Pam Rambo Worm Shell Mirror frame Sanibel Island

WORM SHELLS don’t follow any rules of symmetry or structure as they twist and stretch in all kinds of crazy ways doin’ their own thang- that’s why I love them so much. No two are alike!

Oodles of whimsical worm shells

That’s also why I love to use them in art projects like this one I made with over 1000 WORM SHELLS…

Worm Shell Mirror GM

And for locks of mermaid hair in our Anshellina sculpture.

Mermaid sculpture with worm shell hair

And for smaller frames (CLICK HERE to learn how I made this one and more)…

pam rambo worm shell frame

In Southwest Florida, we have a few different kinds of WORM SHELLS that wash up on our beaches although I never really think about their differences… Im just always thrilled to find any WORM SHELL but I think it’s time I show you the differences.

Here are the 3 varieties of WORM SHELLS we have in our area. In the next photo from left to right… VARIABLE WORM SHELL, FARGO WORM SHELL, FLORIDA WORM SHELL

Petaloconchus varians Variable worm rock Vermicularia fargoi fargo knorrii florida worm shell

You’ve seen me post WORM SHELLS a million times but I don’t think I ever even say “FARGO WORM SHELL”. I always think “WORMIE!” so who cares what kind- haha. So yes, this is the FARGO WORM SNAIL – Vermicularia fargoi – which comes in many various color forms.

Vermicularia fargoi Forgo Worm snail shell color forms

These little cutie shellooties are the FLORIDA WORM SHELL – Vermicularia knorrii – (or KNORR’S WORM SNAIL). Look at those sweet little white tips!

Vermicularia knorrii Florida worm snail shell color forms

Just so you can see the differences in size of the FARGOs and FLORIDAs…

Vermicularia fargoi and knorrii color forms and sizes

WORM SHELLS are even fun when they are broken too. Sanibel local sheller Cherry uses them to make wooden plaques with her granddaughters’ names on them… Ella and Grace.

seashell and wood sign

These are THE cutest!!!

seashell name wall hanging sign

There’s another type of WORM SHELL… the VARIABLE WORM SHELL- Petaloconchus varians. This is the one I call WORM ROCK because it really doesn’t look like a snail shell but instead it looks like a big ol’ hunk of rock or dark CORAL. Theses snails can grow into large colonies which look similar to CORAL REEF structures.

Petaloconchus varians Variable worm snail shell colonies

The wonderful, whimsical world of WORM SHELLS. Be still my heart.

Whimsical wonderful world of worm shells

PS- To see all of the different places that we’ve found WORM SHELLS and more photos of them, CLICK HERE and scroll down through all of the pages of posts.

Come with me on a Shelling Adventure and maybe we will find some together.

pam rambo shelling trips