Hurricane Irma hit Murrells Inlet as a tropical storm. The storm ended with lots of tornadoes coming inland from the ocean. At one point late in the night, there were ten tornadoes back-to-back.
Last night, we walked along the beach and found lots of conch shells. People gathered large bags of shells. This morning I walked along the beach and found lots of starfish. Marine scientists want to change the name to sea star because it's technically not a fish. The starfish is an echinoderm which is related to sand dollars and sea urchins. There are over two thousand species of sea stars. Most only have five arms but there are some species with even forty arms.
One unique quality of the sea star is its ability to regenerate limbs or sometime entire bodies from a severed limb. It's able to do this because most of their vital organs are located in their arms.
I felt sorry for so many starfish. I didn't know how long they could last on the sand. So, I began to find ways to return them to the water. It turns out I wasn't the only one concerned. There were other adults and even some homeschool children returning the starfish to the water.
Did it help? I don't know. But we felt like we were doing something beneficial.
Genesis 1:21 ESV So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Wow! What great finds, Jackie. I don't think I've ever seen a star fish during a beach walk, only sand dollars.
ReplyDeleteThere were so many that strangers stopped to discuss it with each other.
DeleteI try to throw them back if they are still moving. These are really unique. Thanks for sharing. I bet all those tornadoes were scary. Glad you are okay.
ReplyDeleteBlessings
I was intrigued by how many different colors and designs I saw on the starfish.
DeleteI love searching for shells. Sounds like a good time to be at the shore.
ReplyDeleteI first found a starfish when in third grade. I picked it up and my dad was going to take a photo, but it broke off at the leg. Apparently that's self-defense to get away from danger.
Hi Terri, what a neat memory. I was an adult before I ever saw a live starfish.
DeleteGreat post! That reminds me of a story on my wall about starfish. The gist of it was this: A little boy was walking along the beach filled with hundreds of starfish. He picked one up at a time and tossed it back into the ocean. A man came along and scolded the boy. "There are hundreds of star fish and only one of you. You can't save them all. Do you really think you can make a difference?" The little boy looked at him before tossing another starfish into the water and said, "I made a difference to that one." Then went back to picking up starfish. The actual story was a little more elaborate and the point was made a little better. It was given to a bunch us teachers after a conference to encourage us to make a difference in the lives of each child we touch. I'm glad you made a difference to so many starfish. :)
ReplyDeleteLeAnne, I love this story. Very inspirational! Thanks for sharing!
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