Walk at Studland 12 – The wetter areas in the woodland at Studland near Knoll Beach in Dorset are home to shallow standing water pools which either lie still and stagnant or move very slowly. These places are home to iron-breathing bacteria which give a distinct rusty colour to the water and create multi-coloured iridescent surface films. The most common bacteria responsible for these types of film is Leptothrix discophora, although I cannot say that this is definitely responsible for the colours in this location. Linda Grashof has made a special study of the subject and written a book about the phenomenon called They breathe iron – artistic and scientific encounters with an ancient life form.
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Jessica's Nature Blog 
Wonderful images
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Thank you, Athira.
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Always welcome !
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Iron breathing bacteria! I never knew that. Nature is rather wonderful! Thanks for the great post
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Thank you, Coleshed.
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Wow. Just gorgeous. And intriguing, the idea of breathing out iron!
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Thank you, Claudia.
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I love coming across Leptothrix and similar species, especially on a sunny, cold day when the colours glimmer in the light – thank you for sharing your wonderful images. I came across Linda Grashof’s work/website a while ago, but have never read her book, so one to add to the list!
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Thank you, Amanda. It looks absolutely stunning in your New Forest photos right now. It must be lovely to have easy access to such a beautiful place.
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