June 30, 2022

I am known as a Green Heron

I need wetlands to live in

I blend in quite well with my surroundings

But if you don't see me, just stop and listen.

Location: Riverside Park, Vero

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green_Heron/sounds

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 29, 2022

I am an Orange-Winged Grasshopper

I like to hang out in areas that are sandy

I can both crepitate and stridulate*

But in general my noisemaking is somewhat scanty.

* To quote the article linked below, "Sound production may occur on the ground (stridulation) or in flight (crepitation), but this is not a particularly noisy species."

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 28, 2022

I am a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

I eat crustaceans and can be found on the coast

I have a small white patch on the side of my face

And a harsh squawk's my idea of a witty riposte.

Thanks to today's special guest  photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Lantana Nature Preserve, Birds,

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-crowned_Night-Heron/sounds

Photo © 2022 David Simpson and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 27, 2022

This phenomenon known as a rainbow is caused by

Sun, rain, dispersion, refraction and reflection

The sun must be lower in the sky than 42 degrees

For you to make a rainbow connection.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.phenomena.org/weather/rainbow/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS5fTzMP_mg

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 26, 2022

These pictures show the development

Of the Coneflower Moonlight Cactus

It blooms at night only once every year

To get a great shot, there's not much time to practice.

But today's awesome guest photographer, Heather Stapleton didn't need practice to get these great shots of the flower!

Location: private residence, Vero Beach

Sources: https://cactiguide.com/cactus/?genus=selenicereus

Photo © 2022 Heather Stapleton and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 25, 2022

I am a male Regal Jumping Spider

My chelicerae are enlarged and iridescent green

I'm smaller than my female counterpart

I average 12mm, she averages 15.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 24, 2022

We are Northern Mockingbirds

A baby (L) and its mom (R)

We are the state bird of Florida

Like the state tree is the Sabal Palm.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://dos.myflorida.com/florida-facts/florida-state-symbols/state-bird/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 23, 2022

I am a fly in the Genus Tabanus

Possibly a Striped Horse Fly

To tell for sure, get a real close look

At my wings, antennae, and eyes.*

To view the article linked below, sign up for a free JSTOR account. It's a great resource, and you can download/view 100 scientific papers/articles per month. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: The Florida Entomologist, Vol. 44, No. 2, Jun., 1961 - An Annotated List of the Horse Flies of Florida and an Illustrated Key to the Genera (Diptera: Tabanidae) 

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 22, 2022

I am known as a White Peacock butterfly

I pollinate and eat Wild Petunia

I also eat Sheppard's Needle and Hyssop

But not lobster - I don't have the pecunia.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 21, 2022

I'm known as a Peninsular Cooter

I can live up to 30 years

The ability to parent is not always inherent,

I build a nest, lay eggs then disappear.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 20, 2022

I am known as a Pied-billed Grebe

When I mate, there are five different stages:

I Advertise, Pirouette, Ripple Dive, Circle,  and Triumph

Then our love becomes one for the ages.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 19, 2022

I am known as an Anhinga

The stripe on my wing is not normally pink

It's usually silver-white, but mine's not quite right

I might be molting weird, or just very distinct.

Location: Goodwin Wildfowl Management Area

Sources: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170805142503.htm

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 18, 2022

I am known as a Black-necked Stilt

If I'm nesting, you best stay away

I'm territorial and if you get too close, 

You'll witness my Popcorn* Display!

* To quote the linked article: "Predators, and humans, that happen near nesting stilts soon learn that they are not welcome: any birds that are not incubating often fly around or even form a ring around the predator, calling loudly as they leap up and down, flapping their wings (called a “Popcorn Display” by researchers)."

Location: Lakeside STA

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-necked_Stilt/lifehistory

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 17, 2022

I am known as a Snail Kite

Large Apple Snails are my main dietary component

If I can't find them, such as in times of drought, 

I'll settle for crabs, turtles, or rodents.

Location: Lakeside STA, Martin County

Sources: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/snail-kite

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 16, 2022

I am a juvenile Eastern Bluebird

You can tell because my chest and back are speckled

Due to Sparrows and Starlings my population crashed

But thanks to nest-box campaigns, I'm no longer imperiled.

