intricate structure of each coral colony provide habitat necessary for a variety of marine life. O. annularis also acts as a nursery to shelter young fish. The large structures formed by boulder star corals even prevent coastal erosion by absorbing storm waves. Unfortunately, O. annularis is an endangered species. These corals are threatened by pollution, fisheries, and rising ocean temperatures. 

This beaded crochet piece features a colony of boulder star coral polyps accompanied by an assortment of crochet sea sponges. I decided to crochet the coral using textured green wool to create the irregular, undulated surface reminiscent of boulder star corals at home in the Caribbean. On top of this base, I used sage green thread to embroider delicate, flower-like polyps amongst the wool lobes. At the center of each little polyp is a variety of golden glass beads to highlight individual coral animals. The clusters of white and beige sea sponges represent one example of how Orbicella annularis supports biodiversity by providing habitat.

[crochetbabe]

I’m adding some sea sponges to this Boulder Star Coral (Orbicella annularis) I’m working on! I think they go well with the beaded polyps and green wool. Looks nice and ocean-y! 

[crochetbabe]

I am adding some clusters of sea sponges around the boulder star coral (Orbicella annularis) to create sort of a miniature coral reef. I like it so far, not sure how many more sponges I’ll add yet. Maaaaybe I’ll crochet an additional kind of coral (something tall, like antler coral) to add to the piece but I don’t want it to get too crazy. Plus, it’s for an amigurumi exhibit and the theme is endangered species, so I want the boulder star coral to stand out.