Little Hickory Bonita FL

 This past weekend we drove 35 minutes from Sanibel to Little Hickory Beach in Bonita Springs, Florida in search of seashells.

Little Hickory Florida shells

 Walking north to the pass from the public parking lot (a bargain price of $2 for 2 hours) only took about 15 minutes to find loads of FIGHTING CONCHS.

bonita florida seashells

 After a few minutes more, Clark found a SAND DOLLAR…

sand dollar bonita florida

 I couldn’t get over how many MOSSY ARKS were washed up on the beach mixed in with a few pieces of CORAL and my fave of all faves… WORM SHELLS! They were only tips of WORMIES but any piece is a good piece in my book.

mossy ark coral worm shell

 I don’t think I have ever seen so many MOSSY ARKS in one place on any beach before so I gathered a few together to show you exactly what they look like.

Mossy Arks

I know, I know…. not the prettiest of shells but I don’t see them all that often on Sanibel so I was intrigued with them.

Mossy Ark bivalves

 Did I read your mind and know that it reminds you of another shell? It looks like  the TURKEY WING! The TURKEY WING and the MOSSY are both ARK shells so they are very similar but unfortunately, I think the MOSSY ARK got the short end of the stick when it comes to looks. ;( Here’s a comparison so you can see them side by side. The TURKEY WING is on the left…

mossy ark turkey wing interior

 Oops! I switched them in this next exterior photo, the MOSSY ARK is now on the left in this photo. You can now see how similar they are!

mossy ark turkey wing

 We had a wonderful day walking the beach and seeing different shells and the beautiful SANDWICH TERNS  and BLACK SKIMMERS…

sandwich terns black skimmer

 Along with the SAND DOLLAR, sweet Clark gave me a yellow DAISY that he found on the beach…

clark rambo flower

We weren’t the only ones who enjoyed the beautiful day in Little Hickory…

young child on beach shells

 Okay, while we are on the subject of Bonita Beach, I have to show you an article about iLoveShelling.com that was published in Coastal Life magazine of the News Press. Weehoo! Click on the logo to read it!

News-press Coast Life logo