We Arrive on Sanibel!

Hi guys! Last Sunday, April 5th, I arrived on Sanibel- with my family for spring break. The reason that I'm writing posts about it right now is because, in the island, I didn't have internet access. But I have it now, so let's get started!

View of the Sanibel causeway, going to the island! We arrived around 5 pm, the tide was going out.

We stayed in a lodging on Nerita Street. As soon as we arrived on the island I ran to the beach and started going through the high tide shell line (the tide was going out).

A nice Broad-ribbed Cardita amongst the shells.

Can you find the tiny Auger in this photo?

These are Tulip shell egg casings, I'm pretty sure. I took them along, since they weren't alive. I have a collection of shell egg casings. :)

This is a Purplish Tagelus. During this trip to Sanibel I found around five pairs of these- usually I find none.

Some tiny egg casings on larger Whelk egg casings. No idea what the smaller casings are, I'm still looking into it.

Aahhhhh! A Wentletrap! I found ten in my first two hours shelling on the island!

Nice little Wormie. I didn't find too many Worm shells this time around.

Second installment coming soon!

Lava of Ocean Dawn

First Time Shells and Other Matters

 

 

HELLLOOO!

So I'm being a good girl, and writing another post today. This one will be a little bit of a throwback to my trip to Sanibel that was this April 2014.

I want to show you guys some of the shells that I had found for the first time EVER this year.

 

 

First is the Nutmeg! As you can see, the shell on the left is pretty beat up and "incomplete". That was the one I found on Sanibel two years ago in March of 2013. I was happy to have a Nutmeg but now I wanted a perfect one. So, this year I was lucky and found FIVE perfect Nutmegs!!!! The one on the right is one of them. :D

 

Next, is this Chestnut Turban. Now I've found lots of Chestnut Turbans before, but never an ORANGE one. So this was a first for me!

I caught it with my butterfly net on the Captiva side of Blindpass, under the bridge at low tide. I was wading in the water and the tide was rushing out and shells were hurling through the water. Thank goodness I had my net! I caught lots of Florida Fighting Conchs that time and this Orange beauty.

So here's my advice to you: outgoing low tide at Blindpass is wonderful!. Go under the bridge with a net and watch the shells roll by you!

 

Moving on to this perfect Florida Cone. I don't quite remember if this was my first, but I'm pretty sure that it was. I caught this one in the surf at Bowman's Beach during the afternoon low tide.

 

 

 

Now, the Horse Conch has been on my bucket list for FOREVER! I've been wanting to find it for ages and ages; in fact, it might even be my favorite shell.

But until that trip, I had only found bits and pieces like the ones above.

 

Then, as I was walking along the shore, going from East Gulf Drive to the Lighthouse, I stumbled on this tiny beauties, rolling in the surf! I was psyched!!!!!!! So happy! :D

But as you know, now that I had a baby Horse Conch, I wanted a big one, a huge one, a MONSTER one!!! So I kept searching and hoping.

 

And I found one! I was on Gulfside City Park at high tide and the surf and breakers ( waves at the very shore) were pretty rough. But I had my net and I could see the hundreds of shells being tossed by the surf. I saw what I though was a Florida Fighting Conch and caught it. I took it out of the net and then saw, that I had this Horse Conch in the net too!!!!!

I had caught it by pure luck!!! It's only about 4 inches long, so not enormous. But, still!!!...

And now my next goal? Find a big one! Yep... :D

 

 

Also, I found some full True Tulips on that trip. Like with the Horse Conch, I kept on finding bits and pieces, until the very last day, when I found these two babies at Gulfside City Park at high tide (Boy, do I love that beach!)

And again, being the enthusiastic sheller that I am, my next goal is an adult True Tulip.

Well, there's my Sanibel Spring Break trip next April to look forwards to, huh?

 

 

The Sunray Venus. Both these shells I found on my first trip to Sanibel in March 2013. I didn't find any this trip, and was a little disappointed. But, I'll find more, never fear!!!!!! ;)

 

 

And now a little educational post. I have these two tiny Trivia shells (above) in my collection and was I trying to figure out what exact species they were.

 

 

Now for the longest time ever, I thought that they were Four-spotted Trivias like the ones above, that I found in my Shell ID book. (Sorry for the sideways picture, but he computer is being stubborn).

 

But they're not...

(Dun dun dun!!!)

 

They are in fact Coffeebean Trivias!!!!!!!! As you can see, I did some research, compared them to the photos in the book and reached my conclusion.

And now, some differences between the two species.

 

The Coffebean Trivias are larger than other Trivia species- they can reach 3/4 inches in length (huge, right? :D ). The Four-spotted Trivia, though, is just 3/8 of an inch long. Next, the color is obviously different. While the Coffeebean Trivia is light purple, with six roughly symmetrical  spots, the Four-spotted Trivia is pinkish white with 1-4 darker spots.

