Can you believe all of these gorgeous shells were found in SouthWest Florida? Yep! I found all of these APPLE SNAILS (Pomacea insularum) at Harns Marsh Preserve in Lehigh Acres, Florida about an hour from Sanibel. For years, I’ve been wanting to go check this place out ever since I met Kathy from Colorado who showed me one of her APPLESNAILS I wrote about in my post “Finally, A Recipe For Finding A Junonia“.
I finally made it to the preserve and was thrilled to find my first one… they are huge!
Just trying to find Harns Marsh Preserve was quite an adventure since there are no road signs- I guess because it’s not a city or state park. So that started the whole journey as quite a treasure hunt in itself. Then once we found it…. On to hunt for APPLE SNAILS! Soul Sister Susan donned her hiking boots, satchel and bug spray while I armed myself with old tennis shoes, long pants and a very strong walking stick. We didn’t know what to expect to find but knew we were going to be walking near marshy water which means (in Florida) there could be lots of bugs, red ants and more importantly… alligators. Errrr… That wasn’t really a “walking stick” … I would be more inclined to call it my “harpoon” … or should I say “Shellpoon”. Ha! I am a nervous wreck being anywhere near the edge of any inland pond so I just feel a weeee bit more safe with some sort of weapon. It’s better to be safe, right?
We had to park our car at the entrance and walk about a quarter mile until we reached some trees by the water…
Empty APPLE SNAIL shells were lined up all along these trees. SS Susan turned that Sanibel Stoop right into the Snail Stoop.
These APPLE SNAILS are actually an invasive land snail that are not native to Florida and they have threatened native species. They grow and breed very quickly so maybe that’s why we saw so many empty shells laying in the tall grasses just like this….
Their were OPERCULUMS were laying right along the same path. This empty shell had it’s OPERCULUM laying right beside this one.
We got back to the car after a couple of hours and SS Susan dumped her shells out of her bag. OMG Look how many shells! LOL
So cool, right? Some of them may look like they were already cleaned but trust me… cleaning these shells was a grungy job.
I soaked mine for two days in a bucket of fresh water then emptied that nasty water to refill the bucket and shells with a round of fresh water and 1/8 bleach to soak for a couple of hours. You have to be very careful though. Susan said she had picked up some shells that looked like they had spider webs on them and while she was started cleaning them, she saw a big spider in the bucket. Yikes! I didn’t see any siders in mine so I rinsed them all, shot the aperture of the shell with the outside hose nozzle then scrubbed each one with a vegetable brush. I didn’t even have time to put mineral oil on them but I don’t think I they need it. They were naturally this glossy and colorful!
Each one has a different color pattern. So lovely.
This was the largest one and the smallest one I found for the day.
Here are a few of the OPERCULUMS I picked up…
We saw their pink egg clusters on the tree trucks and marsh reeds…
…And even laying in the grasses.
This preserve is really just a water retention area that has become a birder’s paradise since the area provides perfect conditions for so many different species of birds. The APPLE SNAIL is the favorite meal for the KITE SNAIL so you have a better chance of spotting this rarely seen bird at Harns Marsh Preserve … although we didn’t see one. But I did spot this LITTLE BLUE HERON which is the first time I’ve ever gotten to photograph this bird…
We also saw two SANDHILL CRANES!
SS Susan is a GEOCACHER so found a geocache while we were there too.
After signing her geocache booklet, she left one of her APPLE SNAILS in the box as a little trinket.
We brought home such amazing ISLAND APPLE SNAIL souvenirs to remember such a fabulous day exploring a new area, shelling, bird watching and geocaching and learning all while having so much fun spending the day with my friend Susan. Lovely!
