Linear view vs. Masonry View

Flotation Device

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Violet Sea Snail, Padres Island National Seashore, Texas June 2019

A couple weeks ago I found my first few Violet Sea Snails (Janthina janthina) on the shores of Mustang Island. Just this past week I came across some that still had their bubble rafts attached. They spend their entire lives bobbing upside down on the ocean’s surface, suspended by their floats.

FYI – they can really stink up your car if you forget to remove your bag of them overnight during a humid summer in south Texas. Just sayin’…

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Antithesis

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At a distance, they may look similar. Up close the two couldn’t be more opposite. The top item is a bit of yellow plastic twine that is often found on the beaches of Mustang Island. It is immediately scooped up and placed in my trash bag.

While it looks like electrical wiring, the tangled mess at the bottom of the photo is a bundle of Colorful Sea Whip (Leptogorgia virgulata). Though there are several different hues of soft coral (including purple, red, and white), yellow is the one I most commonly see washed ashore. I leave the sea whip in place so it can cycle nutrients back to the sand.
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Hatchling Release

 

Sunrise
On the Way
Awkward on Land
Almost There
Into the Surf
Goodbye Wave
Protective Net to Thwart Gulls
Empty Nest
Sea Turtle Volunteers
Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Close-up

I was fortunate to attend the first hatchling release of the summer on Friday morning. My friend, Lindy, and I drove down before dawn to Padre Island National Seashore. Shortly after sunrise, the team released 58 adorable Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys kempii). They came from a nest that was laid on April 27th. In an effort to help this critically endangered species recover, all the eggs are removed from nests as soon as they are found and relocated to a protected hatchery.

It took about an hour for all of the babies to make it into the water. There is a reason the hatchlings aren’t just tossed into the sea. It is important that the turtles crawl their way across the sand towards the sun as part of their imprinting. Breeding females will later return to their home beach to lay their eggs. The small creatures slipped into the waves while weighing less than an ounce. The ranger affectionately referred to the tiny turtles as Oreos with flippers. It is estimated that only 1 in 1,000 will reach maturity. Best of luck little ones!

 

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Beautiful Swimmers

Sadly, the swimming days of these Blue Crabs (Callinectes sapidus) that I found on Mustang Island yesterday are long over. Even in death the colors are so very striking which works well with the first part of their scientific name, as callinectes is a Greek combo meaning beautiful swimmer. The second part, sapidus, is Latin for savory.

I have yet to try them but I do know they are a favorite food of the Whooping Cranes which winter down here. Based on the blue with orange tips coloration of the claw, the lone body part was from a male. While the full crab was a female, sporting orange claws with purple (fuchsia) tips.

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