Everything seemed to be coming up pink roses while I took a walk on the south stretch of Fort Myers Beach Friday afternoon. ROSE PETAL TELLINS, ROSEATE SPOONBILL FEATHERS, AUGERS, SUNRAY VENUS CLAMS and BANDED TULIPS all had a beautiful pink tint. The beach was blushing with beauty!
The last time I was on this beach I found oodles of shells but I thought it may have been because of Tropical Storm Andrea. Obviously not! I went to see my friend Stefanie on south Fort Myers Beach again but this time, she went shelling with me. She was thrilled to find a SAND DOLLAR!
Well, let me rephrase… she was ecstatic when she found 7 SAND DOLLARS (one broke- waaaa)! Along with the ROSE PETAL TELLINS and ROSEATE SPOONBILL FEATHERS, we found a GAUDY NATICA, a NUMEG, OLIVES, FIGHTING CONCHS, 2 SHARKS EYS and 4 KINGS CROWNS. Wow!
You had to pick up each FIGHTING CONCH and KING’S CROWN to look inside to make sure nobody was home. It was fun to see lots of live shells but it  was way more fun to find an empty one to shout about. “It’s empty! Look how pretty!”
We met Alysa and Justin visiting from Colorado…
They were finding great shells too!
I knew we were going to have good luck anyway though. As soon as we stepped on the south end of the beach we were surrounded by DRAGONFLIES. I’m not sure you can see them all in the next photo but click on the pic to enlarge it to see thousands of them. They bring good luck!
I tried to rescue one of them that got stuck in a tidal pool but not sure if she made it. She was sooooo beautiful!
Stefanie and I had a wonderful time collecting not only shells but very cool BEACH BLING. It’s a hidden gem!
This beach reminds me so much of Lover’s Key beaches with the same types of shells but with the added bonus of SAND DOLLARS. I guess it should remind me of that beach since it’s right across the bridge from Lover’s Key State Park. It’s a little harder to get to this beach because there is limited public parking…BUT… there are about 5 metered parking spaces about 5 blocks north on Flamingo Street. If you want to do a little shopping in Santini Plaza, you could park there and walk across the street to the beach. I think this is another reason why it’s such a good shelling beach- not much competition! LOL
PS- Remember- Big hats and sunscreen. We only want to find pink shells and pink bling… not pink skin!
Is it the gray nicker nuts or sea pearls? Every time I make up my mind that I am not coming to Florida this year, you post great pictures and my mind goes back and forth.
Beautiful sand dollars and shells.
Fort Myers Beach is where I started shelling as a kid.
Many memories.
Thanks for this and other shelling locations. We will stop by this beach next summer. Went to Anna Maria island this month and though we enjoyed it nothing compares to Sanible. Already booked a condo for next summer.
Falling in love with shelling via your posts. You’ll have to take Britt and I to all the spots one day :)
Love the first photo..I would call this “PAM’S PINK PASSION”
LOL yeah! I know the feeling of picking up every shell on the beach just to make sure they were empty. Good times. But anyway, PAMS PINK PASSION is a great title. Ooh! Or how bout BLUSHING BEATUIFUL BEACH BLING? I don’t know, just thinking out loud. :p
LOL I like both titles! Thank u Loree and Lydia- Ill have to borrow those next time … it’s getting harder and harder to come up with a title these days. Hahahah
Nice haul!
P.S. Dragonflies in numbers like that also mean that rain is coming; at least, that’s according to old wives’ tales over here on the eastern side of the state :)
Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!! Love the pink and yellow :)
Beautiful pictures, when I was a kid I believed Dragonflies would sew-up your mouth didn’t know they were good luck
We were very near there on Saturday….didn’t spend much time on the beach though….just out driving around on an adventure….will definitely be going back again! I gotta get me some of those rose tellins!! I’ve found very few of them!! They make GREAT angel wings!! (check out my shadow box post!) Thanks for telling us about all these wonderful places!!
You are an exshellent tour guide Pam!! :D
Great pictures!
I’ve heard the dragonflies are catching mosquitoes – – –
Every morning I look look forward to checking your shelling adventures
What a great day on south Fort Myers Beach with Pam!
Love the pink shells and bling … especially so many pretty pink feathers!! Will have to visit this beach next time we’re down there. Thanks a bunch for all your efforts to bring us shelling pix and info, Pam .. I enjoy your newsletter e-mails sooooo much!! :-D
Beautiful feathers…always remind me of my Dad!!!
I would love to buy a copy of that first image with all the pinks! It is totally gorgeous!
Pam you are a terrific photographer and brilliant “still life” arranger! :)
Thank you so much Susan!!!! I hope to be able to have things set up very soon! I’m working on it Sistah!
I would like to know if there is any place where you can sell your shells?
Congratulations to Alysa and Justin. We are from Colorado also and very jealous of your summer vacation (it might be hotter here than there though).
I love Spoon Bills so much that I put their pretty pink feathers and SANIBEL beach sand in clear glass Christmas Tree ornaments… the rest of the year, the orns. are in a big wooden dish on my coffee table…my friends here in AZ are like little kids on the beach at my house… I also have a large dish of sand, with all sizes of what else? SAND DOLLARS :)
Thank you for the pretty pink picture! I really appreciate that you give specific descriptions of where you find your treasures. I write each one down so the next time I am in Florida, I can check out the location. Your site sent me to Little Hickory Beach (where I never would have gone) and that was where I found the fighting conches in great abundance. The picture I took is now my screensaver! Charlotte (from Tucson) and I are planning our January trip and hope to meet you in person.
Diane, i also went to Little Hickory Beach because of Pam’s day trip posting. We spent 10 days on Sanibel and then went to Little Hickory and stayed for 8 nights. I also found great shells and enjoyed my week a great deal. We found fighting conchs in abundance too. I spent every moring putting back the live ones, I felt like the shellifeguard. Down by the rocks there were hundreds.
Diane, I too went to Little Hickory Beach because of Pam’s day trip posting. We were on Sanibel for 10 days LOVED IT…then went to LHB for 8 days right afterwards. I walked the beach every morning and had to put back an abundance of live fighting conchs. I felt like the Little Hickory Beach shellifeguard. We found hundreds down by the rocks on the first public beach as you cross the bridge. What a vacation..
Love those gorgeous and brillant shells. I can’t wait to go soon.
Thanks Pam and Stefanie for finding those hidden gems
Seashell Lover,
Anna