"Sanibel Island has nothing on Hog Key for shells!"
On developed islands like Sanibel and Captiva, people tote bags and scour the sand for shells. These islands are regularly picked over with few whole shells found. The diversity on these beaches is limited.
It is when you reach the islands where few people come that you find the treasures.
Jeweled Tulip, Florida Fighting Conch, Whelk, Moon, Apple ..., Cone, Angel Wings... Names roll off the tongue. Beautiful arrays of shells appear: spirals of whelk shells on the sand, in straight lines on fence posts.
I am fascinated by the vast differences in color even within one type of shell. Picking up shells on the beach you notice some are old and weathered, some broken. How old is this shell - could it be hundreds of years old? Could the Calusa who lived here hundreds of years ago have had this for dinner?
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