Black Sandshell Mussel

Description:

Ligumia recta is a species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusk in the family Unionidae, the river mussels. This species is found in eastern North America.

Habitat:

Fresh Water Lakes.

Notes:

If you look closely you will see a group of Black Sandshell Mussels, and their trails. While on vacation in Cadillac we visited my favorite sand bar in the lake of Lake Mitchell, it’s beautiful, about 4 ft deep, sunny and warm, with very little vegetation, which makes it the perfect place to go, what I like to call, "clamming". We do not eat the clams we catch, instead, we take them back to our cabin and release them just off the shore. This past year we captured and released over 40 clams total. We enjoy releasing them during the evening, and watching them create there trails at night, we view them by shining them with a flash light, in the morning, beautiful trails are present, and the majority of the clams have buried themselves. It is fun for everyone, adults and children alike. The best part of clamming is catching some sun, and using the paddle boat on the way out to get them. Can't wait until next year, I will make it a point to take plenty of pictures of our catch and their habitat.