A ribbon of barrier islands extends along Florida’s Gulf Coast, but one reigns as a popular favorite. Southwest of Ft. Myers, Sanibel Island offers an island paradise with spacious beaches, ...

SANIBEL ISLAND, Florida - I am not a collector, except on Sanibel. I have plastic bins in my basement and garage, filled with shells collected over the years on the beaches of this barrier island.

It’s a common scene along the Gulf coast: A stooped beachgoer straightens up, shell in palm, wondering, ‘What’s this?” Sometimes, the mollusk in question is still alive – maybe a fighting conch, a ...

There is one local snail that I would bet everyone who lives in coastal New England knows and loves: the common periwinkle. What young person hasn’t picked up a periwinkle from the beach and tried to ...