Posts Tagged ‘beachcombing’
Posted by Jody on April 2, 2013
Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica)
“I am very fond of the oyster shell. It is humble and awkward and ugly. It is slate-colored and unsymmetrical. Its form is not primarily beautiful but functional. I make fun of its knobbiness. Sometimes I resent its burdens and excrescences. But its tireless adaptability and tenacity draw my astonished admiration and sometimes even my tears. And it is comfortable in its familiarity, its homeliness, like old garden gloves when have molded themselves perfectly to the shape of the hand. I do not like to put it down. I will not want to leave it.” ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea
~~~
I simply love beachcombing for oyster shells – the knobbier, the better! Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast beaches are often loaded with these one-of-a-kind beach treasures.
Here are a few interesting Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) tidbits:
Oysters are more than a seafood delicacy! They help the environment in the following ways:
Filtering (adult oysters filter up to 2.5 gallons of water per hour, improving water quality in the process)
Providing habitat (oysters build reefs, which provide habitat for fish, shrimp, crabs, and other animals)
Controlling erosion (oyster reefs are natural breakwaters that protect shorelines) Source: SC.gov
Other names: American Oyster, Atlantic Oyster, Common Oyster, Virginia Oyster
Eastern Oysters are plentiful in shallow saltwater bays, lagoons, and estuaries, in depths from 8 to 25 feet – with water temperatures between 28 and 90 degrees F. They are native to the Atlantic shores and Gulf of Mexico coast of North America from Canada to Mexico.
Eastern Oysters range in color from a very light cream or tan to greyish/brown and from grey to black.
The Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is the official state shell of both Virginia and Mississippi.
Louisiana’s state gemstone is the cabochon (shaped and polished as opposed to faceted) cut gemstone, made from the Crassostrea virginica! Check it out: Louisiana’s State Gemstone.
~~~ Happy beachcombing! ~~~
Helpful links: Texas Parks and Wildlife, Maryland.gov
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Beach Treasures - Beachcombing, Seashells | Tagged: Anne Morrow Lindbergh, beach, beachcombing, Crassostrea virginica, Eastern Oyster, oyster shells, seashells | 9 Comments »
Posted by Jody on March 13, 2013
Abbotts Lagoon, Point Reyes National Seashore
Abbotts Lagoon Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, Northern California
The lovely 1 ½ mile walk through coastal vegetation (across a bridge over a small river dividing the two-stage lagoon and traversing soft, shifting sandy hills) might seem a bit more like a hearty (yet low-key) footslog than a “moderate walk.” The unequaled Abbotts Lagoon “trail” brings hikers through soft, deep sands that seem to slow one down to the bare minimum speed. In this piece of Point Reyes paradise, wayfarers can expect a scenic and unhurried journey!
Trailhead Marker
Greg and I weren’t in any rush on the day we visited! The leisurely pace made it all the easier for us to really take in the spectacular scenery along the diverse trail. Wildflowers abound at Abbots Lagoon, and bird watching is simply unavoidable! We didn’t actually see very many birds on our January visit, but these lagoons reportedly attract many species of migrating shorebirds in the fall, followed by ducks during the winter months.
If you’re really lucky, you may even spy a peregrine falcon looking for a tasty meal! The sand dunes backing the beach are also home to the threatened western snowy plover. It’s important for visitors to keep an eye out and tread carefully on the sandy beach during their nesting season (spring and early summer).
The Beach at Abbotts Lagoon
Eventually the path opened up before us to an awe-inspiring panorama of the Pacific Ocean. This varied trail brings happy hikers right to the shores of the Great Beach. The far-reaching Great Beach is actually made up of many sections of sandy shoreline, and the beach at Abbots Lagoon is just one small, beautiful portion of the uninterrupted 11 mile expanse of bluffs, dunes, and natural shoreline.
Greg and I were blown away by the beautiful “sands” we found near Abbotts Lagoon. Sifting through the rich greens, bold reds, and bright yellows of the tiny beach pebbles was an amusing highlight of a lovely walk to a beautiful beach on a warm and sunny winter’s day!
The beach at Abbotts Lagoon
Up, down, out and across; there’s something to see in every direction on the trail to the beach at Abbotts Lagoon!
Happy hiking!
