As I’m listening to the loud crashes of thunder with pounding rain and watching the bright strikes of lightning on the island today, I’m thankful I got to take a few leisurely strolls on our sun filled beach this weekend before this downpour.
The water was like glass at Gulfside City Park on Saturday and clear enough to find these treasure while walking in the water.
After finding a SUNRAY VENUS and a FIGHTING CONCH as well, I started finding “Candy!” (juvie HORSE CONCHS) in the shell lines on the beach…
Seriously, there were so many different shell and wrack lines to work, I could have stayed there all day long searching each line to see what different types of goodies were hiding in each one.
But since it was a little warm (around 92 degrees around noon), I stayed either in the water or just along the edge…. where I found oodles of beautifully colored CALICO SCALLOPS (and the candies).
Last evening Clark and I took a walk around the Lighthouse Beach to find the glassy calm water with a small shell line on the Gulf side…
We rounded the tip of the island to find choppier water with lines of SEA WEED covering the shells. It’s funny… there are some photographs that I have taken over the years that stick with me for some reason and they make me smile. So when I saw this gal sifting for minis, I recognized her right away from my post Smiles For Seashells – “I took a photo of you a few years ago and its one of my favorites!”. As soon as we started talking I remembered everything else about her too. Sweet Robin! She found a few WENTLETRAPS, BABYS EARS, and lots of other usual suspects just hanging out Sittin ‘N Siftin.
Further down the beach I found this turquoise blue green SEA HARE (SEA SLUG) that had just washed up on the beach. I think it’s a different type of RAGGED SEA HARE than the ones I’ve found before (CLICK HERE)… since I’ve never seen this color in an adult before. Cool! I put it back in the water but I’m not sure this one survived :(.
The good news is… it may have just laid this blue green spaghetti looking EGG MASS. But, don’t quote me on that… I’m only assuming this after finding an unusual blue green SEA SLUG then only a few feet away spotting an unusual blue green EGG STRING. Hmmmm… that turquoise EGG MASS from that turquoise SEA HARE? It doesn’t seem that far of a stretch, right? LOL
Anyhoo, it was a lovely weekend to explore Southwest Florida beaches to see what treasures the Gulf Of Mexico had in store for us. And… after this storm lets up (with winds out of the west), we may have an even better week to find beach treasures. Fingers crossed!
Shelln’t the storm bring in tons of bling? I would be so excited if I was there right now!! And…rainy days make for good shell crafting! Thank you as always, for sharing ! I love the humor you throw in to your posts! SEA you in January! ;)
fun, fun! can’t wait to get there. 25 days and counting . . . :-)
Great shells you found Pam. One reason we come in Jan/Feb is to get away from the snow. We don’t come during the summer months because it’s too hot. Hope you find more shells after the storm. Pat
My first visit to Sanibel on the 30! (26 more days – not that I’m counting) I am so excited to see the differences from my Southern Maine beaches. Thank for all the WONDERFUL information in your posts, Pam.
Just returned from 8 wonderful days in Southwest Florida!! I was hoping to meet you, but maybe next time. The shelling memories will get me through many days until I’m finally able to relocate there next spring. Maybe then I’ll finally find a star fish.
I enjoy your posts very much. Keep up the great job!
Wouldn’t you know it! We stayed at Ocean’s Reach (right there at Gulfside park) and left on Thursday morning. There was nothing rolling up on the beach at all except scallops the entire time. However, we are serious about our shelling and just kept digging until we found our treasures in the water buried about 12 inches. We had to go through a thick layer of pen shells to reach them and our fingers and hands show it! Many scratches and cuts. But came away with many lightning whelks, tulips, a few sharks eyes, and murexes. Son found a huge alphabet cone, I came away with a beautiful 7 inch lightning whelk (yes, we measured it) and a couple of very large tulips. I, too, sit in my chair in the water with my scoop but the waves were pretty rough this visit. Saturday sounds like it would have been perfect for me. (the chair only lasted 2 days in the waves). We posted photos on the ILoveShelling Facebook page. So much fun and never, ever enough time on the beach!
In one of the photos I noticed you left a little “candy” for someone else to find. I would love your discards. We do hand out shells to people we meet on the beach who are new to shelling especially if it’s been a good month and we just don’t want to clean any more shells. Checked the webcam last night and was watching all of the lightning and knew there should be good shelling in a couple of days.
I’m visiting Sanibel right now, and I finished shelling for the day about an hour or two ago. I’m just wondering– Is it common to find wentletraps in the surf, or did I just get extremely lucky? I found a couple while I was grabbing handfuls of shell pieces to sort through, in about knee/thigh deep water. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. I also found some tusk shells. First time finding either, and I was so shocked to find them in the surf after not finding them in the crushed shells high on the shore! <3
you are teasing me with all the pictures and I love it cant wait to get there R.G.STEIN
Oh, how I envy you the rainstorm! Here we are in northern Calif. in a terrible drought. Rain sounds divine!
Pam,
My friend and I saved or tried to save many of the Sea Hares we found in the sea weed! I saw the light green spaghetti type of sea weed but didnt think it was an egg casing…..thats pretty neat!
We shelled Gulfside a few nights at low tide the last few days of July and found some nice things…tulips, conchs and even a crucifix fish!
Glad you liked our song! Sorry I missed you on the beach! Enjoy!
I’ll be in Sanibel tomorrow! My first time! Think I’ll have any luck??? I really want to find banded tulips!
How nice for you Kim to be visiting for the first time! I am thinking you will have some luck. Banded tulips are not very rare, so you should stand a good chance of finding one! :)
So with that big storm all day- where do you think there will be more bling rolling in? Wasnt sure , thought the storm came from the east but was it westerly winds? Wondering what will be a good place to look while we are out on the boat (weather permitting!!)
Hi Pam! Tomorrow my husband and I arrive! I cannot wait!! I sure hope I find a large beautiful lightning whelk, a horse conch or a junonia! I have never found one. And the really big whelks and horse conchs always are alive when I fixd them. Hope to see you on the beach sometime! Luv your site so much! One more thing, you aren’t going on any last minute shelling trips Wednesday through Tuesday, are you? If so please email me! :) I have wanted to go with you for years! Sorrry, one more thing, are you worried about vibrio vulnifcus at all? Sherri from MN
I have been following your blog for several months now and look forward to it every day. I have been to Sanibel Island 2 times now and can’t wait to go back. My 6 year old grandson has a passion for seashell so I hope to take him next spring. I envy you being able to go shelling every day. Lucky girl!! Libby
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful… :)