Friday, December 31, 2021

December 31, 2021

This is part of a Florida Pricklypear
It's sharp and got stuck in my boot
It took me a long time remove it,
So glad I was not walking barefoot.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://arboretum.ucf.edu/virtual/prickly-pear-cactus/

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, December 30, 2021

December 30, 2021

I am an Eastern Leaf-footed Bug
You can find me north to Long Island, New York
I like to dine on crops such as oranges and plums
Which farmers hate, but it's just my days work.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/leaffooted_bug.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

December 29, 2021

This is part of a Grasshoppers exoskeleton
They don't have a backbone like humans
They molt their exoskeleton 5 times in their life
A shiny new grasshopper comes from the ruins.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://youtu.be/a-wvuWOWY5A

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

December 28, 2021

I am known as a Wheel Bug
I'm beneficial because I eat insects
But I'll also give humans a nasty bite when disturbed 
I'm proud of my multiple skills sets.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/trees/wheel_bug.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, December 27, 2021

December 27, 2021

I am a male Linear-winged Grasshopper
Despite my name, I am totally flightless - 
Wings are something I lack, 
I just have linear pads,
But my color is totally righteous.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/ghopper/spur1.pdf

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Sunday, December 26, 2021

December 26, 2021

I am an Atlantic Grasshopper
You can tell by the length of my antenae
They are twice the length of my pronotum - 
A part of my body not known to many. 

(Click the link below to see where the pronotum is located. In genera, it's the little shield like thing over the first part of the thorax, just after his head.)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/ghopper/spur3.pdf
https://animalcorner.org/grasshopper-body-anatomy/

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson





Saturday, December 25, 2021

December 25, 2021

I am a Florida Box Turtle
I'm faster than a snail, but not as fast as a pheasant
It's a good think I don't work for Santa Claus
Cause you'd have a really long wait for your presents.

Happy holidays and best wishes for peace and joy in the new year to all of my readers. - Dee

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, December 24, 2021

December 24, 2021

We are both known as Red-shouldered Hawks
Though our sizes and shapes can differ
Depending on genetics, location and age
We might be darker or lighter or bigger. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-shouldered_Hawk/photo-gallery

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Thursday, December 23, 2021

December 23, 2021

I am an American Alligator
Swimming where Manatees gather
But the Manatees have nothing to worry about
I prefer meals with a much smaller stature.

(In the link below, click on the "Mortality, Rescue and Rehabilitation" link to learn about Manatees natural predators. Be sure to click the link to the video, it's very cool and shows Alligators and Manatees hanging out together.)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere, Manatee overlook

Sources: https://www.savethemanatee.org/manatees/manatee-faq/

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

December 22, 2021

This tree is known as Baldcypress
It lives in the south east in areas that are moist
You will often find them surrounded by knees
Which are conical structures, not achy leg joints. 

Location: Senior League Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_1/taxodium/distichum.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Tuesday, December 21, 2021

December 21, 2021

This is known as a Winged Elm
Granivorous birds like to eat its seeds
Its bark can be woven into baskets and rope
And deer eat its twigs and leaves. 

Location: Senior League Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ulal
https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/ulmus/alata.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Monday, December 20, 2021

December 20, 2021

I am known as an Osprey
I sit here looking ever so regal
I have a white head and chest
Don't mistake me for a Bald Eagle. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/species-compare/60329071

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, December 19, 2021

December 19, 2021

I am known as a Wild Boar
I live in a large group called a "Sounder"
I nudge a female when I want to mate - 
If she won't pee in response, I won't hang around her.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Saturday, December 18, 2021

December 18, 2021

This is a plant called Tarflower
Some people also call it Flyweed
Its flowers are sticky and sometimes insects get stuck
Such as flies and many species of bees.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.fnps.org/plant/bejaria-racemosa

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, December 17, 2021

December 17, 2021

I am a female Southern Two-striped Walkingstick
Some people call me "Witch's Horse"
I assume because my husband always rides on my back
He's kind of lazy, I think I need a divorce!