Oh but wait… this is weird. Ironically, Clark’s business partner Joe Ginsberg was walking his dog last week in Fort Myers when our local CBS news affiliate interviewed him about these same ISLAND APPLE SNAIL EGGS. They told Joe the eggs are extremely toxic if they are eaten by pets and kids so they wanted to warn folks of what the eggs look like to keep a distance from them. I had no idea that these snails had invaded neighborhoods in Fort Myers … or that Joe was on TV. After Clark told Joe about the APPLE SHELLS I found, Joe told him about the interview. WHOA! Take a look for yourself about these toxic pink egg clusters (and to meet Joe)… CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK. And for more info on Harns Marsh Preserve CLICK HERE.
The raccoons gorge themselves on these.
Very cool shells! But no way would I have been brave enough to venture in there… Alligators… Spiders…. Guess I will stick to shelling on the beaches but those are beautiful shells!
We’ve got them all over this side of the state too. Whenever you see the (pink) eggs attached to trees, posts, poles, whatever, simply scrape/knock them off into the water. They can’t hatch and will simply dry up/die.
Native apple snail eggs are white, fyi. Leave those ones :)
Please please stop taking the snail eggs and destroying them. Although they were not native our Wildlife have now come to rely on them. Please stop destroying any snail eggs and stop telling people to do so. We do not have hardly any Wildlife coming to the harns marsh any longer. People have been pulling out the vegetation that the snails rely on and destroying the eggs. Please read updated information
WOW WOW WOW !!!
They are beautiful! Sure wish you could find them on Sanibel.
Connie it’s a great little ‘side trip’ off of Sanibel- not too far, and it’s near Manatee Park, 31 Produce, Buckingham Farms and Echo Gardens; all of which are worth a trip unto themselves!
Ok, another side trip for our next Sanibel visit!! Thanks for telling us all about it, I’ll take hubby to handle gator’s etc…LOL! The color’s are just amazing…are some really blue like they look in the pics?
Yes! We were just amazed at the electric blue/purple sheen of the Little Blue Herons! In regards to the alligators, we ran into a guy who works for ECWC and he told us the local ‘gators are extremely wary and shy of people because the locals ‘monitor and manage’ the population. Good to know, but always be vigilant. Just remember- no facilities there. Sunscreen, bugspray, water a must. I have also taken a bike out there and done the big loop- very fun!
Beautiful, almost look like they are painted and with stripes!
Glorious color after cleaning…so worth it I think. I see a day trip in my future. Especially if Sis Martha is looking. We shelled in Bar Harbour on our cruise in Sept…only found a lot of rock snails. Dull compared to these.
Marie,
Where did you and Martha stay other than the Island Inn? I’m looking for a reasonable place the end of January.
Nancy
Very hard to find reasonable in Jan. Check Trip advisor. I have 2 weeks at Casa Ybel. Love it. But not inexpensive to rent. We started staying at Island Inn for years before buying at Casa, but always in the off season due to jobs.
Thanks. Happy Thanksgiving and happy shelling to you and Martha!
I stayed at the West Wind Inn when I could not get into Island Inn for a quick trip last June. The Island Inn suggested them because they have more rooms. WW is slightly west of II so the beach has fewer people on it without all the condos. Caution: make sure you know which path from the beach gets you back to the hotel. They don’t have a US flag waving you home.
They are beautuful, but spiders alligators and snakes would keep me out of there.
I wouldn’t have gone out there without wearing a pair of hightop hiking boots…..hot but would help prevent bites from poisonous snakes, fleas and ticks also….and I don’t know what-all! I like your walking stick a lot! wonder if pepper spray would be good also?
Those are such beautiful shells, I thought they were painted.
I have never heard of them before. Ireally love your posts, Pam.
Thank you.
Hi Pam, Thanks for sharing. I found some of these in the Everglades…they were all over near the banks with the operculum next to them. I did pick up a only a few since I did not know if there was any rules regarding collecting them.
Those snails are very pretty and I agree they look like they were painted and oiled. People don’t have any problems handling the shells without gloves? I would be afraid the toxins could be absorbed by the skin after a while. I know you and Susan were picking them up bare handed. Can’t wait for your next adventure.
