One for The Books

We are back in Virginia now, but I decided to do a post on the last few days shelling before we left Ft. Myers.  The shelling wasn't great, but there is always the minis! I did find a few keepers....

You know me, I'll always keep the Shark's eyes! ;)

a nice little Gaudy Nautica

 This pretty scallop should clean up nicely....

 This Lace Murex was beautiful, and so 'Lacy'...

Check out the size of this Wentletrap...I believe it's the biggest I have found yet!

I found several that I had to hit the books for, I like that, that means it is something different!... The shell on the left is a tiny Apple Murex, I think the one on the right is called a Pitted Murex, they are very similar, but they are different enough, I had to look it up....

I saw many of these this trip, I don't know that I have ever seen them before so I had to look them up....it's called a White Crested Tellin...

I first thought I had two tiny Lightning Whelks here, but if you notice their openings are on opposite sides, the tops are very different also, I finally decided that the one on the left is a tiny Pear Whelk....I think?!

I believe this guy is a Ladder Horn shell....

The top left are Bubble shells, the 'twins' I believe are...a type of Dove shell, a tusk and then a tiny Marginella, Augers, Rice Olives and on the bottom left are more Wentletraps

Another trip I found Tiny Olives, a Keyhole limpet, juvenile Fighting conch and Apple Murex, more Tusks, I think is a tiny Duck Clam, an Oyster drill, Bubble and Banded tulip...and a sharks eye, more augers, another tiny Dove shell, and Rice Olive. Just above the dime are a pair of Sharp-rib Drills and 2 tiny Lightning Whelks.

Here is the large Wentletrap I posted earlier, with the others I found that day... from one extreme to the other! How fun is that?

My favorite part of shelling is all of the life I get to see!
Like this Spiny Sea Star...

And this awesome Calico Crab....

This tiny Crab thought he was hidden under a pen shell in a tidal pool....

see him?

These Plovers decided it was bath time in that tidal pool! I love these guys....

This lady was digging and digging at the Lighthouse one evening, 

I thought carefully about how to handle this, as I mentioned before, digging the beaches is becoming a problem on Sanibel....I decided to just go up and talk with her....I wanted to make sure she knew that it was turtle season and that she absolutely needed to fill up the hole when she was done. She was very friendly, from Kentucky and had never been to the beach.  She had no idea of the concerns, and seemed very appreciative of me letting her know, she did fill in the hole.  I believe that many folks just don't know how important it is for the safety of wildlife and people to fill in the holes! I'll check this one off as successful!

As I have said before, I can't resist the sunset....this was my last one for the trip, but I'll be back.....

::Shelllady Hugs::