~~~~
Helpful link: National Park Service/Point Reyes National Seashore
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Beach Birding, Northern California Beaches, Sand and Shoreline | Tagged: Abbotts Lagoon, beach, beachcombing, Marin County California beach, Point Reyes National Seashore | 4 Comments »
Posted by Jody on March 3, 2013
Where the rubber meets the sand…
Long-Dun Beach, Cameron Parish, Louisiana
Seeing vehicles driving on the sandy beaches along the Gulf of Mexico is nothing out of the ordinary. Long-Dun Beach in Cameron Parish is a fine example of a rustic beach (no facilities) on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast where beach goers happily drive right onto the sandy shoreline and proceed to pick the perfect parking spot for a day brimming with sun and fun at the beach. These drivable coastlines are treated as byways and standard rules of the road apply.
Long-Dun Beach is a lovely stretch of sand located along the 180 mile long Creole Nature Trail in far southwestern Louisiana. With 26 miles of blissful beachcombing heaven to choose from, the natural beaches of the Creole Nature Trail are perfect for finding driftwood, whelks, oysters, angel wings, and moon snails. With a little luck, you may even find a sea bean or two!
These colorful beach treasures collected along the shores of Louisiana’s Creole Nature Trail.
Enjoy the ride and have a great day at the beach!
This week’s Travel Theme topic is “Roads.”
More about the Creole Nature Trail and Louisiana’s Gulf Coast beaches:
A Wealth of Wildlife on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast: The Creole Nature Trail
Waves and Welcomes at Mae’s Beach, Louisiana
~~~
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Beach Treasures - Beachcombing, Gulf of Mexico Beaches, Sand and Shoreline | Tagged: beach, beachcombing, Long-Dun Beach Louisiana, Louisiana Gulf Coast beachcombing, Louisiana's Creole Nature Trail, roads, Travel Theme | 9 Comments »
Posted by E.G.D. on February 13, 2013
I don’t know about you, but I happen to greatly enjoy walking around barefoot in beach sand. This has very occasionally led to negative occurrences (one memorable occasion on Venice Beach in Florida, I stepped on an old piece of rusty barbed wire and had to get a Tetanus shot), but more often than not the experience has brightened my day and done me more good than a conventional foot massage. Apparently the science community got the memo, because recently my mom (Jody) found an article on Wellsphere that discusses the health benefits of walking around barefoot.
Pacific Beach, San Diego, California
According to the article, a “stimulating barefoot walk has a multitude of benefits from relieving stress, increasing balance, helping your brain to help you get a good night’s sleep, healing disease, eliminating headaches, eliminating joint pain and more. Research is only just beginning, but the consensus seems pretty clear. Taking off your shoes not only feels good. It is good for you… we get negative charged energy from the earth that combats inflammation and positively charged free radicals in the body.“ Now, this information applies to walking barefoot anywhere, but there are already myriad health benefits for people who walk or run on beaches, even if they’re wearing shoes. According to an article in the Middletown Patch, “walking and running are two of the best cardio exercises… Even better, though, is performing them on the beach in the sand. It is absolutely a superior work out than on the road or a trail as the shifting sand makes traction a challenge. This causes muscle groups to work harder as you jog. Just walking on the beach in the sand benefits health.” Of course, even that article notes that “barefoot is the best way to go for optimum results.” An article from Hello Magazine says many of the same things as the two previous articles, but adds in that sand and ocean water provide natural exfoliant for our feet and “will result in softer feet in no time, just like a home peel treatment!“ Really, I can see no downside to any of these things.
Ahhhhhh!
When it comes right down to it, I don’t need experts to give me a special reason to walk around barefoot on a beach, but I suppose that now I can feel like I’m somehow smarter for doing what I would have done anyway. Three cheers for beach related ways to stay healthy- E.G.D.
~~~~
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Sand and Shoreline | Tagged: barefoot, beach, beachcombing, health, walking on sand | 6 Comments »
Posted by Jody on February 7, 2013
Surfside Beach, Texas
The Village of Surfside Beach, Texas, is a little bitty seaside hamlet located on the Gulf of Mexico. Fishing, birding, picnicking and kayaking are just a few of the choices beachgoers have when they visit the shores of this little coastal community.
This stretch of sandy beach on the Texas Coastal Bend is already well known for its wonderful shelling. In fact, according to Surfside’s website, there are 600 known shell species that can be found along the 27 miles of Brazoria County’s beaches. Our family searched and searched for those hundreds of types of seashells and did find many a fine specimen, but, sadly, quite a few had been broken to bits by the trucks and cars that are allowed on so much of this section of Texas’s coastal beaches.
