February 7, 2026

I am a Broad-tipped Conehead Katydid

My fastigia ("cone") is wider than it is long

Based on season and sex I can be brown or green

I rub my wings together to make a calling song.

Location: Walgreens, Roseland/Rte 1

Sources: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1115

Photo and text © 2026 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

February 6, 2026

[In memory of Catherine O'Hara]

We are a pair of Sandhill Cranes

Wandering about, we've nothing better to do

I feel like we are forgetting something...

Oops! I'm missing an egg or two!

(No eggs were harmed in the making of this blog entry... she got back to her nest before a predator did. Although I'm pretty sure I heard the mom yelling "KEVIN". )

Location: Micco Scrub

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sandhill_Crane/overview

Photo and text © 2026 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

February 5, 2026

I am known as a Pine Warbler

I body changes based upon what I eat

If I eat seeds, my gizzard's large and I digest slower

If I eat fruit, my intestines are long and I digest quickly.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pine_Warbler/overview

Full details in research paper on JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/316689

Photo and text © 2026 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

February 4, 2026

I am a Red-headed Woodpecker

Looking out of my nest hole
I'll nest in trees, 

Fence posts and buildings,

And even utility poles.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Melanerpes_erythrocephalus/

Photo and text © 2026 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

February 3, 2026

I am an American Kestrel

My population is in decline

After decades of research, the reasons aren't clear

For details, see the Peregrine Fund online.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: The Peregrine Fund: https://peregrinefund.org/american-kestrel-project

Photo and text © 2026 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

February 2, 2026

I am a Phaon Crescent

Named for an ugly, old boatman in Greek mythology
Aphrodite turned the boatman young and beautiful

With her knowledge of cosmetology.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaon

https://www.flawildflowers.org/know-your-native-pollinators-phaon-crescent/

Photo and text © 2026 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

February 1, 2026

I am an American Robin

One of the few Dee has seen this year

They are late in migrating to Florida

The food must be better up north than here!

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://swibirds.org/blog/where-have-the-robins-gone

Photo and text © 2026 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.