Pat
It’s only the eggs of one of the species (the channeled apple snail) that are known to be toxic, and even then, only if you eat them. I suppose the egg clusters look sort of pink and tempting (like candy or like a toy) so little kids or dogs might try to eat them, with bad results.
Otherwise, just make sure to wash your hands after handling land or freshwater snails or their shells, as you would after handling anything grubby.
Amazing! What a glorious treasure! Absolutely appropriate after fending off the minions of darkness — gators and spiders and snakes, oh my! SO the real question now is: do we call you “Rambo Rambeau” or “Pamela Warrior Princess”? … and “Samurai Susan, Bringer of Sensational Snail Shells”?
They are just beautiful. Love the individual designs they each seem to have with colors and patterns. Would love to make a trip that way sometime on our next trip down from SC… But it’s SOOO hard to pull myself away from the beach! But this looks like a good reason to do so. Love the shine on them too!
I found a bunch of this in WPB this summer while staying in a hotel near the airport. They were in a little man made pond between the roadway and expressway. Crazy!
Oh my goodness!!!! Wow wow & wow. Love how a shell no matter how dirty cleans up so well….. Like a big surprise!! And it’s amazing the colors revealed!
I actually saw a news piece nationally because I’m up here in New England, that there was an invasive land snail in FL. But this wasn’t the apple snail. Anyway I actually even emailed the people down there asking for a couple shells, but never got a response. It was your dept. of environment protection I think, was in Jan I believe.
So Pam, what other secrets you hiding?? Lol
Btw, your self photo on bottom of blog page is beautiful…. A pure image of the person within!!!
Keep educating us,
Mary Ann
East Granby. CT
Mary Ann,
Perhaps you saw a news piece on the Giant African land snail which is a relatively new invader on the east coast of FL. They can get as big as rats and eat whatever can provide them with calcium for their shells. I came across the story while I was looking for info online about land snails that we have in the lakes and rivers of Illinois. They’re not as pretty as the apple snails.
Pam,
Love this post! I read that there are four species of apple snails in FL.
Maybe you could address the others in a future post. :)
Happy shelling!
Oh thanks Janet,
Yes, that was it. Good job! No, not as pretty but I still wish I could get a couple. Ill try again to ask. Just want the shell is all. I will let you know if I make progress. Those giant Africa snails are nasty invaders!! I hear they are making progress eradicating them & they are only in Dade County, no further. They have rid about 85%.
Thanks again,
Mary Ann
I have been finding these apple snail shells by the creek in my backyard……the shells are not quite as colorful but they are beautiful and I did find some of those pink eggs. Thank you for the information about the shells and eggs as I did not know any thing about them. I do wear my gardening gloves to pick them up because they are so dirty, but after washing them they are just beautiful.
Once there was a snail looking at used cars. Finally he found one he liked, and he told the salesman he’d take it if they’d paint a large “S” on the two front doors.
The Salesman said “Sure! not a problem!. But do you mind if I ask why?”
The snail replied, “So that when my friends see me driving around, they’ll say “Look at that S Car Go!””
Booo! heehee!
There’s always a comedian in the bunch!! Haha!
Mary Ann
So you’re an Eddie Murphy fan? I’ve told that joke myself a few times over the years. Don’t you love it when someone recognizes your movie quotes?
Ha! I knew I had heard that one before! I got such a kick out of it after reading MarkD60’s comment, I read it out loud and everybody laughed too but nobody could remember what it was from. heeheee
Trading Places
Great Blog, Pam. I believe I found an apple snail in my yard on Sanibel. Very pretty with brown stripes. I don’t think it is one of the tree snails that turns white as the empty shell ages. If they encourage more Snail Kites around here, great! If they start eating other things I like, they won’t last long in my yard….
Those are so very cool!! I am so proud of you for going in there. I am not sure that I could have done it.
I can’t get over how big those shells are. They are absolutely gorgeous too. It would be very hard to make a decision on whether to go in or not. I love those shells that you have found. So so pretty.
Great job and I love the walking stick!
