Wednesday, June 30, 2021

June 30, 2021

This is a terrible photo
Of an interesting event
There is a boatload of Swallow-tailed Kites
Gathered together to dine on insects.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Swallow-tailed_Kite/lifehistory#food

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

June 29, 2021

I am a male Six-lined Racerunner,
My long tail helps me run fast. 
I can lose my tail if a predator attacks
But till it grows back, I'll always place last.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cnemidophorus_sexlineatus/
https://arav.org/salmonella-bacteria-reptiles/

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, June 28, 2021

June 28, 2021

This is a Brown Thrasher fecal sac
The quarter demonstrates size, it isn't a profit
We know this sac belonged to a Brown Thrasher
Cause David witnessed her drop it. 

(Special thanks to today's guest photographer, David Simpson.)

Location: Fannin County Recreational Park, NC

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

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, June 27, 2021

June 27, 2021

I am a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird,
Sitting happily on my nest
You might confuse me with a Black-chinned  
But they only breed in the west.

(Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.)

Location: Nantahala NF, Buck Creek Pine Barrens, NC

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird/species-compare/66120141

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Saturday, June 26, 2021

June 26, 2021


This once was a Zebra Longwing
That met it's end despite it's color
The bright colors should tell predators 
"Tasty bugs have colors  much duller!"

Location: Fellsmere, my house

Sources: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/100years/zebra-longwing/

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, June 25, 2021

June 25, 2021

I am a  Mesodon andrewsae
My common name is Balsam Globe
Acid rain adversely affects my shell
Which could leave me homeless as well as disrobed.

(Special thanks to guest photographer David Simpson, and also very special thanks to Dr. Harry Lee and Bill Frank from http://www.jaxshells.org for their help in IDing this snail!)

Location: Nantahala National Forest, NC

Sources: http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio210/f2012/bauer_amel/habitat.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, June 24, 2021

June 24, 2021

I'm a female Four-spotted Velvet Ant,
If I was a guy, I'd have little black wings
But I'm a female so you should fear me -
I probably won't kill you, but man, can I sting!

(Male Velvet ants do not sting.)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef442

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

June 23, 2021

This is Psilotum nudum
It is an epiphyte, so it has no roots
It's also known as Skeleton Fork Fern
And uses its spores to reproduce.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Fellsmere

Sources: http://charlottecountyextension.blogspot.com/2016/08/mysterious-ferns-are-native.html

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

June 22, 2021

These shells all used to contain critters
In the Ambleminae Subfamily
Until some Limpkins ate their dinner
In a method most clammily.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3701492 (To read this article, you have to sign up for a free JSTOR account. This lets you read 100 free articles every month. I haven't read this entire article, but JSTOR is a very cool reference tool, and you never know what you find there. Highly recommend.

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, June 21, 2021

June 21, 2021

This plant is Oleander
It's commonly eaten by the Polka-dot Wasp Moth
It is toxic to many other species
And is mentioned in a Steely Dan song.

Location: Veteran's Memorial Park, Vero Beach

Sources: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/shrubs/oleander.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvzVW6c7ZbU

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, June 20, 2021

June 20, 2021

I am a mom Wild Turkey
These babies might not be all mine
Another mom might have dumped their eggs on my nest
Twas not by mistake, it was by design.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Important Message for Dee at 8:00 a.m. Email Subscribers

As mentioned a few weeks ago, my blog host has ended email subscriptions. Thus, for those of you who subscribe via email, as of July 1, you will no longer receive my blog in your email.
  
The good news is that I do plan to move my blog over the summer, but I will not be able to complete that task before July1. Therefore, I encourage you to please use an alternate method of reading my blog till then. You can:

Read on Facebook (requires that you have a Facebook account):

Read on Instagram (requires that you have an Instagram account):

Read on my blog (doesn't require any special account, but you have to remember to check it every day):

If none of these methods work for you, please email me and let me know that you would like to start receiving the blog again once I set it up on the new site. My apologies for the inconvenience, and thanks so much to those of you who have been following me. 

Saturday, June 19, 2021

June 19, 2021

I am a Nanday Parakeet
I'm a small, neotropical parrot
I'm mostly green, with a black hood and blue neck
And my legs look a little embarrassed.

Location: Fort De Soto State Park

Sources: https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?avibaseid=8B85CB2CE26DDCE4

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Friday, June 18, 2021

June 18, 2021

I am a Snowy Egret
As always, I'm ever so chic
I even have black-painted toenails
On my otherwise bright yellow feet.

(Zoom in on the feet - I've taken hundreds of photos of these guys and never noticed the black toenail polish before!)

Location: Fort De Soto State Park

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Egret/id

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, June 17, 2021

June 17, 2021

I am known as a Laughing Gull
I'm mostly found on the coast
I wear a black hood when I'm breeding
The girls all think I am the most!

Location: Fort De Soto State Park

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

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

June 16, 2021

This is a  Pharaoh Cicada,
It's been alive for about 17 years
It only has 4 weeks to procreate then,
For 17 years, its offspring will disappear.

