Seashells

Take it From The Pro – The Sanibel Six (Seashells That Is)

I recently came across a picture on Pinterest and thought it looked familiar. I clicked on a picture of six tropical seashells with the title “The Sanibel Six” hoping it would lead me to the blog I thought it was associated with, and it did.

Blogger Pam writes the “i love shelling” blog and she has a great post about the six top shells she has discovered that people collect while visiting Sanibel Island in Florida. She would know, because her blog is all about shelling (as you may have guessed), but not only the shelling she does, but the shelling vacationers to “her” island do. She lives there (don’t let your jealousy show), and has decided to share with the world what she sees going on at the beaches. Mainly what the tourists are collecting.

She has a wonderful blog and it’s the perfect idea since she spends lots of time on the beaches too. Why not get to know the people who are sharing island space with you? It’s such a great idea and I always learn something when I read her blog. She includes awesome videos too.

She is my hero, and when I retire to live on the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway), I plan to be spending my time shelling too. It’s not the same as Sanibel, but the little islands up and down the ICW in Florida contain some great stuff too. I may not blog about it since I won’t be running into many tourists out in the boonies of the Indian River, but I know I will discover and maybe collect some great stuff too.

Back to the story at hand. Of the six seashells she chose, I only have two of them. So what are the six shells that are most widely collected on Sanibel? I’ll give you a hint, one of them is pictured here. As for the others, well according to Pam, they are these.

The Sailor’s Valentine is Romantic Shell Art

I recently wrote an article about Sailors’ Valentines and learned a lot about this shell art that is making a resurgence in popularity with collectors.

The Sailors’ Valentine was popular in the mid- 1800’s when after long sea journeys, men would come home with gift boxes filled with intricate seashell designs. Sometimes they would have a photo in the center and often a romantic message would be included using small shells to spell it out. Continue reading “The Sailor’s Valentine is Romantic Shell Art”

The Whelks of Florida

The Whelk shells of Florida are widely collected and they can be some of the largest shells you’ll find on Florida beaches. (Don’t collect them if they are inhabited.)

The Knobbed Whelk (Busycon carica), Channeled Whelk (Busycon canaliculatum), Pear Whelk (Busycon spiratum) and Lightning Whelk (Busycon contrarium) can all be quite large – the Pear is the smallest. Common characteristics include their long shape with a wide opening down the length of the shell.

Of these four, the Pear Whelk is the smallest when full grown. It grows to a length of 5 1/2 inches. I have come across pear whelks out on the sandy flats while boating. I’ve seen them as yellow, gray and with brown splotches. They are usually inhabited by hermit crabs. Then I recently found one with a live snail inside. (2nd photo)

pear whelk seashell — Pear whelk seashell with hermit crab inside

pear whelk mollusk — Pear Whelk with Mollusk Inside

The Lightning Whelk is another one I find often in the backwater areas. It’s usually small like the pear whelk, but this one can grow to be 16 inches long. It is recognizable by it’s left-side opening.

lightning whelk mollusk shell — Live Lightning Whelk (Notice the left-sided opening)

This is a fairly new photo of the knobbed whelk. I discovered it in January just offshore on an island in the Indian River backwater. A hermit crab was living inside, so I got some photos and returned it to the water.

The channeled whelk is not a shell I have found in one piece. It grows to be 7.5 inches in length. The top spiral part of the shell differs from the other whelks because it looks extended, like someone pulled it out. The whorls on the other shells are tight and semi-flat.

large broken whelk shell — White and broken channeled whelk shell remains

This is the only channeled whelk I have found and even though it was very broken it turned out there was a hermit crab living in it! I had to take it back and return it to the water.

The Channeled whelk only lives along the northeastern coast of Florida to about halfway down the state. I guess that explains why I don’t see many of this kind of shell.