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/walkingstick.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, December 16, 2021

December 16, 2021

I am a Milkweed Assassin Bug
I like to eat mosquitos and flies
I'll also eat earthworms and caterpillars
And my color can vary based on where I reside.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/beneficial/bugs/zelus_longipes.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, December 15, 2021

December 15, 2021

This is Green Arrow Arum
It grows well in moist, boggy ground
It forms dense clumps over time
The Atlantic coastal plains is where it's commonly found.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=e836

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

December 14, 2021

I am a Salvinia Stem Borer Moth
Water Hyacinth is something I'll eat
I have been used as a biological control 
Due to my taste for invasive aquatic weeds.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/8154

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, December 13, 2021

December 13, 2021

I am a Vetch Looper Moth
So called because my caterpillar hosts are Vetches
I have 4 indistinct lines across my wings
The fourth is line of dots near the bottom edges.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/21913
https://www.britannica.com/plant/vetch

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson






Sunday, December 12, 2021

December 12, 2021

I am a female Goldenrod Crab Spider,
My eyes form a crescent shape
Although it looks like I only have six eyes,
If you look close, you'll see I have eight.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/6751

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Saturday, December 11, 2021

December 11, 2021

I am a Florida Scrub-Jay, 
I normally wear 4 bands for ID
The silver one’s engraved with a number
That’s in general, too small to see.
So monitors use the combination of all four
To positively identify me.
And if one band should happen to fall off,
Monitors can use the remaining bands and history.

Note: One of this birds bands has fallen off, but I could determine who he was based on where he historically held his territory (where he hangs out), his mate, and his behavior.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://fsjconservation.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/florida-scrub-jay-banding-guidelines_final_2019_02_28.pdf

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, December 10, 2021

December 10, 2021

I am a medium-sized fly catcher
Known as an Eastern Phoebe
My habit of building nests under bridges
Has earned me the nickname "bridge peewee".

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, December 9, 2021

December 9, 2021

I am in the Genus Nectopsyche
Also known as White Miller Caddisflies
As a larvae I lived in still or slow-moving water
As an adult, you'll mostly see me at night.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Fellsmere

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/53447

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, December 8, 2021

December 8, 2021

I am a male Eastern Pondhawk
I am known to be quite aggressive
Not to humans, just to other insects
Even other dragonflies, now that is impressive!

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.nps.gov/miss/learn/nature/pondhawk.htm

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

December 7, 2021

This is Subtropical Common Reed
It can grow up to 13 feet high
It has a large, fluffy inflorescence
And its leaves are stiff and wide.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=phau7

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, December 6, 2021

December 6, 2021

I am a Florida Ivory Millipede
I don't sting and I don't bite
But I can release a drop of hydrogen cyanide on you
If you do not treat me right. 

Location: Kissimmee Prairie State Park

Sources: http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/2020/06/24/millipedes-annoying-but-important/

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, December 5, 2021

December 5, 2021

This is a vertebrae from a mammal
That left me in a state of confusion
It might be from a wild boar or a deer
And I certainly hope it's not human!

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: (Human) https://www.physio-pedia.com/Lumbar_Vertebrae
(Deer) https://www.etsy.com/listing/267484027/deer-bone-4-assorted-vertebrae
(Boar) http://www.boneid.net/product/wild-boar-sus-scrofa-3rd-lumbar-vertebra/

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Saturday, December 4, 2021

December 4, 2021

I am in the Lycosidae family
Commonly called a Wolf Spider
Like the wolf I'm a solitary hunter
And though I look scary, I'm not much of a biter.

(Note: Like all spiders, Wolf Spiders contain venom, but in general, it is not harmful to humans, only other bugs.)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, December 3, 2021

December 3, 2021


I am a Black-crowned Night-Heron
My eyes are red and quite distinct
The rest of me's grey, white, and black, with green-yellow legs
Unless I'm breeding, then my legs are pink.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, December 2, 2021

December 2, 2021

A Boat-tailed Grackle, an Osprey, a Great Egret
They seem disparate, but have two things in common:
They each have four separate subspecies
And none could survive eating only ramen.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.nwrafting.com/articles/ospreys-a-unique-bird-of-prey

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

December 1, 2021

We are Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks
We're known to eat insects and seeds
But now and then you'll see dangerous ducks
Like the one who eats, shoots, and leaves.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/black-bellied-whistling-duck

Photo and text © 2021 Dee Fairbanks Simpson