Jean has done an amazing job curating and displaying our shells. We started as novices when we first moved to Florida, simply grabbing what we though were the cool-looking shells. We have since learned the many varieties that our coasts have to offer, which ones are common and which ones are rare. They are beautiful, and for us it points to a Designer who cares about beauty.
The tall jar in the back left holds Florida Fighting Conchs. They are common, but they are still neat looking, and often the juveniles can have some striking patterns to them. In front of them on the left are Nutmegs. The ones directly on the table are called Paper Figs, and are very light-weight and fragile. It can be difficult to find them whole. The jar in the back right is filled with a colorful assortment of scallop shells. Scallops are common, but they have such a wide variety of color and patterns. The small jar in the middle back contains Florida Cones.
The left bowl contains Alphabet Cones, which are not rare, but not common. Behind on the left is a small jar of Coqunias with a Cabrit's Murex on top. The tall jar in the back right is full of Lightning Whelks, which are common but still one of our favorites if they have good color to them. On the far right are Calico Clams.
Sand Dollars. They were once top of my bucket list because I'd never found one. Now we give them away because we have so many. The book behind it, Florida's Seashells - A Beachcomber's Guide, is one of the best for shell identification.
These are our 'littles'. Various small shells that are pretty. Included are Rose Murex, Reticulated Helmet Cowry, Worm Snails, Bittersweets, Bubbles, Jujube Top Snails. there's Flat Scallop in the rightmost jar, which is hard to see but they are rare. The purple one in front left is a Sunrise Tellin.
Gaudy Nauticas in the front left, and Banded Tulips (one of Matt's favorites) in the back right. A uniquely-patterned Lettered Olive by itself.
A tall jar of Lettered Olives, with a smaller jar of Stocky Ceriths in front.
This is a pretty neat display case. A Starfish in the middle, with a variety around it. In the case are False Angel Wings, Bruised Nassa, Dusky Cones, Ladderhorn Snails, Coffee Bean Cowries, and Cantharuses.
Pear Whelks in the back right, and a connected Sunray Venus by itself.
This jar contains Murices (plural for Murex). These are all Apple Murex here.
This tray with black sand shows off some Coral bits we've collected, along with Shark Eyes (aka Moon Snails).
More of the Sunray Venus in the back, and True Tulips in the front. Related to Banded Tulips, they lack the strong black lines, but grow to be much bigger.
The two shells on the left are not from Florida. The jar contains Chestnut Turbans (which are common, but they're just so cute!).
Our Lacy Murex collection.
A couple whelks. These were not found in Florida.
Zack has a YouTube channel called Frequently Fishing. Yes, it's a dig at Occasional Fishing because he goes much more frequently that me. For his 21st birthday, Jean made a compendium of fishing photos through his entire life and turned it into a book, seen in the back. The Angel Wings are on the left (delicate, usually broken), and the glass tray displays an assortment of Horse Conchs, which get HUGE (these are all juveniles).
I told you Horse Conchs get big. That's one in the front center. On the sides are Whelks (not from Florida). In the back, from left to right, are: Cross-Barred Venus, fossil shark teeth, Jingles, Atlantic Augers, and Sundials.
Jean made a beautiful display of Sand Dollars by pinning them to a board. The bowls contain, from top to bottom: Buttercup Lucines, Spiny Jewel Boxes, and Sea Urchins.
One of Jean's favorites, the Crown Conch lines the top. True Tulips (too large for the jar displays) are in the middle shelf, and a lone Sea Biscuit is at the bottom (the only survivor we managed to bring back from the Bahamas).
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