Always happy to discover new places to explore! Thank you, Pam, for this! The colors on the snail shells are beautiful… And because it’s an invasive species, there’s no guilt!!!
Those are gorgeous shells and look at the size of them!
I like your walking stick. They come in handy, don’t they?
I bet you were excited when that woman told you she was geocaching and you knew what that was. :-)
Pam, thanks for another great post! Those shells are so gorgeous. Must go there on our next trip to Sanibel…weapon in hand. We’re following your lead about Turks and Caicos! Literally following in your footsteps…staying in the same house, contacting same boat captain, etc. Can’t wait to get there!! Thanks so much!!
Oh Catherine, you will have to share your trip when u return. I want to go there next year!! Would love details thanks.
Mary Ann
East Granby. CT
Happy Shelling !!
Thanks! Will take lots of pictures. Fingers crossed!
Did I miss a post of hers regarding the Turks and Caicos? Would love to read what she had to say!!
Kelly
If you look on the left of this page near the bottom of the list you’ll see Turks and Caicos. Click on that and the listing will come. Enjoy.
Pat
If I remember correctly there are three posts. About the gorgeous shells and then about the details of where, who, when, how…. All are great! Definitely look them up. You’ll be planning your trip, too! Turks and Caicos wasn’t on my radar till Pam told us about her trip. I just hope I’m half as lucky (skilled) as Pam at finding those treasures! I’ll be traveling with my husband and two college aged daughters.
Wow I thought I was an amazing sheller…I just told my husband he has to bring me to the marsh next…They are beautiful ..I love your website it!!!
WOW !!!! Great pics. I would like to go to this marsh and look specifically for the blue shells, I think they would look really nice with the many colorful Sanibel shells. I really am not to surprised to hear that you took on this quest, you really do have that adventureous nature about you. Most people would not want to take the chance of meeting up with the other critters around..but not YOU, thank you for continuing to share such fun and knowledgeabe information. For those bloggers who may be in the teaching feild, its like earning continuing education credits. L=O-R-E-E
Excellent… non-marine mollusks! Such beautiful images Pam! As I understand it, the apple snails are freshwater snails that have the advantage of being amphibious. They spend a lot of time underwater, breathing water using a gill, but they can breathe air when they need to as well. Pretty amazing, right?
On this UF website
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/gastro/apple_snails.htm
it explains that there are four species of apple snail in the whole of Florida, one native and three introduced. We don’t have any up here in NY, as it is too cold, but we do have the “Chinese Mystery Snail”, a large invasive freshwater species.
Such beauty! God’s handiwork!
Those snails are gorgemous! But I think I’d rather face sharks on Blind Pass Beach or currents on Lighthouse Beach than gators in the marshes. EEEP! You’re really brave to go into the marshes armed with only a stick, and I can see that you reaped your reward! Congrats!
Did Susan get to take a trinket from the box? Was anything else in there besides a log? I am so nosy!! I’ve wanted to get into Geocaching for a while.
Your snails are gorgeous, and I am not too proud to admit you are more woman than I am! Forget the stick, I’ll just bring a slower friend. ;)
Wow, what an awesome post! Beautiful shells, too! How fun! They are just huge! I will have to try that road trip sometime. Sherri from MN
You have a lot of gorgeous shells on Sanibel, but these are stunning because of their stripes and colors. I love them!
Oh you guys! I’m so tickled you liked this post… and this is so much fun reading all of your comments!!!! LOL So funny! …and informative too so thank you, my shelling friends.
PS- I’ll have a another new shelling adventure to tell you about very soon!
