Chesapeake Bay > Sidebars > Marsh Periwinkle
Marsh periwinkle (Littorina irrorata)

Marsh Periwinkle

Climbing the stalks of saltmarsh cordgrass and clinging to rocks at Point Lookout is the common and abundant snail of wetlands, the marsh periwinkle (Littorina irrorata). About 1 inch long, the algae-eating periwinkle lays eggs that hatch into larvae, which then develop into small snails during summer.


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