Surfside Beach, Texas
Never fear, though! All is certainly not lost. (It never is on a day at the beach!) In my book, Surfside Beach is one of the absolute best strands that I’ve ever come across for collecting sea glass!
Beach Treasures from Surfside Beach, Texas Gulf Coast
Greens and blues, pinks and browns, lettered and patterned and smooth; all types of glass in every stage of sea-tumbledness can be found on the sands of Surfside Beach. I won’t share how I think the wave-worn beach glass originates, but I will site rule #11 from the village’s Beach Rules web page, which states: “NO GLASS CONTAINERS ON THE BEACH” (all caps). *This is a great place to caution you to wear shoes on this stretch of shoreline.* The vehicle traffic that easily crushes those 600 species of seashells also breaks glass into pieces which can result in some very sharp edges. Discrimination is the key. It can be very hard for kids of all ages to resist picking every beautiful, glittering, colorful beach treasure they see, so little ones need to be closely supervised here!
Evening Picnic at Surfside Beach, Texas
Before or after you’ve filled up your buckets and bags with sea glass and shells, you may want visit Surfside Beach’s Jetty Park which runs along the Freeport Jetties. It has picnic areas, restrooms, a playground and fantastic views of the gulf and ship channel. You can walk the jetty, fish from the rocks, or simply settle in and watch the huge container ships come and go through the jetty channel.
Surfside Beach is located in Brazoria County, 15 minutes southeast of Lake Jackson, Texas where TX-332 meets TX-257 (Bluewater Highway).
Have a great day at the beach!
~~~~
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Beach Treasures - Beachcombing, Gulf of Mexico Beaches, Seashells | Tagged: beach, beachcombing, Brazoria County Texas beach, collecting sea glass, Surfside Beach Texas, Texas Gulf Coast beach | 18 Comments »
Posted by Jody on February 4, 2013
Ambergris (photo by Peter Kaminski from Wikimedia Commons)
We’ve made some wonderful acquaintances here at Beach Treasures and Treasure Beaches. Recently, one of our favorite blogging friends, Wingclipped, at The Coastal Path shared a link with us that was quite intriguing! It seems that a Mr. Ken Wilman and his curious canine companion Madge were walking along a Lancashire beach in the North of England one day when they happened across a very smelly beach treasure on the sand. After a bit of google searching, Mr. Wilman discovered that their rock-like “floating gold” might be worth over $136,000 USD!
Wingclipped sent along this video link (which sadly refuses to be dis-embedded from the Sky News website, and therefore can not be directly posted here. Go ahead and click the link below to see the video!).
http://news.sky.com/story/1045585/whale-vomit-worth-100000-found-on-dog-walk
FYI: What Ken and Madge actually found is a lump of ambergris. According to Merriam-Webster.com ambergris is “a waxy substance found floating in or on the shores of tropical waters, believed to originate in the intestines of the sperm whale, and used in perfumery as a fixative.”
Score one (a really big one) for beachcombers everywhere!
~ Sending along very special thanks to Wingclipped for sharing such a fun beachcombing story. You too can follow the family travels and antics of Wingclipped, his lovely wife, and their energetic twins as they explore the coast of Britain on foot at his blog The Coastal Path. His most recent entry is entitled “40d – Entering Dungeness” (Britain’s only desert and “Europe’s largest stretch of shingle landscape”). This week’s post comes complete with a heartwarming twist!
~~~
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Beach Treasures - Beachcombing, Beaches of Great Britain and Ireland, Monday Miscellaneous, Whales and Dolphins | Tagged: ambergris, beach, beachcombing, floating gold, Lancashire beach, North of England beach | 14 Comments »
Posted by Jody on January 31, 2013
Yaquina Bay, Oregon Coast
Will you be heading to the beaches of North America’s West Coast this year? Beachcombing is one of the greatest pleasures for seashore enthusiasts, and the West Coast is well known for delighting us with a bounty of beautiful beach treasures! From driftwood to Giant Rock Scallops and sand dollars to polished agates, Mother Nature uses time, tides, and currents to provide us with the most fascinating finds.
Beachcombers in Hawaii, and from California to Alaska, might also expect to find an increased amount of ocean debris washed onto beaches over the next few years. According to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), due to the massive 9.0 Japanese earthquake and devastating tsunami of March, 2011, tsunami caused marine debris is already arriving on our Pacific shores. (Check out NOAA’s Tsunami Debris Sighting map.)
