Blue button jellyfish washing up on Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Photo contributed by Melissa Bell. Click to enlarge photo.
For the past week or so I’ve been getting quite a few reports of thousands of blue button jellyfish washing up on the beaches from Jacksonville to Daytona Beach. According to most reports, these jellies do not normally sting, but I’ve had one report that a person believed she was stung by one. I consider that report unconfirmed at this point as she did not respond to follow-up questions.
If you’ve handled any of them or had any of them brush against you, let me know if you felt any stinging or not. It is possible that a few people might be particularly sensitive to them. Generally they are considered harmless to humans.
Close up of blue button jellyfish (Porpita) found on Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Copyright Melissa Bell.