(Very special thanks to today's guest photographer, Karen Jordan.)

Location: Burke, VA

Sources: http://sciencenetlinks.com/esheets/periodical-cicada-survival/
https://www.audubon.org/news/birds-may-hold-clues-bizarre-life-cycle-brood-x-cicadas

Photo © 2021 Karen Jordan, text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

June 15, 2021


This is a typical Florida swamp
In the water you can see knees of Baldcypress
The trees don't kneel down, they stand tall and proud,
Why the knees are there is anyone's guess.

(I always assumed the cypress knees were similar to the Black Mangrove pneumatphores in that they help the plant breathe. But the linked article below describes that this is not so, in fact, scientists do know know the purpose of the knees.)

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: https://kimmerer.com/good-knees-said-baldcypress/
https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/2018/08/august-8-2018.html

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, June 14, 2021

June 14, 2021

On the RIGHT here is Poison Ivy
With it's shiny green leaves of three
On the LEFT is similar looking Virginia Creeper, 
Which is beneficial and has 5 leaves.

My sincerest apologies - as anyone who knows me will tell you - although I know my plants, I do NOT know left from right and I had this poem backwards! It is corrected now. 

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: http://identifythatplant.com/poison-ivy-looks-similar-to-virginia-creeper/

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, June 13, 2021

June 13, 2021

I am a Libellula vibrans dragonfly
I'm commonly called Great Blue Skimmer
I live in ponds, lakes or streams
And eat insects and bugs for dinner. 

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: I just found out today that One of my favorite resources, https://www.odonatacentral.org/  is now available as an eBird type app. I just downloaded and researched this Skimmer on it. It's free, and it also talks to iNaturalist, so we can load our iNaturalist Odonata sightings to this database. I haven't started using it in earnest yet, but it looks great from what I've seen so far. 

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Saturday, June 12, 2021

June 12, 2021

I am a Carolina Satyr
I feed on tree sap and rotting fruit
I can produce up to three broods annually
So it's common to see me patrolling in hot pursuit.

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/BFLY/Carolina_satyr.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, June 11, 2021

June 11, 2021

I am a Female Ebony Jewelwing
My wings are translucent, so they look more brown than black
I also have white spots on my wings
That's how you know I'm a Jill, not a Jack.

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/odonata/Calopteryx_maculata.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, June 10, 2021

June 10, 2021

I am a Male Ebony Jewelwing,
I am a type of Damselfly
I have an iridescent bright green body
That's how you can tell I'm a guy.

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/odonata/Calopteryx_maculata.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

June 9, 2021

This is Orange Milkwort
Sometimes also called "candy weed"
Its seeds have a structure called an elaiosome
Which attracts ants, who disperse the seeds.

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/media/sfylifasufledu/duval/horticulture/homowner-hort-pdfx27s/Polygala_lutea.pdf

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/propagation/seeds/why-do-seeds-have-elaiosomes.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

June 8, 2021

This is a Ganoderma,
It is in the genus of polypore fungi
The family Ganodermataceae has about 80 species
Without DNA analysis, a species ID is hard to come by.

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/48475-Ganoderma

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, June 7, 2021

June 7, 2021

I am a juvenile male Bar-winged Skimmer
I can be found throughout the southeast
When I grow up my body will be powder blue
And I'll breed in slow-moving streams.

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: https://www.marylandbiodiversity.com/view/731

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, June 6, 2021

June 6, 2021

This is a Florida Butterfly Orchid,
It grows on Bald Cypress and Live Oak
Although it attracts pollinators, 
Its name comes from what the flowers evoke.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-encyclia-tampensis/

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Saturday, June 5, 2021

June 5, 2021

I am a Spinybacked Orbweaver
I usually live in trees or in shrubs
My venom is not toxic to humans
But it is to other smaller bugs.

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

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

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, June 4, 2021

June 4, 2021

This is a Tillandsia fasciculata
Commonly known as Cardinal Airplant
Mexican bromeliad weevils have added this
To the list of endangered plants. 

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/frank/savebromeliads/floridas-bromeliads/Tillandsia-fasciculata.html

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, June 3, 2021

June 3, 2021

I'm a Western Honey Bee
Shown here with a few of my closest friends
From right to left, there's Rubee and Tobee, 
Then Abbee and... oh my this list might never end...

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/BEES/euro_honey_bee.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

June 2, 2021

This is a Largeflower Rose Gentian
The base of each petal is yellow edged with red
The petals are bright pink, it's quite distinct
It grows well in open areas that are wet.

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: https://flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-sabatia-grandiflora/

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

June 1, 2021

This flower is known as Lyreleaf Sage
The flower's lip provides a landing strip for bees
When the bee lands, the stamens are tipped, and
The bee's clad in pollen from her head to her knees.

Location: Fort Drum Marsh Conservation Area

Sources: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=saly2

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson