Junonia found on Captiva
Kenley Holmestad, 9, of International Falls, Minnesota, found a junonia on April 11 on Turner Beach on Captiva. She was walking the beach with her father, Cody Holmestad, and 5-year-old brother, Kacen Holmestad, when a wave washed up the shell and Kenley picked it up. Her mother, Jessica Holmestad, reported that the family was shelling on Sanibel and Captiva for the day and Turner Beach was their stop. There were many shells piled up along the rocks, but they decided to walk the beach first to see what they could find. Holmestad added that her family has been to the area a few times before, so they were looking for shells that looked different or that they did not have. “We didn’t have any knowledge of rare shells, but had a plan to keep anything that looked different or that we didn’t already have,” she said. A few days after Kenley found the junonia, the family learned that it is a “crown jewel” that everyone hunts for. To report a shell find, contact 239-472-1587 or trepecki@breezenewspapers.com.