Summer shelling is here!

The summer solstice was a week ago, so it’s official:  summer is here.  And so is summer shelling. Of course if you’re in SWFL right now, you don’t need the calendar to know.  Don’t you love how warm the Gulf water is and how green the grass and plants are?  And look up at the beautiful white puffy clouds in our blue-blue-blue coastal sky.

And what about those spectacular sunsets?

Finally, let’s not forget about amazing shells and other beach bling that washes up after a summer storm.

live lightning whelk on Sanibel beach
Large female lightning whelk in a tidal swale during low tide. Observe live shells but carefully put them back where you found them.
Smaller probably male lightning whelk with its operculum closed for protection.
Beautiful stone crab, sadly dead, on Sanibel’s East Gulf beach.
Leopard or calico crab washed up after a summer storm. Death on the beach may sound like an exciting novel but it’s reality for the fragile animals affected by strong storm waves.
Abundant “minis” or smaller shells may be found concentrated in the wrack line after a summer storm, like these ceriths and augers.

About those daily thunderstorms… avoid being on the beach or in the water during them.  You’re the tallest thing around, like a lighting rod on that flat wet slope.  Wait for the storm to pass and then go look for those great storm shells!

For those of us with asthma or other respiratory concerns, summer might also mean increased red tides or harmful algal blooms (HAB) as NOOA refers to them.  Being on the beach when HABs are high may cause respiratory irritation in some people.  Use NOOA’s tides and currents website to stay informed on the severity of HABs at your favorite SWFL shelling beach.

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