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Scotch Bonnet The preliminary sketch for this painting was done from a specimen provided by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh NC. I painted it in acrylic on acid-free brown matboard. North Carolina designated the Scotch Bonnet, Phalium granlatum, its official state shell in 1965. This sea snail is found on offshore sandy bottoms along the Atlantic coast from North Carolina to Brazil. The shell color is white or cream patterned with blocks of rusty red to light yellow that are the likely derivation for the common name of this species (a traditional tartan hat). Its shell can grow as large as four inches in length although adult size is often half that. Somewhat fragile, an intact Scotch Bonnet is a rare find for a beachcomber The original watercolor is in a private collection but limited edition prints and note cards are available Click here for availability and price.