This past week has been very windy with the fronts coming thru. I decided to check the beaches I frequent the most here in the Florida Keys.
There were many man-of-war floating in the water, on shore there were by the wind sailors and blue buttons (Porpita) washed up. Searching thru the line of grass and sargassum along the tideline I started to see small rafts of bubbles underneath were still live Janthina snails. Picking them up they stained my hands purple. They were numerous the most I'd ever collected at one time.
After I got them home and cleaned them up there were 3 species Janthina janthina the most common, followed by Janthina pallida, and much less common Janthina globosa. These were collected at Boca Chica Key.
A few days later I checked the beaches at Ohio Key, and Rest Beach here on Key West. All had Janthina washed up. A great experience.
Andy Borgia,
Key West, FL