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Giant Atlantic Murex Hexaplex fulvescens. (Courtesy: Anita Westervelt)Layer up and get to the beach early.
Don’t discount drizzly days, you never know what has washed ashore with the tide, the weather and the changing winds.
On my recent beach day, I headed out before sunrise. It rained after Los Fresnos, but I was committed. It would stop when I got to the beach, right? And it did. The morning skies remained overcast, but the sky was bright, the temperature pleasant and the breeze gentle. Perfect.
One of my favorite beaches is just beyond the El Cristo de los Pescadores (Christ of the Fishermen) statue on Isla Blanca Park. There is easy parking close to the beach and clean facilities.
On the beach, the outgoing tide had left a wide serpentine strip of shells as far as I could see, an agglomeration of small, whole shells and colorful chips.
A bright pink caught my eye. It was a shell two inches long. I texted a photo to a friend who texted back, saying it’s probably under rose tellin in reference books. I thought her phone was doing auto correct; I later found it was a tellin shell, an oval shaped white, yellow, pink or lavender glossy bivalve, a not so common find.
More abundant were many different colored Atlantic bay scallop shells, possibly from a recent north wind. Also numerous were orange and cream patterned Atlantic cockles; their sturdy shells are often found unbroken. Rectangular shaped mossy arks in grays and browns, smooth slippersnails and gracefully curved hooked mussels were plentiful. Eastern oyster shells in many colors, hues, sizes and unique shapes were abundant, some looking like fossilized prehistoric bird feet. It was a bountiful day at the beach.
To find the big shells before anyone else I subscribe to wading in the surf and pouncing on the fresh treasures as the tide recedes. I saw a fellow beachcomber, big shells in each hand. One shell was an impressive sized murex, the other the interior of a fighting conch. The Minnesota tourist said she wades in the surf and looks for large shapes that tumble and roll when the surf goes out, proving my theory. But I kept being drawn to the plentiful wrack line. I wasn’t disappointed: I added two lettered olive shells, a sundial, common jingle and a couple of spiny jewel box shells to my cache.
An unusually large sawtooth pen shell was washed up, still intact. It seemed heavy. I looked into the slightly open fan end and saw sand. Swishing it gently in the surf, I discovered the animal was still in residence, so I released it back into the water. Sawtooth pen shells, without the resident creature, are fragile and translucent. They are shaped like an elongated fan and can grow to 12 inches long. The inner shell, when wet, shines a rich iridescence.
An interesting way to learn about local coastal life is through lectures and presentations with the Port Isabel/South Padre Island Shell Club.
The club meets monthly September through April, offering presentations about our Gulf waters, beachcombing, critters that wash ashore, offshore activity, the dunes’ fauna and flora and the bay.
The organization meets from 1 to 3 p.m., at Saint Andrews by the Sea Episcopal Church, 1022 N. Yturria St., in Port Isabel.
Meetings are normally held the fourth Sunday of the month but will meet Dec. 15 this month. Shell Club member Joyce Gehlin will present “Diary of a Conchologist” at the December meeting. The meetings are free and open to the public.
Check this link for a comprehensive “Identification Guide to Marine Organisms of Texas: https://txmarspecies.tamug.edu/.
Anita Westervelt is a Texas Master Naturalist.
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