Michelle Clark, ALHS, SFR
Accredited Luxury Home Specialist | Broker/Realtor
910.367.9767 | mclark@intracoastalrealty.com
Kelly Strickland, Broker/Realtor | 910.612.6537
Linda Woods, Broker/Realtor | 910.233.8900
Susan Snider, Broker/Realtor | 910.622.4394
Irene Hathaway, Broker/Realtor | 910.612.0940
$1,889,000
112-B S Lumina Ave.
Soundfont & Large Slip/Lift
$1,495,000
3 W. Asheville St.
Unbelievable Water Views!
$2,650,000
547 S. Lumina Ave.
Stunning Ocean Front!
$719,000
200 N. Lumina Ave.
Adorable Beach Cottage
$2,199,000
502 N. Channel Drive
Waterfront & Private Pier
$599,000
5 Oak Landing
Lovely Home & Boat Slip
THE BOYETTE LAW FIRM
616 Princess Street, Wilmington • (910) 251-9213 • www.BoyetteLaw.com
G eannine M. Boyette and her associate, Ryanne E. Drogos, practice in the areas of
Domestic and Criminal Law, dealing with issues such as child custody and support,
spousal support, equitable distribution and divorce, DWI, and criminal and traffic
violations. Geannine also devotes a fair share of her practice to defending individuals against
the Department of Social Services. According to Geannine, “One of the things that is unique
about our firm is that we remain sensitive to the fact that our clients are being asked to make
decisions about important and often complex issues while under tremendous emotional
distress. As a result, we are able to more effectively meet their needs.”
28
WBM september 2012
predators including bluefish, flounder and
a freckled cousin of the blue crab called
the speckled crab.
In addition to avoiding predators, kil-lifish
sometimes have to cope with being
stranded on sand if they miscalculate a
wave. As with all fish, killifish get their
oxygen from water, but they are able to
survive short periods exposed to air, as
long as it’s not too hot. In shallow water
you can try to catch one with your hands,
but be prepared to be outsmarted. When
a killifish perceives grave danger from
predators, including human hands, it will
burrow into the sand. A sharp eye can
locate where it is hiding, but this plucky
little animal is prepared to squirm away
from whatever tries to catch it.
The name killifish is derived from a
Dutch word for shallow water or stream,
and it is not surprising that this finger-sized
fish is also very common in the
tidal creeks behind Wrightsville Beach.
There they ply the water’s edge in search
of tiny crustaceans including copepods
and amphipods, along with insect larvae,
especially mosquito larvae. As previously
noted, killifish are in turn eaten by larger
predators in the marsh waters including
flounder and blue crabs. Because killifish
are at home in shallow water they are
commonly seen swimming amid patches
of cordgrass during a flood high tide.
Out on the beach, killifish and other
small surf-zone fish are hunting little ani-mals
living amid the sand grains, includ-ing
tiny worms and the larvae of crabs
and shrimp. Just as soil in a forest or yard
is home to many millions of creatures too
small to see without a magnifying glass,
so too does sand at the beach support a
diverse community of miniscule plants
and animals, all making their living under
bare feet and beach towels. Most of the
animals are in damp sand where ocean
water provides them with oxygen and
keeps them cool. Most go unnoticed by
humans but not by killifish and other eat-ers
of tiny things.
The surf zone is also populated by
groups of sand-colored, egg-shaped mole
crabs, another crustacean and a cousin
of the amphipod, kin to shrimp and lob-sters.
If you catch one up in your hands