Seashells in the Snow

Happy 2015 everyone! This is my first post of the year and I decided to do something winter-related... with seashells of course.

Luckily, last week, we had a nice snow fall in Maryland and a snow day at school!!!!!

 

So I decided to take some shells out to play in the snow.

 

 

Here are some of my shells; they are sitting on some handmade toadstools of mine. From front to back: a Lettered Olive, a Banded Tulip, a Florida Fighting Conch, and a Lightning Whelk.

 

Here's a close-up. The Lettered Olive is a shell that I commonly find in North Carolina (click here for my post on Oak Island, NC) and of course, on Sanibel. These mollusks prey on Coquinas in the surf zone, where the waves roll up on the sand. However, Lettered Olives will also scavenge if they get the chance.

 

Moving on....

 

Did you know that shells grow on trees??? Well they do, at least in my backyard, that's the case. :D

 

Here is my beautiful Lightning Whelk. I found it in Fort Lauderdale three years ago. I simply love the yellow-orange colors of this guy- it's a treat to photograph, and even more so, to own!

And here's another photo of my Lightning Whelk in the snow. Lightning Whelks live in the sandy shallows, pretty close to shore.

 

More shells in the trees! Florida Fighting Conch in the front and a Banded Tulip farther back. Banded Tulips sometimes fall prey to their larger relative, the True Tulip. I've found lots of these shells on Sanibel!

 

And here are some more shells in the snow. Florida Fighting Conchs get their name from occasional fights that burst out between rival males. However, they don't all fight in between themselves: if you pick one up, be ready for the mollusk to come out and start trying to hit you with its foot and pointy operculum (it happened to me :D). 

 

I hope that your mood has been lifted by my shells in the snow!

 

Have fun,

Yaroshelllava :D