Location: Three Lakes WMA, Keenansville

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 15, 2022

This plant is known as Sweet Goldenrod

In Florida it's a native plant

It attracts pollinators and has showy flowers

And in wintertime it goes dormant.

Location: Forever Florida, Keenansville

Sources: https://www.fnps.org/plant/solidago-odora

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 14, 2022

This is a birthday suit from a snake

But don't worry, it's not walking around naked -

A few times a year, a snake out grows it's skin,

But the new suit underneath is already created.

Location: Forever Florida, Kenansville

Sources: https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-snakes-shed-their-skin

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 13, 2022

I am an American Alligator

You usually find me in the south eastern united states

But occasionally I've also been seen in 

Thirty other states rivers and lakes.*

*All other sightings are attributed to pet releases or captive escapes.

Location: Forever Florida, Kenansville

Sources: https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=221

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 12, 2022

We are a male and female Ebony Jewelwing, 

The male with no white spots, the female with

We are damselflies in the family Calopterygidae

And we are prey for spiders, birds, and frogs, and fish.

Location: Forever Florida, Keenansville, Florida 

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 11, 2022

I am known as a Bos taurus

But you know me better as a common cow

In Florida you'll find me with my Cattle Egret friends

On sunny days, standing by in my shadow.

Location: Forever Florida, Keenansville

Sources: https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/17161/file/P-00044.pdf

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 10, 2022

We are a group of Cattle Egrets

Living together in a rookery

We will build a nest, mate, and lay eggs

Then patiently guide our chicks to maturity.

Location: Forever Florida, Keenansville, Florida

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 9, 2022

I am known as a Cave Swallow

Because historically, I lived in caves

But now I'm you're just as likely to find me

Under bridges and culverts further north of my historical range.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Lake Harbor, south of Lake Okeechobee

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cave_Swallow/overview

Photo © 2022 David Simpson and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 8, 2022

We are known as Gray Foxes

But we have some red fur and are sometimes mistakenly called "red"

Our breath smells like mice and bunnies - 

And birds, fruits, and berries when we are well fed.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Lake Okeechobee

Sources: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/mammals/land/gray-fox/

Photo © 2022 David Simpson and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 7, 2022

This is a flower from an Oleander

You saw a pink one on this blog a few days ago

Oleanders come in many cultivars and varieties - 

From shrubs to trees, colored red to white to yellow. 

Location: Riverside Park, Vero

Sources: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/buffalo/Yard/Cultivar%20vs%20Variety%2001-30-2016.pdf

https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/shrubs/oleander.html

https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/2022/06/june-4-2022.html

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 6, 2022

I am an Ornate Bella Moth

Unlike most moths, I am diurnal

This means I'm active during the day

And I help suppress Crotalaria seed dispersal.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Sebastian 

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/beneficial/leps/bella_moth.htm

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 5, 2022

I am a Halloween Pennant

But I only look like this for the last few weeks of my life

I started as an egg, then I hatched in the water

Where as a larvae (then naiad) I grew up and had a good time.

Location: Riverside Park, Vero

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

https://digitalatlas.cose.isu.edu/bio/insects/drgnfly/main/intro3.htm

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 4, 2022

This is the flower of the Oleander

The plant's beauty might leave you feeling rhapsodic

It grows quickly and easily in Florida 

But all parts of the of the plant, if ingested, are toxic.

Location: Riverside Park, Vero

Sources: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/trees-and-shrubs/shrubs/oleander.html

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 3, 2022

I am a Tropical Orbweaver

My size and color can vary by sex and age

Either way I'm completely harmless

But my late night guitar playing might keep you awake.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/spiders/tropical_orb_weaver.htm

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 2, 2022

I am a female American Bumble Bee

Notice my big orange pollen baskets

I'm carrying a full load of pollen right now

And there's a little spilled on my black jacket.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/bees/bumble_bees.htm

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

June 1, 2022

I'm a female Band-winged Crane Fly

I just now emerged from my pupa

A boyfriend I found, so we're getting down, 

You better believe I'm a fast moovah'!

(Very special thanks to today's guest photographer and my big sistah Shirley Blanchard.)

Location: private residence, Concord MA

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

Photo © 2022 Shirley Blanchard and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson