I saw several work trucks in the Blind Pass parking lot so, of course my first thought was that this was the first sign for the dredging of the pass to begin. Then I saw… literally… a “sign”. A new “Welcome” sign! The crew at R.S Walsh landscaping couldn’t have been nicer and sure did a fine job posing as our welcoming committee. Thanks guys! (hmmm, should it have said “WHELKome”?)
Still no dredging equipment but there is a fresh new pile of shells and big chunks of CORAL. Heather and Karak found a great piece…
I love this piece. It’s a CORAL Kiss!
So talking about CORAL, look at this big honking hunk…
Oh yaya, You see those ALPHIES, FLATS, deep red TULIP, yellow HORSIE, and the SHARK’S EYE. But I know you had to spot that sweet little LION’S PAW…
These were all found by Wendy and her husband Kevin (no, he didn’t get in the pic) from Blind Pass to Bowman’s this week.
After showing me the other shells, she pulled out this mac daddy HORSE CONCH… niiiiice!
I saw Shelling Sistah Janet from Georgia finding some goodies too. I saw her last year about this same time with her good friend Betty Jo (Hi Betty Jo!).
Leah (from Clearwater area) posted this next photo on the i Love Shelling Facebook page and said
“Yesterday I found my second whole (well almost completely whole) Junonia up at the beach renourishment site at Sand Key. Here it is with my other fave finds of the weekend.”
Oh My!! Along with two, count them, two JUNONIAS, she found a SCOTCH BONNET and half a LIONS PAW. That for me is The Elite Three. And that’s not it! COLORFUL MOONS, ALPHABET CONES (yes, I call them ALPHIES), and look at the brown color of that OLIVE. What kind of OLIVE is that?
These shells were found at Sand Key which is up in Clearwater, Florida about 2 1/2 hours drive north from Sanibel. Leah says they are doing dredging there right now. Wow! This is the conversation on the Facebook page (click on it to enlarge)…
So if this is any “sign” of what’s to come from our dredging project on Captiva and Sanibel, this will be exciting! Yes, I’d like to find another JUNONIA but I would especially like to find an ATLANTIC MORUM like Leah did. Here’s a closer shot of the MORUM sandwiched in between the JUNONIA and GOLDEN OLIVE (that’s quite an impressive sandwich) .
I believe I need a tour guide next time I come down! I never find the beauties you guys are coming up with! Great going and enjoy paradise!! Ken
I believe that is a Bollingi olive! We found one a couple of weeks ago at Blind Pass! Beautiful collection of shells!
Big wow !
We are excited about our first trip to Sanibel the 16th- 23rd hope to bring back a nice collection of shells. Finally getting my dream vacation! Bringing our 11 yr old grand-daughter I don’t know who is more excited. Got my sea shell sifter and ready to go.
Don’t forget water shoes! Walking onto a pen shell or any shells hurts!! And a shell bag, of course! Even though I don’t know you, I’m excited for you! :) I am going Jyly 2nd!
Thanks for identifying the Atlantic Morum. I’ve been finding these lately on the east coast of FL :D
I have already cleared my schedule to make room for a dredging trip. I’m on stand-by for any heavy equipment sightings.
One more week to go before I’m there! Whooowhooooo!
from the picture it looks like that scotch bonnet from clearwater could be an albino, at least it appears pure white, would be worth checking to see if it is fresh/white/glossy
Hey there…
You can see very faint remnants of the color squares on the shells I’ve found… so I’m betting they’ve just been bleached out by the sun.
Great finds!
The brown olive? I believe it is simply the (very uncommon) brown form of Oliva sayana, the Lettered Olive, in the same way that the “golden olive” is simply the yellow form of that same species. The yellow form is known as form citrina Johnson, 1911
Scroll down on this page to see several different color forms including the brown one:
http://www.gastropods.com/2/Shell_182.shtml
And this page has oodles of very good images of the species, including a very extreme freak shell:
http://z14.invisionfree.com/Conchologist_Forum/index.php?showtopic=156
Thanks Susan H! Just trying to get you some practice for your i.d.ing table next weekend at the American Museum of Natural HIstory in NYC ;)
Ha ha :D. Yes Pam you are right!
Hey, I will write your blog web-address on some cards I can give out, because I am sure some people will be asking me about Florida shells!
Thank you so much! Spread the iLoveShelling love, baby.
Today at the museum I gave out several sheets with a list of online sites that I recommend for shell info, including this one of course, which is definitely the most fun of all of them!
I live 20 min from Sand Key….Now I know what I’m doing tomorrow morning! :-)
Hey right back Pam!! Can hardly stand that we are not down there with you all. However, we are coming in July and – finally- I have convinced my whole family – all 14 of us both at least two extras to come to Sanibel for our family vacation. We try to take a week with all of us at the beach every year but this will be the first time of Sanibel for most of them. I am so excited to share our favorite place with them!! In the mean time, I will have you to give me my little dose of the island. Mmmmmm- I think it might be a good idea for us (me and husband) to make a trip down just to check things out before the family comes down!! Sure want to be there for the dredging!!
typing too fast – Meant to say all 14 of us plus two more!! Shells on my mind!!
Betty Jo, Did you find a place big enough for all 14 of you to stay? My family wanted to come but we wanted a place big enough for 18 of us.
Have fun. I would love for my whole family to experience the wonderful island of Sanibel. I have been twice this year!!
Gorgeous shells!
Love the whelkome play on word!
I found several of those gorgeous brown and white olives when I was in Cancun a few years ago.. I went back the following year, and there were no shells.. Might have been dredging going on there, I heard, since Cancun isn’t known for its shells.. Sherri
Hey Pam… :-) I got back to work today for my first full day in the office after playing on the beach for a while and I always check your site on my lunch break … I felt so special to be added to your blog… *big grin*
The beach renourishment project has provided me a whole bunch of alphies and bonnets as well as an overabundance of olives and nutmegs (I’m gonna put those into empty jars to decorate in the kitchen). Saturday morning I picked up 6 more bonnets so I think I have a total of 10 or 11. I haven’t cleaned and sorted yet but plan to Friday (one more day off!).
You’ll definitely have to keep us posted on when the dredging begins down in your neck of the waters… the next shell I plan to ask the beach to give me is a deer cowrie and I think my odds are better down your way. :-)
Have a super day!
I have been watching ur site for weeks now in prep for our trip down to sanibel from Northwest Arkansas. I’m so excited I wish my car could *legally* go faster lol. We are 50 miles north of Gainsville as of 8 pm on 06-13-12. So I’ll be out at Blind Pass as soon as these tires can get me there tomorrow and my husband will have to pry me off of that beach.. Can’t wait to get there and hopefully see u Pam!!