You may have spotted some unusual-looking blue blobs washed up on Mendocino or Humboldt County beaches. They look like jellyfish, but they are actually called
Velella-velella or by-the-wind sailors and have been reported up and down the coast as far north as Del Norte County and as far South as San Diego. Wind conditions this
spring have blown them ashore by the thousands. Eventually, they dry up and look like blue or white cellophane wrappers and feed shorebirds and other sand-dwellers. They
aren’t harmful to people, but if your dog chews on one, the dog may get a stinging mouth or upset stomach–so keep Fido away.