Glittering blue creatures are washing up on California beaches. Here's why

Professional photographer Emily Scher told NPR she came across tens of thousands of glittering Velella velella on a stretch of sand between Zuma and Broad beaches in Malibu, Calif.

Hundreds of thousands of Velella velella, more commonly known as by-the-wind-sailors, are drifting onto the coastline. Beachcombers say they look like "blue diamonds strewn across the beach."

(Image credit: Emily Scher)