February Winner is.....

GARY CRUMB

Gary, please reply and give me your address so I can send your Norwegian blue mussel pearl! Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who participated. I love sharing my natural pearls.

Do you know what this is?

While visiting my daughter last week, who lives a few blocks from the Atlantic Ocean, I found this on the beach. I couldn't tell if it was plant or animal and assumed it was some sort of seed pod from a plant, since it rattled like there were dried seeds inside, but an internet search brought the truth to light.

This is the egg case string of the knobbed whelk, Busycon carica. Note how the edge of each capsule is flattened, like a sturdy coin. Now, maybe all of you already knew that, but it was news to me. Read more about whelk egg cases here on this delightful blog, "Backyard & Beyond".

Since natural pearls come from any type of mollusk, I thought this would be an interesting tidbit of useful information.

My husband & I are off to the fascinating country of Mexico in a few minutes. Adios!