Speckles in the Sand

Another two weeks passed between beach visits . . . this past Wed. I expected it to be slim pickings again like my previous visit, as beach-combing in the summer months tends to be like that. So, it was a nice surprise to find some interesting treasures . . . quality, not quantity!


As always, the sunrise was different than the previously observed one . . .

I found an unusually large calico scallop . . .

And two very small, baby sand dollars . . . one did not survive the ride home intact . . .

It had been awhile since I'd last seen a royal sea star ~ this one was curled up on the beach when I found it, but it uncurled right away when I picked it up. I walked out in the waves and put it down on the sand . . .

A ball of seaweed?! Now that was unexpected! There is a green algae called Cladophora hair algae that is found in cottony balls . . . but I saw this in strands also and think it's sea lettuce.

A nearly whole sand dollar . . . due to the crack and chip in it, I decided to leave it be.

This adorable little speckled crab was alive, just chilling in a tiny puddle . . . maybe waiting for the tide, which was starting to come in . . .

The beach flowers are in bloom . . . including the two morning-glories . . . Beach morning-glory is white, railroad vine is pink . . .

Indian Blanket Flower is blooming up and down the coast, always a pretty sight!

Forgotten February

The plan was, to get to my beach Fri. morning. But when I re-checked the weather forecast, there was a 65-75% chance of rain so I reluctantly decided to cancel my plans. Hopefully I'll get to the beach in a few days . . . In the meantime, going back to my catch-up posts, I think the last month I never shared was February. I don't have very many photos so this will be short . . .

Sunrise . . .

I did find this very unusually colored ark (L) that I thought was really pretty . . . and nearby a small auger.

A piece of barely "turned" sea glass, a green bottle neck . . .

A pretty lettered olive . . . I usually find at least one.

Found all in the same spot ~ (Top) an aged/worn lettered olive and (Btm) two shark eyes. It was a chilly morning but I still managed to enjoy finding some goodies.

Sunrise & Slim Pickin's

Tuesday I made it to the beach well before low tide. Enjoyed a nice sunrise, but the treasure hunt wasn't very fruitful . . .

I did find one nice piece of aqua (Coke bottle) sea glass . . .

And a very pretty, dark lettered olive . . .

There were a few "minis" like this shark eye . . .

And even a rare find, a Florida spiny jewelbox. These are fairly common on the Gulf side, and they start out white with a pretty pink interior. In top cond., they do have spines coming out of them. This one is orange due to being buried in sediment awhile.

Another nice olive . . .

June Beach Therapy

After a month away from Florida, I'm back and made it to "my" beach for some much needed beach therapy, yesterday morning . . . First off, a post storm sunrise with a shrimp boat included...

Very unusual find, ocean side . . . the king's crown is fairly abundant on the Intracoastal Waterway, but this is only about the 3rd one I've ever seen make it to the Atlantic side from the Matanzas Inlet...eventually I'll post before and after shots once I've cleaned it up.

Dark green sea glass, no doubt a wine bottle...always a thrill to find sea glass since it's kind of rare at this beach.

The only lettered olive (R) I found Fri., and a cream scallop (L) . . .

A pretty piece of a shark eye . . .

A more "classic" calico scallop shell . . .

A golden shark eye piece . . .

Both sides of a nice rock snail . . .

A prickly cockle (L) and another scallop (R) . . . both have discoloration due to spending some time buried in sediment. Orange on the cockle, gray on the scallop.

This is a piece of a true tulip (gastropod) shell . . banded tulips are more common; both are very rare finds at "my" beach. I do have one large true tulip that still needs more cleaning.

On my way back up the beach, I found another dark green piece of sea glass . . .

One more cream-toned scallop . . .

While in Calif., I had a discussion with my brother about the types of crabs found in Florida...including the blue crab. I thought they were smaller; this arm/claw alone is about 5".

Journey Through January

Below are the photos I took at the end of January...it was a pretty good beach-combing day! 

I arrive at the beach about 15-20 min. before sunrise; parking is about two blocks' distance north of the best shelling spots, near the mouth of Matanzas Inlet and the bridge over the inlet. So normally my first photos are of the sunrise, right before I descend upon the best shelling area . . .

This calico scallop was a nice surprise ~ probably the prettiest one I've found on the east coast.

In January I found two horse conch spirals (different days); this is the 2nd one (see previous post for 1st one). I very rarely find any tips like this let alone a whole conch; they are much more common on the Gulf. Below is the one and only whole horse conch I've found in five solid years of shelling Matanzas Beach. It was a very rare and lucky find! (Found in 2015) I've left it as is; if I clean it up it will be solid white. As battered as it is, I don't want to risk more damage, plus I like the coloring.

Heading back, south of the bridge . . . this landscape changes so much, even by the month . . .

A pretty shark eye . . .

A fossilized lettered olive . . . very rare for me to find one in this beige color. See below - the white fossilized one is from sun exposure; not sure if the beige one is earlier phase of sun bleaching, before turning white; black one is from the shell being buried in sediment for a long time (lack of oxygen).

A lovely number three . . .

A scallop and two shark eyes all found close together . . .

Another pretty, "fresh" scallop . . . most the scallops I find are "aged"

A golden jingle shell (oyster var.); gold ones are the least common I find. White is most common, then there are black ones; also black from being buried in sediment a long time (goes for all shells).

This scallop is in good cond., but does show a bit of "aging"

A lightning whelk . . . just a little bit rough on the edge of the aperture's outer lip . . .

A young angelwing . . . surprising since normally I find this species of angelwing full-size . . .

This is the second one of these bones I've found...any clue? It's the plastron (lower shell) bone of a sea turtle . . .

Surprisingly, of all the gray and black tinted shells I find, this is only the second buttercup lucine I've found discolored. The outside shell is originally white, with cream or yellow inner shell. The Atlantic seems to produce the cream ones, the Gulf has the yellow ones. The ones here on the Atlantic side are also much bigger. My field guide says they reach 2.5" but I have one that is 4" across.

A light colored lettered olive . . .

This day I found several small, whole mussel shells, extremely unusual! And yes, it does look like a black butterfly, or moth!

Another pretty white baby's ear to add to the collection.