Finally, the two mollusks have slightly different habitat ranges. Coffeebean Trivias range from North Carolina down to Brazil and can also be found on the SW coast of Florida. But, the Four-spotted Trivia can only be found on the SE coast of Florida.

Both my Coffeebean Trivias were found around Miami and Fort Lauderdale on the East Coast. As for the Four-spotted Trivia, it's still on my shelling bucket list!!!!

 

Well, that's it for today, and hopefully I'll see you again soon!!!!!!

Good luck on all your shelling adventures!

Lava of Ocean Dawn :D

Tuesday Morning on Sanibel (Sanibel Saga #7)

On Tuesday morning I went out to the beach behind our apartment on Middle Gulf Drive

 

 

On Tuesday morning, I got up early (7 am) and went out to the beach.

There's the sand and the waves.... in the morning light.

I got to witness dawn!!!!!!!!

And here's an "Ocean Dawn", beautiful......

See what a beautiful name  I gave my house? Ocean Dawn....

My first find was a live Lettered Olive. It was low tide and there were a bunch of these guys burying in the wet sand.

 

Here's another one!!!!!!!!

A Horse Conch operculum, the trapdoor of a mollusk. This definitely went into my shelling bag.

Here's some cybershelling for you guys!

I spy with my little eye an AUGER!

Do you see an Auger? ;)

 

There was this shell line in the middle of the shore, but I didn't really look closely.

However, on one of the Pen Shells, I found this Chestnut Latirus!

At first, I thought that it was a baby Horse Conch, but the shape is just not right. So I looked it up and found out that it was a Chestnut Latirus.

These guys are MUCH smaller than a Horse Conch ( max. length being 2.2 in.) They live in the water, but prefer the reefs, whereas Horse Conch prefer the sand.

They also feed on barnacles and worms.

Here's a Skate Egg, or Mermaid's Purse in the wrack line.

Here's the wrack line itself...lots of egg casings and pen shells.

Horse Conch Egg Casings, Lightning Conch Egg Casings, Skate Egg...

A Sea Urchin!!!!!!!! This guy joined the Horse Conch operculum in my shelling bag, because he was obviously dead and, I just like Sea Urchins.

A Fig Egg Casing.... These are so cool! Or maybe, I'm just used to the other types of egg casings, but I don't see this type as often. :)

The morning was perfect!!!!!!!!!!

 

See ya soon,

Lava of Ocean Dawn!!!!!!!!! :D

 

P.S. See, it doesn't always take me long to write a new post ;P

 

Let's Get Back to Bowman's Beach!! (Sanibel Island #6)

 

I decided to do another post today after making my post on shark teeth. Please enjoy this burst of diligence, because I don't know when I'll do another post... :P

So here is Sanibel Island part 6.

 

I left all of you guys with a small hook as I got to Bowman's Beach.

I came in time for the evening low tide.

 

There was a shell line on the shore...

....but I found most of my shells in the water, in the surf.

There were a few shellers there already.  I headed to the south of the island first.

My first find was this live juvie Florida Fighting Conch who I left alone, safely in the water.

Then... I hit TREASURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A big Gaudy Nautica!!!!!!!! It's every bit and even more beautifuller than this picture!!!!!!

About 1.5 inches long- I was ecstatic!!!!!!!!!

I stayed at the beach for about an hour and half to two hours.

Here's the inside of my shelling bag.

Do you see that Florida Cone???????? That was another treasure!!!!!!

I also found a lot of Calico Crabs- I really like those guys and for some reason I find most of mine on Bowman's.

 

Well that's it for today. My diligence is wearing of....

 

See ya sometime (hopefully) soon........

Yaroshelllava :D 

Biking around the Island ( Sanibel #5)

On Monday, after going to the Lighthouse and back I went to get a bike- I LOOOOOOOVE biking around Sanibel.

Along the way I saw some flowers.

 

Hibiscus.....

 

And these guys. Not sure what they are, I'm better at my Shell ID than at Flower ID.

Here's another pic of them. If anyone knows what they are, please message me. :D

The road goes on and on and on....

 

Middle Gulf Drive!!!!!!!! I stayed on Middle Gulf Drive in the Coquina Suites I think! I really liked it!

Another biking path....

Junonia Street. I wish I had found a Junonia, but... there's always a next time!

Are there any alligators in there?

And then, in the evening, my family and I decided to go to Bowman's Beach!!!!!!! Crossing the bridge.

Forward! To the beach!!!!!!

And here's dear Bowman's Beach.

We came in time for the evening low tide around 7 pm and I found quite a few treasures.

But that's all for the next post!

See ya soon,

Yaroshelllava :D