Seashells From Sanibel Island

Seashells mean summer. I think that is one of the reasons why so many people decorate their homes with them or have parties and weddings with seashells as the theme.

They are unique and lovely with no two being exactly the same.

Have you ever wondered how the beautiful colors are created or how large seashells can become?

Well, the Conchologists of America, inc. have the answers!

My shells needed a bath after their "photo shoot". Here they are drying off. Learn all their shell names at the Seashell Identification lens.

Sand dollars are marine animals known as Echinoids and they are not bright white when alive. By the time they have been washed up on shore for us to collect, the spiney bristles have been scrubbed off and the shell is bleached to a more white color.

They live just beneath the sandy ocean bottom and if you ever find one alive, burried in the sand in shallow water, you most likely will find more in the same area.

Sand dollars come in varying sizes and can be flat or puffy. The one pictured here is mine and was purchased at a shop on Sanibel Island. It's called a Sea Biscuit.

When swimming in the gulf waters just off the beach on Sanibel Island, I remember reaching down just under the sand being able to scoop up little, half dollar size sand dollars- not sea biscuits, but the flat kind. They were alive of course, so I left them there, but I thought that was really cool. I've since learned that sand dollars live in colonies, so if you find a live one most likely there are others nearby.

Live shell collecting is illegal on Sanibel, but the beach is literally made of shells, so there is no way you won't find something pretty and unique while there.

The Sanibel ~ Captiva Island Real Estate Blog

Do you run a beach-side resort or rent out a beach bungalow or condo? What a great way to advertise your place by leaving some beach themed postcards (with your information printed on the back) in the kitchen or on the counter.
Want to add a photo of your place? It's easy to replace this seashell photography with a photo of your own. Just click on the item, then "customize it" and go from there. Add your information to the back and order in bulk...the more you order, the more you save.

They also make perfect thank you cards...quick and easy, yet unique and lovely!

When I lived in Florida, many times I witnessed extremely sunburned people. Whether at Disney World, the grocery store, or even at the beach - still trying to even out their "tan" and soak up the rays before vacation ended. They usually had the sunburned areas covered with towels.

They obviously had come down from the north, white as ghosts for lack of sun all winter, and were determined to "get a tan".

In Florida you are much closer to the equator and the sun is able to fry you much quicker than farther north.


Here's my advice:
1. Wear sunscreen, SPF 30+ Add the sunscreen BEFORE hitting the beach and reapply often. The sun is strongest between 10am and 3pm, so it's good to get out early, take a break and head back out in the late afternoon.

2. Wear a wide brimmed hat. One that will cover your ears as well as shield your eyes and nose. You will burn on a cloudy day as well! (Also wear sunscreen).

3. Take lots of water or Gatorade type drinks with you in plastic containers and pack the cooler with LOTS of ice. (beaches don't allow glass of any kind.)

4. Kids cannot stay out for long on a Florida beach in summer. Even with a high SPF sunscreen, hats, umbrellas, drinks and the works I don't think that young children can take more than two hours safely in mid-summer.

5. And most importantly...You will not see the burn until much later on so judge by the time you spend on the beach and not how great your "tan" looks.

A calendar is one of the best ways I can think of to have a collection of beautiful prints for a fraction of the price you would pay for each print separately.
Be sure to visit the Unique Calendars and Art for 2009 & 2010 lens which features calendars by artists in oils, watercolors, pencil, photography and fractals. New 2010 calendars will be added as they are created.

All photography in these calendars is my own personal and original work. It is only available through Zazzle. Please click to view the pages.

Buy cutting boards with seashell photography on-line at "Pam's Kitchen".