Blue button photographed on the white quartz sands of Cape San Blas, Florida.
Below is a table showing all of the sightings of blue buttons (Porpita porpita) reported to me via emails by my website and blog visitors. As you can see, I get reports of sightings from all over the world, but mainly from Florida and Texas. I’ve been seeing an increase in reports from North Carolina and a few from South Carolina. I can’t say whether this trend is indicative of an increase in sightings, or whether Google has made it easier to find me in the search results, thereby causing me to get more reports. If you’d like to report a sighting to me, contact me via email [beachhunter(at)beachhunter.net], or leave a comment at the bottom of this article, and report the following items: date of sighting, city and state where sighting occurred, and name of beach if known.
Blue Button in shallow water in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Photo contributed by Ashley in 2009.
Blue buttons washing ashore in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Photo contributed by Ashley in 2009.
Close-up of a blue button. Photo contributed by Jim Smith. Isn't this beautiful?
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Husband and I saw these ‘blue buttons’ for the first time
this year in the Maldives. Out of a two week holiday in January we
saw these on two of the days we were there. Another day we had
broken up crabs for a whole day swept up on the beach. Is there an
explanation for that???
Interesting. The crab parts were probably refuse from some kind of fishing boat. They most likely just washed in on the same current that brought in the blue buttons. Another possibility is that the crabs were congregating in one place as part of a mating ritual and were set upon by predators, creating lots of crab parts to wash up on a beach.
We saw 3 of the Blue Buttons on the beach at Destin, Fl. tonight.
My family and I spotted more then ten of the Blue Buttons on Mickler’s Beachfront Park. It was our first time seeing them.
On Monday, May 2nd, my husband and I saw 3 of these blue buttons on St. Augustine Beach. They were roughly 2 inches wide and washed up on shore.
I saw 3 of these one on the shore 2 in th water at fort clinch state park on May 10th 2011.
Thanks Richard!
We saw the blue button (3) and man of war (2) at jacksonville Beach, Fl on May 10, 2011. Both are very beautiful!!!
My husband and I saw at least 30 or more of these yesterday! We are staying in Daytona Beach, FL. I thought for sure that they were some kind of poisonous jellyfish, but needless to say, I hear that they aren’t very poisonous and aren’t really jellyfish, but I was still shocked by the amount of them washing ashore!!! They really are kind of pretty too!
We had hundreds of Blue Buttons and 2 PMOW on South Jax Beach 5/12/11
My daughter and I were at Grayton Beach Park today in the gulf coast and we saw two. First time either of us had seen one, and we are frequent beach goers.
We just saw two in Destin, FL! Beautiful!
We saw two Blue Buttons today. Mirarmar Beach.
Spotted 5 of these today in Destin, Florida
We saw approximately 30 of the blue button jellyfish wash ashore today at Destin. It was so interesting. The kids were catching them back to back. Then all of a sudden, there were no more coming in. We had never seen them before. It was truly a spectacular sight!
Thanks Twillia! And thanks to everyone for taking the time to report your blue button sightings.
We saw two at Laguna Beach, FL at approximately 4:30 p.m on 5/31/11. I had never seen one before.
I saw a blue button jellyfish on Sunday May 29, 2011 at Destin, Fl beach shortly after I felt a sting on my arm. My 13 yr. old son captured the jelleyfish. It is May 31 and I now have a stran of raised itchy red welts on my arm.
I saw one in Destin, Fl and was wondering what kind of jelly it was.
I saw several of these Blue Button Jellyfish in hanging out in the water and washing ashore in Destin, FL May 29-31 2011.
In the evening on June 4th, we saw maybe 30-40 blue buttons washed up on the shore and in the water after dark in Panama City Beach. This was in a very short distance. Not knowing what they were, we cut our walk a little short and opted to enjoy the ocean and sky from a few feet back. They are pretty creatures though, and this is an interesting site!
On June 4, 2011 my husband and I went for a walk on Cresent Beach, Fl and there were 50+ blue button jellyfish washed up on shore. The 1st time that we had ever seen one, they are really pretty. We didn’t think that they were jellyfish until looking at your website. Most were dead and dried up, but a few of them were still moving. They are fragile creatures. What a site to see!
I was walking along ponte vedra beach in FL for around 30 minutes and saw over 35 of those little blue jellyfish!!! They were everywhere!!!!WOW!!!
My husband and I were in Cayo Largo Cuba in March 2011 and we saw a few Blue Button jellyfish. I took in my hand a took a picture which I will send you.
Lynne
We saw dozens of these beautiful jellies while boogie-boarding in Daytona Beach Shores on June 11,2011. Their sizes ranged from as small as the “o” on this page to about the size of a quarter. All of the sudden they were everywhere as the tide rolled in. Then, just as suddenly, they were gone. My son and I received a couple of tiny stings, but we tend to be particularly allergic anyway. My daughter touched one accidently without apparent injury. The are very delicate and striking. Never seen them before in 44 years of beachgoing in Florida. Intriguing!!
We saw dime sized ones yesterday in Santa Rosa Beach, Fl. We were at Ed Walline Park and it was just amazing to look at. We caught one and showed all the people on the beach, who were fascinated. It is like a supernatural work of art!
