PHOTO PROVIDED

In a team effort, Katherine Kruse, her mother Amber Kruse and her friend Amy Ledenbach, all of La Porte, Indiana, found a junonia on Jan. 18 at about 2:45 p.m. at the Blind Pass Beach on Sanibel. They were shelling when Amber Kruse wanted to walk farther so they did. Ledenbach then decided to get back in the water and within a few minutes spotted the junonia. She attempted to catch it with her net, but missed the shell. Katherine Kruse took one for the team and dove for it, coming up with the prize — scraped-up knee and all. “We were hugging, jumping and shaking with excitement! This brought the biggest smiles to our faces. The thrill of the hunt. It was like the clouds parted and a ray of sunlight shined through,” Ledenbach said. “A dolphin even swam by while we were celebrating.” The trio have visited Sanibel and Captiva numerous times a year since they fell in love with the islands in 2012. Ledenbach added that they cannot wait to come back to the paradise where their souls are at peace. To report a shell find, contact 239-472-1587 or trepecki@breezenewspapers.com.