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.

September 9, 2026

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

I am known as a Green Lynx spider

I am harmless to humans but eat lots of insects

In fact I have potential to be used in pest management

Where could be paid in the bugs I ingest!

(However, as noted in the linked article, Green Lynx also eat beneficial pollinators such as bees, as well as some wasps that also eat crop pests. But, to quote the article, "The use of lynx spiders in the control of crop pests will depend in a large part on when, where, on what crops, and for the control of what pests they are to be used. Their use in Florida for the control of pests of soybeans and peanuts may be feasible.")

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN521

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 8, 2026

I am known as a Pseudoscorpion

You might think I'm a Scorpion, but you'd be wrong

I'm more like a spider, you can see my pedipalps

And there's no stinging tail, I could wear a thong.

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

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1944&context=extension_curall

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.