Critically Endangered
I know, coral are not something you see all by their lonesome and it can be a bit odd to see them like this. I need to keep myself to doing a single animal in each painting though. These are up to a ¼ inch in diameter each. They are bright pink when they are alive and turn a black red when they dry out. They used to be found in multiple locations in the Galapagos area. When an El Niño event happened 1982-1983 most of their population was destroyed. After that time, they have been found near the island of Floreana, part of Ecuador. Most of what I read seemed to say they have not even been seen there since 2004, but some seem to imply that they are still to be found there. They do not tolerate water temperatures rising well at all.
I cannot help myself. We had rice bowls for dinner tonight. Seaweed salad, avocado, ginger, mango, green onion, etc. Then of course, I add my favourite chili garlic sauce. Honestly, though I'm not looking for product support, and having some food company support an endangered animal project might be a bit weird, but for free Lee Kum Kee's chili garlic sauce I'd seriously think about starting up a food blog! I could eat it with a spoon, and must admit that I actually have. The problem is, my body is so messed up from entirely too long of being an un-diagnosed Celiac, and most likely a host of other problems that I pretend I don't have because I claim that if I don't go to the doctor it can't be proven that I'm sick. I absolutely love the chili garlic sauce and eat it every chance I get. The problem is that within 15 minutes I am in serious pain. I won't go into detail, but will say it is not that my throat hurts and it is not that I have what people joke about when they eat from a fast food Mexican restaurant that I used to love before my Celiac diagnosis. It can be enough that I end up rocking while I'm on the floor in the fetal position. Still, I swear it is worth it. I've just eaten it, and I will eat it again the next chance I get! Like I said, I cannot help myself. It is not the only food that does that to me, but it is one of the only ones that I will happily eat without any second thought, knowing I will pay for it later. Things like kale, cabbage, citrus, and soy I will think twice about and typically have will power to avoid. I have so very little that I can eat, I'm not giving up my chili garlic sauce!