Pink and Purple Scallop Shells

Calico Scallop Seashells

I haven’t been blogging as much as I’d like to and one reason is that I have been updating my seashell pages. Beach shells are a popular subject and I have a Squidoo lens (like a blog page) that is all about tropical seashells. Seashells can be found anywhere, but the southern waters seem to hold a wide variety of beautiful shells.

These pretty pink and purple spotted shells are Calico Scallops (Argopecten gibbus) and were not hard to find on the Florida beaches. They measure approximately 1-2 inches across and are bivalves (have 2 halves). In fact, I appreciate my shell collection more now since I can’t just pick up and head to the beach any time I want. When I lived in Florida I took shells for granted and never knew what they were called or anything about them. When I go back to visit, I will look forward to beachcombing with my new found knowledge.

These shells are found from North Carolina down along the eastern coast of Florida. I don’t remember, but I must have collected them while visiting New Smyrna or Bethune Beach where my friends and I would take our kids to play.

One thing I never paid any attention to was the other things that came out of the ocean. Sometimes we’d find seaweed or horseshoe crabs or little pinching crabs running along the sand. And many times there would be round jellyfish (the kind that supposedly don’t sting) washed up all over the sand. I don’t remember seeing any beach glass and Florida is not one of the spots known for finding it, but one northern state on the list of beaches to find glass is Maine. If you are interested in reading more about beach glass, read my page: Sea Glass From the Beach

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