New critter adventure…

I spent hours roaming the beach yesterday before a storm rolled in during the afternoon, and loved every minute of it. “But there is nothing unusual about that,”you say, “you always enjoy the beach.” What made yesterday extra special was that I met not one, but four different critters that I had not yet had the pleasure of making acquaintance. All of these will be added to the appropriate critter pages.

018Almost as soon as I started walking I ran into this fella, that looks to me like an exceptionally large Kirby cucumber. Yes, I’ve seen many boomerang shaped Lined (Green) Sea Cumbers, but this is a Hairy (Brown) Sea Cucumber, which can be elongated or almost spherical. I have never found an elongated one, and the round ones I have found have all been surf worn and smooth. This one still retains bumps from the tube feet that cover the entire body in life. Sea cucumbers live in shallow burrows an shallow water and are often washed up after rough weather, which makes sense with stormy weather we have had of late. Continue reading

Since when do Blue Crabs have tails?

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You are walking along the beach when you spy a dead crab on the sand, and being the curious sort, you stop and have a look. You can tell it is a Blue Crab from the color and shape, and you can tell it is female from the red tipped claw. But wait, what is that sticking out behind? Since when do Blue Crabs have tails? Hmmm…it kinda, sorta looks like an itty bitty lobster tail. Continue reading

Sex (?!) on the beach…

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Last night was the new moon and the new moon means spring tides.  Tides are tied (groan) to the lunar cycle, with the highest (and lowest) tides happening every 14 days, at the new and full moons. These large tide swings is referred to as a spring tides. But why is this important you ask? Because Horseshoe Crabs are exceptionally numerous on our beaches during their spring spawning season that runs from March through June, and it is during the spring tides that the mama crabs venture onto the beaches en masse to deposit their eggs in the sand. Continue reading

Mitchelville Beach Walk, March 26, 2016

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Oysters and muscles nestled in the Spartina Grass.

I hope y’all had a wonderful Easter. I spent the day waiting for the rain to stop. And it didn’t. On the upside, I spent a delightful evening with a friend and her three granddaughters “playing beach collection.” It was like a beach program, but with my living room floor filling in for the part of the beach. I hope I didn’t bore them too terribly, but they seemed happy when they left with their bags of goodies. Continue reading

The best for last…

052-768x1024It’s here, spring break is finally upon us and I cannot wait to be back on the island tomorrow. This will be the last weekly featured page in honor of Spring Break 2016 and for this occasion I have saved the very best. Read about Mitchelville Beach and then come join me at my favorite place on the island. AND, if you happen to be on the island between March 24  and April 2 give me a shout.