Scientific Name: Littorina littorea
Native Range: Atlantic Europe
Invasive Range: Coastal North America
Habitat: Intertidal. Often found on rocky shores, pilings, and rock jetties
Pick periwinkles off rocks, out of tide pools, or around seaweed during low tide.
Gather the largest living snails (if touched, they should retract inside their shells).
Scrub thoroughly in cold water to remove sand, algae, and grit.
First appearing in New England in the 1860s, periwinkles are now found along the coast wherever there’s hard substrate–rocks, riprap, broken concrete, or docks—from Labrador to Maryland and along the West Coast. About the diameter of a quarter, the snail can be recognized by the blunt shape of its shell and a white inner lip. When disturbed, it retreats into its shell.
