Seashells of New England

Children are naturally interested in the things which they find on the beach, and will love learning to identify them by name.

Common Periwinkle Shell. The periwinkle is a marine snail and is edible, but they are so tiny it would take a lot of patience to make a meal out of them.

Conch Shell. I used to be fascinated by the conch egg cases which we would find at Virginia Beach when I was little. The dried egg case is a plant-like golden yellow stem with pods full of wee baby conchs attached. The conch fixes her egg case to a heavy rock to hold it underwater. We saw one this summer about three feet under water, with the conch mother close by.

Quahog Clam Shell. Quahog is an American Indian name. Small quahogs are called cherry stones.

Slipper Shell. Some people use the slipper shell meat as bait for fishing. I like to whistle on the empty shells. See "How To Whistle on an Acorn Cap" for instructions. Click on the title of this post to go right to the instructions.

Eastern Oyster Shell. I love the way oysters from different areas taste different, and the way each shell looks so unique.

Razor Clam. Razor clams are the sprint diggers of the beach. They are edible, if you can catch them.

Blue Mussel Shell. These are delicious to eat.

Ribbed Mussel. These are supposedly not edible, though we ate some before we realized that.

Sea Scallop Shell. I love the variety of color and pattern.

These are Jingle Shells, or Mermaid's Toenails!