Discover Creation

28/03/2024

Ever find a strange long serrated bone on your beaches? This danger stick is a barb from a sting ray.
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Unlike popular belief, this defense tool does not come off the end of the tail but rather the top of the tail area near the end of the spine.
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You definitely don’t want this sucker stuck in your foot (or anywhere for that matter) so use extreme caution when handling and remember to shuffle your feet in the sandy ocean floors to avoid surprising any rays.
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10/03/2024

Such an incredible experience participating for the first time in the Sanibel Shell Club Shell 2024 Show, the first since the recovery after Hurricane Ian decimated the island.
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Huge applause to the people who made this huge event happen and also to the exhibitors who entered their treasures.
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I have never entered before and was pleasantly surprised to have won ribbons for two out of four of my entries; a first place in Professional Photography and a second place in Scientific Educational Display (which if you can’t see the photo well, included egg casings of SWFL and their matching shells). So excited and honored.
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Can’t wait for next year! Check out more photos of the exhibits throughout the hall at the page!
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02/03/2024

The Dwarf Olive. This tiny rice-like shell maxes out at about 8mm or .25 inches.
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They’re often found among tiny piles of mini shells in SWFL nearby mudflats and sandy bottom habitats where they live.
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If you spot one, grab it right away because form personal experience, if you take your eyes off one of these micro-sized white shells, chances are you won’t see it again since the camouflage so well!
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24/02/2024

The Worm Snail. There’s two kinds of Worm Snail shell in SWFL but both are known for their delicate looking coils. Both can be found in muddy, tidal salt lagoons or on beaches near such lagoons.
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The shell is started at a tight ringlet and as the animal grows, it loosens its coils and elongates. Adult worm snails can be distinguished by the longer, looser coils.
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The texture on this type of shell is surprising to me. Most of the time these reminds me of curly fries but now with the closeups I think they’re like curly straws we used as kids in our chocolate milks!
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23/02/2024

My tiny shell is now a shiny gem ❤️

NEW WORK DROPPING TOMORROW
Are you on the newsletter yet?!

Today I am featuring the most beautiful wentletrap found in the Ten Thousand Islands of Florida by Discover Creation !

Huge thanks to all who sent me specimens to mold and cast for this series. More to come tomorrow!

17/02/2024

You can really see the textures on the True Tulips here on this big orange one.
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Even if the color fades on a True Tulip, you can still tell it from a Banded Tulip by the texture.
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16/02/2024

What is it?? Any guesses?
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This is a conical fossilized tooth found among a shark tooth bed but alas, tis not from a shark. Anyone want to guess what it’s from?
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I’ll give you a hint: though this one is undoubtably ancient, the creature from which this came still lives in Florida to this day and is nearly a daily sight for most.
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11/02/2024

Sea stars 😍😍
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How can you tell if a sea star is dead? Turn them over, watch for movement on the legs and mouth. If you think you’re sure, keep watching even longer. You definitely don’t want to kill one of these by taking them home on accident.
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Another good indicator is the smell….
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When in doubt, leave them behind.
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06/02/2024

BEACHCOMBING MAGAZINE Volume 41 brings a host of new amazing articles including my most recent piece on the ancient seashell tools once used by the ancient Calusa tribes that lived along the SWFL coast.
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Check out the March/April 2024 edition to read the full article and subscribe to their page for more information about Beachcombing finds all around the globe.
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Want a chance to see these artifacts for yourself? Check out the Marco Island History Museum among other sites in SWFL that display original, hand made seashell tools from these ancient tribes.
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Join me on a shelling tour with and let’s explore the island coastline together 🐚🌊🐬
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05/02/2024

Bubble Snails are one of my favorite mini shells to come across in the wrack lines.
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These are lightweight, thin and delicate shells that are about the size of a jelly bean at most.
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Most of these live in seagrass beds and will wash up with other lightweight items like “coffee-ground” mulch and augers. Many people use the presence of bubbles as an indicator that the rare and tiny wentletrap is nearby.
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I would caution against using harsh chemicals when cleaning these simply because they’re so delicate. Simple soap and water should do the trick and keep the shell from getting corroded.
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04/02/2024

Did you know if you acid-dip your top snails, they’re iridescent underneath the brown skin?
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I found this out accidentally one day when I left a top snail in the solution too long and the acid ate through the whole top layer of the shell. I was surprised to see the silvery shine underneath! Now I do this to every one I find.
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This one was one of the more red-brown top snails and the under layer is purple 😍😍
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Have you ever done this?
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02/02/2024

Truly Scrumptious.
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The tip of the True Tulip has a small “Rudolph nose” if you look close enough.
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So cute.
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01/02/2024

Juvenile Crown Conchs don’t develop pronounced spikes along their whorls until they reach a specific age.
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Note here the k***s that eventually begin protruding on the lower, fresher whorls.
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Love the saturation in this one. Nice and dark like chocolate 😍
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Self-collected in a lagoon on Marco Island.
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10/01/2024

Why so shiny? Where does the color come from?
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Abalone like some other marine mollusks have iridescent layers of nacre on the interior of its shell. These shiny and reflective layers often create an image of greens, blues and purples.
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Such colors and. Iridescence is formed by platelets of the minerals that makeup the shell. Most shells are created with calcium carbonate and these shells also include polygonal crystals of aragonite which bounce and bend the light.
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Pearls also have a nacre to them but not as colorful as they’re softer and more delicate. The crystals in abalone are far more brittle.
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So in essence… this shell is made up of teeny tiny mineral shiny mirrors. How beautiful.
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09/01/2024

