watermelon snow

English

watermelon snow

Noun

watermelon snow (uncountable)

1. Snow stained with patches of red and green, naturally caused by Chlamydomonas nivalis.
2. Chlamydomonas nivalis, a species of green algae containing the red pigment astaxanthin, secondary to green chlorophyll, sometimes encountered as reddish streaks in snow.

Synonyms

• (snow stained with red and green): pink snow, red snow, blood snow
• (Chlamydomonas nivalis): snow algae, pink snow, red snow, blood snow