September 16, 2026

We are two adult female Wild Turkeys

Shown here with a few of our kids

After breading season

We group up for a reason:

As soon as our eggs hatch, our marriages hit the skids.*

*Adult males take off as soon as the eggs hatch. The females and babies form flocks as there is safety in numbers.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wild_Turkey/lifehistory

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.

September 15, 2026

I am a breeding female Peter's Rock Agama

In the process of shedding my skin

I'm shown here with 2 good lookin' adult males

My kids will probably look like one of them!

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/reptiles/lizards/peters-rock-agama/

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.

September 14, 2026

This flower is called Pitted Stripeseed

Also known as Morning Buttercup

It's the only plant in the Turneraceae family that's native to Florida

And butterflies and bees love it when it pops up.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-piriqueta-cistoides/

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.

September 13, 2026

This is a tiny plant called Pineweed

It's a very small St. John's Wort

Its flowers only open in the sun

And it'd be hard to find enough to knit a shirt.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://hawthornhillwildflowers.blogspot.com/2011/06/pineweed-hypericum-gentianoides.html

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.

September 12, 2026

I am a Scabrous Tiger Beetle

I look like an armor-plated ant

I am predaceous and eat other insects

You can find me in scrub near wet lowlands.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/33715

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.

September 11, 2026

This plant is known as Giant Orchid

You can find it in south-eastern US and Cuba

In prairies, flatwoods and oak scrub

But definatly not in Tsukuba. 

 

Thanks to today's very special guest photographer, Jill Cozza!

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=all&es_id=18632

Photo  © 2026 Jill Cozza 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.

September 10, 2026

I am a type of a Crab Spider

I have a short, wide, flat body

My front legs are longer than my back legs

Which helps me catch prey, but doesn't help with Karate.

Thanks to today's very special guest photographer, Jill Cozza!

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Thomisidae/

Photo © 2026 Jill Cozza 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.