Edisto Beach, SC

“Porter, are these barnacles?” I ask my animal-obsessed boy.

“The white and grey ones are, but the black things you see there are clams. Look a little closer and maybe take a photo with your telephoto lens. There are tiny little suction cups at the bottom to help them stay on – even in big storms. And don’t worry! Stepping on them will NOT crack the shells. The shells are super powerful, only a certain type of snail can break through and drill a hole in to get the meat, well, muscle…….” (on and on for about 10 more minutes).

Needless to say I learned quite a lot and when we were at the pier a few days later and saw much bigger clams, I knew exactly what I was looking at.