Saturday, May 30, 2026

May 30, 2026

I am a Hardwood Stump Borer Beetle
My name says all that you need to know
I bore holes in hardwood
To me, it tastes good,
My jaws are strong, watch your fingers and toes!

Thanks to our very special guest photographer, Heather Stapleton!

Location: Private residence, Vero

Sources: https://www.whatsthatbug.com/hardwood-stump-borer-all-you-need-to-know-explained-simply/

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.



Friday, May 29, 2026

Florida Native Plant Resources

David and I recommend the following online resources for native plant identification:
  • A Photographic Atlas for Botany (Morrow) - Fantastic, full color online atlas.
  • Florida Wildflower Foundation - I use this as a reference for my blog frequently
  • Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center  - A concise, easy to use resource that I also use frequently as a reference for my blog.
  • iNaturalist.org: This is a good resource to narrow you down to at least a family. BUT - this is SO important - NEVER eat a plant based on a photo ID. Unless you have taken a science-based course on botany and plant identification, or are with someone who has,  do NOT eat any plant in the wild. Remember - all plants are edible ONCE.
Offline (old fashioned "books") that are handy to have:

May 29, 2026

I'm known as a Lateral-lined Sharpshooter
I'm a True Bug in the Leafhopper family
I'm the only species in this genus with red on my legs
And I wear pink stripes and dots that flatter me.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/16341

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.



Thursday, May 28, 2026

May 28, 2026

I am known as a Skull-collecting Ant
I spray Trap-Jaw ants with my formic acid,
Then I decorate my nest 
With their chopped off head
Eat a meal and then take an antacid.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://phys.org/news/2018-11-uncovers-predatory-behavior-florida-skull-collecting.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.

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

May 27, 2026

I am an Eastern Cottontail
Take look at my fluffy white butt
You must be relieved
To get a reprieve
From Dee's nearly month-long bug rut.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: http://fs.usda.gov/database/feis/animals/mammal/syfl/all.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.



Tuesday, May 26, 2026

May 26, 2026

I am an Atlantic Grasshopper
I like to stay in a semi aquatic place
My antennae are usually shorter than my hind femora
And I have a weirdly skeleton like face. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/5004

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.

Monday, May 25, 2026

May 25, 2026

I am a Six-lined Racerunner
It's easy to confuse me with Skinks
Bad lighting makes me look dark here
But Skinks have 5 lines and I have six. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/reptiles/view.php?checklist_number=146.0

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.