The thin one has fronds that are flat, thin, and sheet-like, often crumpled or ruffled, like red tissue paper or cellophane. They are a deep reddish-purple to brownish-red, sometimes with a metallic sheen. They are only one or two cells thick in places, so thin that you can see through them. They tear easily, a gentle tug will rip the frond. But they grow back quickly, regenerating from the smallest fragment. It is the alga of the fragile strength, the one that tears but never gives up. What makes it special is the resilience. The red sheet algae lives in the harsh upper intertidal zone, where it is exposed to the sun and the air for hours at a time. Its fronds dry out, shrivel, and seem to die. But when the tide returns, they rehydrate within minutes, turning soft and pliable again. It is the resurrection plant of the sea, the one that comes back from the dead every day, the one that has learned to survive the harshest conditions. The red sheet algae is a red alga, a close relative of the seaweed used to make nori for sushi. In fact, some species of Pyropia are cultivated for nori in Japan and Korea. Our New Zealand species is not as widely used, but it is edible. The thin, papery fronds can be dried and eaten as a snack or used as a seasoning. Biologically, the red sheet algae reproduces by releasing spores from specialised structures on its fronds. The spores are produced in dark patches on the surface of the sheet. The spores are released into the water, carried by the currents, and settle on nearby rocks to grow into new plants. To find red sheet algae is to find a crumpled red sheet on the rock. It is thin, fragile, easily torn. But it is also resilient, coming back every day, surviving in the harsh splash zone. It is the thin one, the sheet-like one, the one that tears easily but grows back anyway, the one that proves that fragility and resilience can coexist.