Nature facts from NC and a few photos.
Recently Auntie's NCRGEA (North Carolina Retired Government Employee's Association)
monthly magazine arrived. It always has some fun puzzles etc in it. This month it was
A Fall 2024 Word Search
"All Things North Carolina"
They wrote a sentence with facts about NC things then you had to find it.
I'll be sharing them this month
Today I'm sharing two
1. State Sea Shell aka Sea Snail
The Scotch Bonnet was designated the state shell in 1965. The shape of the shell is also said to resemble the traditional Scottish wood bonnet called Tam o 'Shanter
A few facts from website
The shell is egg-shaped and fairly large, 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) in maximum dimension, with a regular pattern of yellow, orange or brown squarish spots. The surface sculpture of the shell is highly variable: the surface can be smooth and polished, have grooves, be granulated, or even be nodulose on the shoulder of the whorls.
Have you ever wondered about the 5 slits in a Sand dollar?
The five oblong holes, known as lunules and reflected in the skeletons, let water pass through them to reduce the lifting pressure of the current. The holes also let sand pass through and help them disappear into the bottom faster. When they die and wash ashore, their skeletons become works of art
Bonus photo of my sea shell and sand dollar collection
Any beachcomber who finds Sand Dollars along their stroll considers it a lucky omen! They aren't likely to be found on many beaches, but there are several spots around the United States where you'll find them.
I adore sand dollars. Thirty + years ago, I was fortunate to find four whole sand dollars at Atlantic Beach.
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2. State Marsupial
In 2013 when the General Assembly was selecting North Carolina's State Marsupial, it was easy since the Virginia Opossum is the only marsupial in the State. *Read below photo why it is called Virginia
Few facts from NC wildlife site.
*The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), also known as the North American opossum, is a member of the opossum family found from southern Canada to northern Costa Rica (making it the northernmost marsupial in the world). Commonly referred to simply as the possum,[7] it is a solitary nocturnal animal about the size of a domestic cat, and a successful opportunist.
Feline Friday Flash back with a bit of sparkle
Madi November 15, 2016
Hari Om
ReplyDeleteHmm, bit of a stretch on the Tam o'Shanter but it's a mighty fine shell! Love your collection, and I don't recall ever seeing the shot of Madi before... it's 😍 YAM xx
Like our friend Yam, we are struggling to see the Scotch bonnet/Tam o'Shanter likeness, but enjoyed the State Sea Shell and State Marsupial photos nonetheless!
ReplyDeleteoooh the diva on her throne... we sadly have no sand dollars here, just oysters... is that a lucky thing too? they smell not reelly like happiness LOL
ReplyDeleteInteresting info on the shell and the sand dollar.
ReplyDeleteAngel Madie wasn't that perfect light for that photo. I absolutely love possums and my husband thinks I'm nuts because I think they're actually cute. Breaks my heart when I see him dead on the road. And I do have some North Carolina shells that my hubby brought home to me the last time he went to visit folks in Richlands and drove down to the ocean.
ReplyDeleteSand dollars are so pretty. Mom found one a lot of years ago but we don't know where it is now :( They say the possums are moving further north with the climate change and we think it is true. We have seen a lot of them and we never used to see them at all. Sadly they are mostly dead on the side of the road.
ReplyDeletePossums look so cute. Interesting facts from the magazine.
ReplyDeleteWe love learning about your state shell and marsupial. Who would think to have a state marsupial. Lucky for the possum they were the only one. We love that Madi flash back too.
ReplyDeleteMother had a huge collection of shells, every room in the house had them somewhere. she grew up here in Palmetto where I live and on our beaches and when she was a child the shells were very common, when I was a child they still were, but now not so much.. there were so many sand dollars on the beach when I was young that we did not even bother to pick them up. shells were big dollar sales back in my days. Mother had lamps full of them, jars, vases, and even lining her book shelves. I like your collection best because they are tidy and in pretty containers. Have you listened to the ocean in your shells?
ReplyDeleteMadi sparkling is an awesome photo ~ 'Steals the Show.' ~ hugs,
ReplyDeleteHugs to you and Angel Madi ~ ^_^
Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
clm ~ A ShutterBug Explores ~
aka (A Creative Harbor)
Sea shells are so pretty and sand dollars are amazing. Such a wonderful photo of Angel Madi.
ReplyDeleteNot surprisingly we are all into shells and shark teeth. The Scotch Bonnet looks very familiar :) We have a whole of shark teeth in glass containers around the house. SSNS Mom collected most of them. Sand Dollars are magical but I have not personally found one. We find possums amusing and adorable. Like others have mentioned sad to see them dead on the side of the road.
ReplyDeleteMadi's flashback is awesome. Just noticed your watermark on Madi's photo... cute!
We have 2 sand dollars that were given to us by a blogging buddy who lived in Washington state and she found them in the Pacific Ocean. The Scotch Bonnet is so pretty and we love sparkling Madi!
ReplyDeleteDearest Cecilia,
ReplyDeleteFond Madi memory and she sure reigned at HER home!
Possums are cute and I don't fear them. Had one once inside our garage.
Did post about it 13 years ago...https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2011/11/possum-encounter.html
Hugs,
Mariette + Kitties
wavez two ewe madi ‼️‼️🧡💛🤎 pleaz ta tell yur mom, de gurl haz both typez
ReplyDeleteoh shellz in de houz..total lee awesum…tho de possum ree manez…out side..thanx mew kind lee 😺😺😺😺
I rarely, if ever, saw sand dollars while o the East coast...but on our beached in Northy North Califonia during the Fall and Winter, they were everywhere!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing some of your state nature!
hugs,
Beth
madi…sew…me commint went ta spam, washed out ta see…ore de pozzum ate it…pick one 😾😾😾
ReplyDeleteOH I love the sea shell collection. I used to have one but Dad threw it out cleaning my room while I was up with my fave aunt for a month!
ReplyDeleteI love your collection of shells and so interesting about the sand dollar and the opossum. The sparkle on Madi’s photo, loved it, a very special photo indeed.
ReplyDeleteMom always loved collecting seashells at the seashore when she was young. Her family spent a lot of time in the summer along the shores of MA, CT, and RI. The sand dollar history was nice to hear. And of course, we always love seeing Angel Madi.
ReplyDeleteWoos - Misty and Timber
Interesting post about the shells and sand dollars. And I love seeing Angel Madi. XO
ReplyDeleteVery interesting
ReplyDeletePretty shell. I like the sand dollars too. I'm not sure if we have them on our coast.
ReplyDeleteThe shells are pretty and I have rarely found a sand dollar, usually a very tiny one, at Perdido Key, Florida, where we used to get to go on vacation each year.
ReplyDeletePossums aren't always so pretty as the one in the picture, Coda cornered one once and it looked fierce!
Angel Madi was always beautiful, thank you for linking up with Feline Friday and putting up with my irregular visits and comments, work takes so much of my time it's hard to keep up with everyone.
We love seeing Madi shining. We stayed at an Air B and B in the mountains near Helen GA this September and the cutest little possum came up on the porch late at night and ate the cat food left out by the B&B owner.
ReplyDelete