Periwinkles on Cayo Costa
Periwinkles close up
Tree snails or periwinkles? I’ve never seen these beautiful snails on the fallen trees on the south tip of Cayo Costa before. We weren’t finding any keeper shells tucked around the tree roots or washed up on the beach so maybe that’s why we finally noticed them. I didn’t recognize them to know exactly what they were…….until MurexKen came to the rescue! They are CLOUDY PERIWINKLES. Their colors are so brilliant!
Jane and John (Sanibel) on Cayo Costa
It was a gorgeous day boating with Jane and John to Cayo Costa and then on to North Captiva. We didn’t find tons of shells at our normal spot by the tree roots but we were very happy with the great shells that we did find from the whole day.
Seashells from Captiva out islands
This is a sampling of the shells we all found plus some OLIVES. I didn’t get a chance to clean that awesome (!) orange HORSE CONCH that Clark found but I’m hoping some of those barnacles will pick off the tip without pitting it. The FARGO WORM SHELLS will clean right up with a little bleach in a bucket of water and I can leave them there for a couple of days. I only dip the KING’S CROWNS in the watered bleach bath for a few minutes then scrub them clean. They will lose their color so quickly in a bleach bath.
Only 4 more days to enter The Lighthouse Giveaway so if you haven’t entered………. Enter Now
UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER. http://iloveshelling.com/blog/2010/07/01/sanibel-lighthouse-giveaway/
Nick Adams Lighthouse Photograph
Pam, I suspect that these seashells are the Cloudy Periwinkle, (aka Littoraria nebulosa), http://shellmuseum.org/shells/shelldetails.cfm?id=21 Although they are on a dead tree trunk/limb near the water, they are not true land/tree snails. Periwinkles (aka members of the Family Littorinidae) live in the Littoral zone, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Littoral_zone), which includes the intertidal region. You are probably more familiar with the Mangrove Periwinkle or Littoraria angulifera. Periwinkles are usually found at the high tide line or even above it, as you found them on the dead tree trunk. Hope this helps.
Beautiful picture – the color of the periwinkle matches the color of the water. I really enjoy your photographs. I’m an amatuer photographer who loves to take photos in Sanibel each year during my visits – can I ask what kind of camera/lens you use? Thanks! -Laura
Thanks! It’s an awesome no-brainer camera- Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3.
Wow, Pam, that dark horse conch looks like a bumpless one and I have always heard it is rare. What a nice find it is a beauty. That is my favorite shell.
Oh, a day of boating sounds wonderful right about now.
I see you found some of your favorites — worm shells! I actually like some of the barnacles on shells and get excited when I find one that has been nicely “decorated” by other critters. I make shell angels from scallops and my favorite one has little barnacles on her skirt.
I’ll be shelling on Honeymoon Island at the end of the month! I know it’s not Sanibel, but I’m hoping to find a bunch of jingle shells for a project I’m working on.
The snail photographs are excellent and would be lovely framed in an old weathered wood frame in faded aqua.