Is it this stuff:
The June Grass Grossness Index | The June Grass Report
What is June Grass?
Filamentous, floating marine algae from the genus
Cladophora is called “June Grass” in Florida. It is not really a grass and it is present on Panhandle beaches in June and many other warm months.
Is June Grass harmful to people?
No, June Grass is not harmful to people who are enjoying the beach. Consuming it is probably not a good idea. It
will get in your hair and in your bathing suit if you choose to swim while there is a lot of it in the water.
The worst thing about June Grass is that it can be smelly when it accumulates in large concentrations along the shore and begins to rot. This process can be harmful to fish and other marine life because the bacteria that are decomposing the alga can deplete the oxygen in the water in a process called eutrophication. I have seen this happen once on the west side of the Destin jetties in 2006 and on some Walton County Beaches in 2012.
Odor and slime aside, June Grass is actually very beneficial to our beautiful beaches. It brings nutrients to the animals and plants, both micro and macroscopic, that live along the tide line. These animals are part of the ecosystem that supports familiar and beloved Gulf and beach-dwellers such as ghost crabs, “sand fleas”, clams, shorebirds, sport fish, dolphins, and sea turtles. It also provides a substrate to lessen the erosion of the beach during storms (
which is a completely natural process in and of itself).
Sometimes, when prevailing winds and currents are just right, June Grass may be concentrated near the shore with other marine organisms that might make water sports challenging. Occasionally when there are heavy concentrations of June Grass there may also be clumps of seaweed, called sargassum, various kinds of stinging and non-stinging jellies, and “sea lice”. In this part of Florida the term “sea lice” refers to nearly-transparent stinging pieces of jellies, that have been broken off from the larger organism, usually because of stormy, rough ocean conditions. They can give you an itchy rash if they
come in contact with exposed skin. Fortunately, this is usually very minor and is not directly related to the June Grass phenomenon.
FAQ | The June Grass Report