This is an awesome blog and such beautiful photos! The Apple Snail is extremely beautiful! I’m sorry I didn’t notice the end where you told about the news story about these snails before asking on Facebook. My bad! I do want to say that you and Susan are two very brave explorers! :) I totally identify with your “walking stick”!! The first few years we went to Sanibel and saw the sign “beware of gators” on the gate leading from the condos to the path over the bayou (?) I was a bit afraid. So, I found a very nice long stick, similar to yours, on the trail and I took it with me every time I went to the beach! I called it my “Gator Stick”!! LOL Since then my husband and I made me several “Gator sticks” from a lighter type of wood and my neighbor even made me several out of Bamboo! LOL For many years I took my Gator Stick with me to Sanibel and usually took it to the beach with me. I found it useful in many ways other than it being only a Gator Stick. However, one summer I had the stick in the water and a huge wave came and I was running out of the water towards shore and i ran faster than I moved my stick and two toes rammed quite hard into my stick … almost breaking both toes! LOL So I don’t always take the Gator Stick with me all the time now. LOL I have no idea what I thought the stick would do to a gator if one decided to eat me. LOL I did feel safer with it though on the paths. LOL I think you both should be given an award for delving into such a dangerous and unknown habitat! ;) You amaze me, Pam!! :) I think you are a Brave Rock Star! :)
Believe it or not, I have these snails in the canal behind my house in SW Cape! I collect them in the winter when the water levels are low. Didn’t know they weren’t native to here, so maybe it’s not such a good thing that they are in the canal!
Those are very cool shells. I love to photograph birds ass well. Looks like ANOTHER thing to add to my LONG list of must do’s when I’m down there next. Thanks for sharing.
Oo
Shake a tail feather?
We went out there today! So much fun! If you go to the left, past the water treatment area (there is a walk through gate), there were hundreds in the grass! (we found this out only after walking out to the tree line to the right!). My bucket full are soaking now – pictures up on my blog! http://www.TheTravelingLemons.blogspot.com. We had a “gator stick” just in case, but didn’t see any, but saw lots of birds! Thanks for the great post!
I can’t stop looking at these pictures! I live in Illinois and come down to Sanibel twice per year, will be down next in May. I can’t wait to do a side trip adventure to this spot! Thanks for the info!
Pam the apple snails that you found are aquatic. The reason you found then on land is because the bird (snale kite) fishes them out and rest him self on the bank to eat them and leave the shell behind. The eggs are laid on branches or any thing that is just above water so when the eggs hatch they fall in the water. You will not find them any where else. The first picture of the eggs are correct the second in your post of then laying in th egress is the leftover remains of the posterior kidney of a very large apple snale, it often gets left behind in the feast. I hope you find this help full
Maggie, fantastic info! Yes- very helpful! Thank you so much for adding to the discussion and for corrections.
Pam, I hope one day I get to shake your hand – or maybe even give you a hug – to show my appreciation of your generosity in sharing this information. Because of you I had a wonderful day of adventure that I will always remember. My partner in life and adventure (for 37 years now) is none-too-fond of alligators–especially since some friends took us canoeing in the Okefenokee swamp. But on this, our third trip to Sanibel Island, Sally finally agreed to go with me to Harns Marsh Preserve. We had already decided we would be okay if we got lost, or if they were no apple snails there anymore (we know they are invasive, after all), but the gods were smiling on us, and we found a bucketful of apple snails ourselves! The elements of danger only enhance the memories stored in these beautiful shells. We saw no alligators or snakes… we didn’t even see a mosquito or spider. I did feel heatstroke coming on, but we had never left the immediate vicinity of the car before we found the first apple snail shell. I’ve posted a few shots of the shells on flickr, and referenced your post, so I wanted to thank you personally.
Omigosh Helen I’m so glad you went and had a great time! And I’m so grateful for your sweet sweet sweet note – I can just picture your adventure because I’m sure it was similar to that day Susan and I went. We too laughed all day with my fear of alligators and snakes with my big stick and big shoes. You can’t be too safe, right? Haha that’s what shelling is all about- finding an adventure. :)
I found one on the Bailey Bay Beach 09/15/17 after Hurricane Irma. I hope this doesn’t mean they are invading Sanibel.
What do you coat them with to get them so shiny? I just stumbled onto this post, so I’ll check your post blogs to see if you outlined the process in a prior post!