Barnacles can be a nuisance for sure but sometimes they bring more character to a shell than it would have without.
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This is a juvenile fighting conch decorated by small barnacles.
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08/01/2024

Coral cluster. 🪸*
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06/01/2024

Tinted Cantharus are the tiny shells with smooth(er) shoulders compared to the Ribbed Cantharus.
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I feel like this is the brindle version of mini shells. Isn’t this color just beautiful? White, brown, red occasionally dark chocolate ❤️❤️❤️
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03/01/2024

The Thick-Lipped Drill vs the Sharp-Ribbed Drill.
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While on the beach it would look almost the exact same, when side by side you can see the distinct difference in these two aperture lips.
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It took me a while to notice one was much thicker and I had to go back through my mini jar of drills to find out if I had more.
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There’s something special about going re-shelling in your shells and finding new discoveries!
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02/01/2024

Button Snails are marine snails that often wash up on mangrove island shores along with other miniature shells.
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These tiny shells eat algae and plant detritus from the bottom of the sea. Another dutiful member of the cleanup crew!
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These are often mistaken as baby sundials however we don’t have sundials in this area. It’s also important to note that the tiny shell pictured here is an ADULT size. They do they very big at all where as a sundial will be much larger at adulthood.
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01/01/2024

More beautiful sea glass up close.
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31/12/2023

Baby Ear Shell. Thin, fragile and oh so elegant. And can we talk about the faint but distinct TEXTURE on this shell?! It’s like God’s delicate fingerprint 🤌🤌
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These little guys are a little less known here and they are tricky to spot since the local variety are solid white and often blend into the sand and sun-bleached shells.
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Unfortunately the white ones did not photograph well because they are SO white, I can’t quite capture the texture well. This mottled white/brown one was found after Hurricane Idalia on Marco Island.
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It’s my understanding the mottled and brown Baby Ears are more likely to be found on Florida’s east coast than west.
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The biggest one I’ve seen was about the size of a pinch-rolled penny so not a very large shell but definitely one to hunt for among the minis.
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Don’t have one? Join me on a shelling tour and request me as your guide on Treasure Seekers Shell Tours and we’ll hunt them down in the piles together! Ask for “Sarah with an H” and let’s get shelling!!
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30/12/2023

What makes Sea Glass? I don’t claim to be an expert on sea glass by any means but what I have learned about it is, the more chips, dings and character, the more authenticity it has.
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Almost like people who’ve been through battles. Struggles build character and produce perfectly imperfect beautiful people.
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Authentic sea glass origins can be distinguished in the details of the glass. As usual, the details matter! The random etch markings, dings, scratches and uneven edges are usually a sign of authentically “wave tumbled” glass.
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You can, in theory use a tumbler or sand blaster and create a frosted treatment on glass yourself but the real deal is usually imperfect.
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Each body of water in the world produces a unique “frosting”. For example if one place has soft silty substrate or a higher salinity than another place, the treatment might show a more jagged etching or more smooth.
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There’s a fabulous book on sea glass recommended to me by a friend I’d be happy to share if you are interested in it and the origins of ancient glass. DM me for the Amazon link.
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This piece (I think is a bottle top) I found on a trip to key west a few years ago. This is my favorite color 🤩
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29/12/2023

Lions Paw. A deep water shell often found in pieces due to its brittle nature and the distance it gets tossed in the waves before reaching the shore.
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I’ve only ever found pieces in Sanibel Island. This whole one was generously given to me in a shell swap.
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Check out the cool texture in between the fingers! I’ve never noticed that before.
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The distinct mark of a true Lions Paw are the raised knuckles/bumps along the ridges of the scallop.
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28/12/2023

Shell Swaps. The generosity of people in the shelling community never ceases to amaze me. I cannot believe this woman was so kind to send me all of these in one package.
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Most of these are from Cape Cod and the Lion’s Paws were collected in Florida. I have only found pieces of Lion’s Paws and they’re quite rare even then. SO grateful for this generous swap.
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If you have shells from your area you’d like to trade, send me a DM and I’ll send you some from my backyard! What an amazing way to get to explore the world through other shellers’ eyes.
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24/12/2023

I raise your 5 stack to a 6!
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I was challenged to stack more than 5 of these small rose murexes and…30 minutes later…
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23/12/2023

Tampa Turrid shell. Red brown in most cases and quite small. The largest one I’ve seen was the size of a paper clip.
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22/12/2023

Found this gorgeous tree snail while volunteering this week with Rookery Bay Reserve.
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These big tall tree snails are typically found in small groups with matching colors that stay to a local stand of trees.
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My understanding is they don’t get out much so the colors (and gene pool) don’t vary much in each group. They pretty much keep to themselves.
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This one has somewhat faded color but some of the ones I e seen in collections have bright greens, golds and even red striping like a candy cane.
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21/12/2023

Ever see a holey shell like this? This is the markings of a boring sponge, an encrusting filter feeder that can be found in many places of the world.
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Notice that the holes go through the shell’s surface entirely. The sponges use oyster beds and mollusk shells as an anchoring shelter from the elements and leave behind this porous pockmarked pattern.
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I cannot “art” sadly but I’ve heard from many people who can that shells with these holes make very cool lamps when lit from inside. This banded tulip may be a little small for that but large whelks often show the porous pattern and that would be a neat project….
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20/12/2023

I honestly love seeing the live animals just as much as the empty shells. Each one is so interesting.
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If y’all are in the area, come to the ten thousand islands and go shelling with me! This cold front has pushed a TON of shells up on the islands.
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This lighting whelk is just one of several we found in one day. Being alive, she went back into the water of course.
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Book a shelling tour with and get booked before the winds stop!
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