WEEKEND AT THE BEACH, LEWES, DELAWARE: Sun, Sand and Nature

Beach at Cape Henlopen State Park, Lewes, Delaware.

As gentle waves lapped the shore of Delaware Bay in Lewes, Delaware. gulls skwawked overhead, children flew kites and built sandcastles, and beach goers enjoyed the water and fresh air. It was Labor Day weekend and the weather was perfect. We were in Lewes for a family reunion. During our stay we took several walks on the beach and along the paths in nearby Cape Henlopen State Park. As always, we had our eye out for birds and other wildlife. Here is some of what we saw.

All along the water's edge, we watched shorebirds foraging for food. Delaware is on the Eastern Flyway of North America, followed by millions of birds on their annual migrations. 

Laughing gull (juvenile).

Semipalmated plover.

Ring-billed gull.

Besides birds, we also found the remains of both blue crabs and hermit crabs that had washed up along the shore.

Atlantic blue crab.

Hermit crabs. The long tail is called a telson. The crabs come on shore on warm summer nights to mate and lay eggs.

I wrote about hermit crabs in my book Living Fossils: Clues to the Past but had never seen them in person. I was thrilled to find them on the beach at Lewes. Horseshoe crabs have been around for a long time. "One hundred and fifty thousand years ago, a horseshoe crab crawled onto the shore of a shallow lagoon in what is now southern Germany and searched for worms and shellfish in the damp sand. Nearby, dinosaurs preyed on insects and small animals, and lizards sat in the sun. In the air, winged reptiles soared and one of the earliest birds, archaeopteryx, flapped its wings."

The dinosaurs and winged reptiles are long gone. We only know about them from their fossil remains, but horseshoe crabs are still with us, changed little from ancient times. They are living fossils. 

Jellyfish are also ancient creatures. One afternoon we found dozens of them washed up on the sand. Some were nearly ten inches in diameter. We had to be careful not to step on them. Some jellyfish can give a nasty sting, although the moon jellyfish usually does not.

Moon jellyfish (Aurelia sp.)

Cape Henlopen State Park.

We also visited Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes, formerly a military site, and now a place for public recreation. As well as a large public beach, the park has a campground and many trails for walkers, joggers and bikers. We took a path from the parking lot at Herring Point that went through coastal woodland and tidal wetlands.

On our walk we followed well-marked level paths through the woodland and across the marsh. 

View from the bridge. The marshland seems to go on forever.

Goldenrod along the path.

We thoroughly enjoyed our three days at the beach and the chance to reune with our family and create new memories. We would love to go back someday.

On the path near our rental house over the dunes to Lewes beach.