NOAA is leading efforts with federal, state, and local partners to collect data, assess the debris, and reduce possible impacts to our natural resources and coastal communities.
There is no reason to avoid beaches. Radiation experts believe it is highly unlikely any debris is radioactive, and the debris is not in a mass. Beachgoers may notice an increase in debris near-shore or on the coast, adding to the marine debris that washes up every day. The public should continue to visit and enjoy our coasts—and help keep them clean.
Tsunami Debris Watch sign posted at Yaquina Bay, Oregon
Ocean Conservancy has a wonderful website which includes an abundance of interesting and informative topics having to do with the expected arrival of tsunami debris. Subjects include:
 |
Get straight answers to the facts and myths of tsunami debris and what we can do to help. |
 |
How can you tell tsunami debris from regular ocean trash? Our scientist has the answers. |
 |
Learn about the most common items that have been washing onto beaches in large numbers. |
We always try to encourage our fellow beachcombers and shore dreamers to “know before you go!”
Tsunami Debris: Find it. Bag it. Leave it. Now we know!
~~~~~
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Beach Treasures - Beachcombing, Beaches of The Hawaiian Islands, Pacific Coast Beaches, Sand and Shoreline | Tagged: beach, beach sign, beachcombing, Japanese tsunami debris, marine debris, Ocean Conservancy | 7 Comments »
Posted by Jody on January 24, 2013
Today I've decided to share an oldie but a goodie. These Rayed Cones are some of my favorite beach treasures!
~Enjoy~
Posted in Beach Treasures - Beachcombing, Seashells | Tagged: beach, beachcombing, cone snail seashells, cone snails in medicine, Conidae, Conus radiatus, Rayed Cone Snails, toxic sea snails | 4 Comments »
Posted by Jody on January 18, 2013
I just received a note from Tonya who was lucky enough to be on the beaches of the Outer Banks of North Carolina last weekend. She found this very interesting looking beach treasure at Hatteras and tells me: “It was on the beach along with some other odd looking shells I never have seen.”
Tonya’s Beach Treasure from Hatteras, North Carolina
Let’s have some fun!
Can anyone identify this peculiar looking beach find for Tonya? Thank you for playing along!
~~~~
Be sure to check out some of the other responses in the comment section below!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Atlantic Coast Beaches, Beach Treasures - Beachcombing, Seashells, Today's Special | Tagged: beach, beachcombing, Outer Banks beaches, Outer Banks North Carolina, seashells | 22 Comments »
Posted by Jody on December 7, 2012
Island beaches, seashells, a lighthouse and Christmas! Does it get any better than this?
The Sanibel Island Light, Sanibel Island, Florida
Christmastime ~ The Sanibel Island Light
A Merry Christmas on Sanibel Island, Florida
The striking Sanibel Island Light stands on the eastern tip of Sanibel Island, Florida. Located on the Gulf of Mexico, it was built to mark the entrance to San Carlos Bay to guide the ships calling at the port of Punta Rassa (across San Carlos Bay from Sanibel Island). The surrounding grounds are open to the public, but there is no entrance to the functioning lighthouse itself.
Seashell strewn Lighthouse Beach wraps from the Gulf side of Sanibel Island around to the bay side. This area of the beach is very popular with beachcombers looking for “minis,” the teeniest-tiniest of seashells. We’ve seen folks equipped with long surgical type tweezers patiently examining nearby seashell piles.
To find Sanibel Island Light just turn left on Periwinkle Way from Causeway Road. Head all the way to the end of the road. Here you’ll also find a fishing pier and a boardwalk nature trail winding through the island’s native wetlands. Facilities include restrooms and outdoor shower, plenty of 24 hour paid parking in the large lot and fee-free bike racks. Pets must be kept on a leash around the lighthouse grounds, and on the beach.
Would you like more info on Sanibel’s world renowned shelling beaches? Here are just a few more posts on Sanibel Island:
But wait, there’s more! 
You might also want to type “Sanibel” into the search box (Treasure Hunt!) on the top left of this page.
Merry Christmas and Happy Beachcombing!
~~~~~~~~~
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Beach Treasures - Beachcombing, Friday Finds, Gulf of Mexico Beaches, Lighthouses, Seashells | Tagged: beach, beachcombing, Christmas, Sanibel Island Florida, Sanibel Island Florida beachcombing, Sanibel Island Light | 28 Comments »
alainaflute
Greg
Jody
E.G.D.
