Reaching for what I think is a blue plastic bag in the shoreline wrack, Juana yells, “Stop!” She spots what I don’t, which are a mass of stinging tentacles. It’s not a bag. It’s a Portuguese Man-of-War—a nasty, stinging jellyfish.
These seemingly benign floaters come in on the tide and wind resting on the shoreline unable to move. They blend in well with trash that litters the wrack making their detection difficult. That is why I always wear sandals as I invariably step on a few during our beach walks. Their pop reminds me of a misstep.