We saw 6 on the beach at sugar dunes but the center of the jelly fish was more pink than blue.
It’s June 27, 2010. We are located in the Dune Allen area of Santa Rosa Beach Florida. Just saw a bunch of blue buttons.
Thanks everyone for reporting your sightings!
Saw several in Panama City Beach, FL June 30-July 1st in the afternoon hours….around 4pm. Must not sting as a young boy kept stepping on them!
We were in Destin/Miramar Beach with our 2 grandsons, and saw a lot of these Blue Buttons on June 27th and 28th, washed up on the beach & in the water. On the 29th, the 7 yr. old, started itching on his back, belly/chest area. We were up for 2 nights,took him to a Dr. in Pigeon Forge, TN. A strong steroid shot helped for about 2 hours. We left Gatlinburg at 2:30 a.m. on Thursday, headed home. He rolled in the ocean for 2 days, & this Blue Button is the only thing we can come up with. Has this ever happened to anyone else? Thanks for the info!!
Cindy, I’ve not heard of this problem with blue buttons, but it is certainly possible. Some people are VERY sensitive to contact with even the mildest jellyfish. It is also possible that he was sensitive to something else in the water or in some seaweed that he may have come in contact with.
Thanks beachhunter for all the info…this is a great site! We’ve racked our brains about what it could have been to just have affected his chest/belly/back areas only…perplexing!! And, it was almost like nerve endings, the way he would jump or yell out suddenly! You would have thought it would have affected his legs and/or under the bathing suit area. He’s fine now, and that’s what matters. Thank you, again!!
Glad to hear he’s OK. I hear from people regularly who experience some sort of skin irritation, burning and itching, after swimming in the Gulf or Ocean, but can’t remember coming into contact with anything specific and being aware that it stung them. Usually a jellyfish sting causes immediate pain. But who knows.
I just saw a bunch of these in Panama City July 3rd and 4th. They were washing up on the shore quite regularly. I did a google search for it since I have never seen them and came across this site.
We just saw a few of these jellyfish here in Port Aransas, Texas. We have never seen them before. They are quite beautiful jellyfish I must say. We were able to spot them fairly fast due to their vibrant blue color.
We are at the state park on Galveston Island and counted at least 15
Blue Buttons today on the beach. I have been coming to the island all
Of my life and have never seen these before. Thanks for helping us
Figure out what they were.
Thanks for the report Janess!
1st time going to the beach and seen a ton of these jellyfish in Port Aransas, Texas. Had one get on my back but nothing has happened so far. Also have a picture of some on the beach if you need one.
Most people report that the blue buttons don’t sting. I have a ton of blue button photos, but I am interested in two types of photos: (1) very good close-ups, and (2) good photos showing large numbers of blue buttons on the beach, and (3) good photos showing blue buttons on the beach with other types of jellyfish. Send photos to beachhunter [at] beachhunter.net
Some of my relatives are staying on South Padre Island, Texas this weekend, and sent me a picture of 2 blue buttons they found on the beach Sunday, July 24. I sent the photo to your e-mail address last night.
Thanks Rob! And thanks to everyone for all the reports coming out of Texas over the weekend. I wish we’d get some blue buttons over here on the southwest coast of Florida.
Spotted several of the blue buttons on the beach and in the water in Galveston, TX near Terramar today. I have never seen this jellyfish ever in Galveston. I found your website when I was trying to identify what they were.
We saw a lot of blue buttons washing up and washed up on the beach of Mustang Island near Port Aransas, Texas today (Saturday, July 30, 2011).
It must have been a result of ‘almost hurricane’ Don which had the Gulf churned up. I also found this website while trying to identify what they were.
7-30-2011 spotted a couple of blue buttons in Seagrove, Fl., Santa Rosa Beach. Thank you for the great information!
We saw dozens of blue buttons Saturday at Mustang Island State Park. They seemed to only in specific areas of the beach and I would concur with Carolynn that they were probably the only thing that the wannabe storm Don produced.
Thanks for the report Eric!
My kids found a blue button today (8/6/11) at Bryan Beach, Texas (south of Quintana beach). I didn’t know what it was at the time, but figured it was some kind of jellyfish. Thanks for this site and all the info!
Video of it (and a hermit crab) here: http://youtu.be/RGv5b8-96UY
My kids and I just got back from a week in Matagorda Texas where we spent an entire week on the beach. We saw HUNDREDS of these cute little guys everyday! We saw the majority of them washed up on the shore, but also did see some in the water. They were quite small and beautifully colored but I didn’t know what they were until now.
July 11, 2011
Sunny Beach, Galveston Texas
While walking along the beach I noticed several blue circles in the sand. I picked them up with a stick and put them in a cup with beach water and they started to open up and move. The “body” was circular, some looked like a sand dollar or like a pearl and some were brownish. If I touched the blue feathery tentacles, they broke off. I stood in the water and finally found one floating and was able to scoop it up in a cup, intact. The colors in the tentacles are absolutely beautiful, like a peacock. The tide that day was swift (2 lows and 2 highs in one day). I have been going to the Galveston area beaches for 50 years and my mother for more than 80 years and we have never seen this before!
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