July 31, 2022

I am a Mangrove Tree Crab

I spent my larval stages in the sea

Then I got older and came closer to shore

Where I reside in a Mangrove tree.

Location: Riverside Park, Vero

Sources: https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/images/Aratus%20pisonii%20-%20Mangrove%20Tree-climbing%20Crab.pdf

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 30, 2022

I belong to the Genus Archytas

I'm a species of Tachinid fly

There are more than 1,300 to choose from

So, if I don't know who I am, that is why.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/know-your-native-pollinators-tachinid-flies/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 29, 2022

We are both Four-spotted Pennants

Macropterous is a word that describes us

This just means we have long functional wings

Eating mosquitoes and midges is what drives us.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

Sources: http://www.wildsouthflorida.com/four-spotted.pennant.dragonfly.html

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 28, 2022

This is Turkey Tangle Frogfruit

Also known as Carpetweed

Bees and butterflies like it

Including Phaon crescent and hairstreaks.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-phyla-nodiflora

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 27, 2022

I am a Jagged Ambush Bug

Phymata mystica, most likely

It's difficult to tell for sure though - 

My shape and color can vary widely.

(Confirmed as Phymata mystica https://bugguide.net/node/view/2150828#3625130 on Jun 22, 2023)

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/4833

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 26, 2022

I am known as an Osprey

I can live almost any place

As long as there's shallow water and lots of fish

And a nest site so I can mate. 

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 25, 2022

This plant is known as Phasey Bean

It is a native plant in Mexico

In Florida it's considered a high invasion risk

Because it can spread in a manner most bellicose.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

Sources: https://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-directory/macroptilium-lathyroides/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 24, 2022

We are Mormidea pamas

We don't look too different as we age

We were eggs, then nymphs, and now we're adults

We're hemimetabolous so we skip the pupal stage. 

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

Sources: https://eol.org/pages/608968

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 23, 2022

I am an Oebalus ypsilongriseus

I am a type of Rice Stink Bug

I'm predated by other insects and birds,

But there's only so much of me that they can chug -

But the date on which rice is planted

Can prevent me from running amok.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

Sources: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1009

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 22, 2022

I am known as a Luna Moth

I'm mostly green with a furry white tummy

My antennae are quadripectinate*

And I don't like owls cause they think that I'm yummy.

Very special thanks to today's guest photographer, Megan Berg.

* Check out the glossary linked below to find out what quadripectinate means, as well as many other moth-related terms!

Location: Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve, Kitty Hawk NC

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/moths/luna_moth.htm

http://pnwmoths.biol.wwu.edu/about-moths/glossary/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 21, 2022

I am a Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth

When I was a caterpillar, I ate spinach, Beets, and chard

As an adult, I don't consume anything

I just live in gardens and yards

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/9731

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 20, 2022

I am a male Eastern Amberwing

In the US, I'm one of the smallest dragonflies

You know I'm male, because my wings are amber

And you know I'm trust worthy, look into my big red eyes!

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_amberwing#/media/File:Eastern_Amberwing_9268.jpg

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 19, 2022

This plant is known as Wild Cowpea

It grows quickly on a creeping vine

The vine can grow to be over six feet long

In coastal uplands, pinelands,  and disturbed sites.

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Vignlute

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 18, 2022

I am known as a Cockatiel

I've either been abandoned or I've escaped

I'm only native to Australia, 

For me, Florida's a failure,

And I will soon not have a g'day, mate. 

(This bird will most likely succumb to illness, predators or starvation soon as it is clearly a captive bird who has no idea how to survive outside of a cage inside a human's home.)

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 17, 2022

I am a male Red-winged Blackbird

I'm known to have a quite varied diet

Grain, snails, dragonflies and spiders, Yum!

Don't knock it until you've tried it!

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 16, 2022

I am a Handsome Meadow Katydid

I'm considered a poikilotherm

My song changes with the temperature

And you don't want to know what I do with sperm*.

* But if you do want to know, go to the "Courtship, Mating, and Life Cycle" section of this page, there are even photos! 

Location: Goodwin Wildlife Management Area, Broadmoor Unit, Fellsmere

Sources: 

• https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poikilotherm
• https://songsofinsects.com/biology-of-insect-song
• https://songsofinsects.com/katydids/handsome-meadow-katydid

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 15, 2022

I am an Aplos simplex nymph

When I grow up, I will be brown

But for now, I'm green with orange stripes

And a head that's distinctively round.

Special thanks to today's very special guest photographer, Kim O'Malley. Kim found this Aplos simplex in MA, but they can also be found throughout the eastern US, including Florida.

Location: Private residence, Attleboro,  Mass

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/750918-Aplos-simplex

Photo © 2022 Kim O’Mally and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 14, 2022

I am a Red-headed Woodpecker

I am known to stash food in a cache.

But I also eat insects such as flies

Which I dart out and catch in a flash!

(Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson. Not gonna lie though - I am seriously ticked off at him. I gave him my camera and asked him to see if he could get a photo of the RHWP while I was assisting banding scrub jays. He came back with these two photos. The RHWP is one of my nemesis birds which I have NEVER gotten a decent photo of. And David had the nerve to get TWO fantastic shots! I especially love the first one!)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://abcbirds.org/bird/red-headed-woodpecker/

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

July 13, 2022

(continued from yesterday)

I am a baby Florida Scrub-Jay

But now I've got lovely jewelry

When I got it, I pooped on a volunteer's pants

I was tired of bird-banding tomfoolery.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: To see an example of research made possible by having banded birds, see: Mumme, Ronald L., Reed Bowman, M. Shane Pruett, and John W. Fitzpatrick. “Natal Territory Size, Group Size, and Body Mass Affect Lifetime Fitness in the Cooperatively Breeding Florida Scrub-Jay.” The Auk 132, no. 3 (2015): 634–46. http://www.jstor.org/stable/90009076.

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 12, 2022

I am a baby Scrub Jay

You can tell cause I have a brown head

I also don't wear any jewelry yet

But I will soon, now that I've fledged. 

(To be continued...)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Florida_Scrub-Jay/id

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 11, 2022

These are wild Muscadine grapes,

They grow in the wild on a vine

They can be eaten by humans, raccoons and deer

And if stomped on can be made into wine. 

Location: My yard, Fellsmere

Sources: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS100

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Jul 10, 2022

I am a baby White-tailed Deer

I appear to be alone at the moment

But my mom and dad are probably close by

And they do not appreciate human encroachment.

(I saw some people who got way too close to this deer today. If you see a baby dear, or any young wild animal, it is always best to leave it alone. As described in the article linked below, deer are generally pretty chill, but if you get too close to one of their babies, they will try to hurt you. Just because you don't see the parent, it does not mean it can't see you.)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.outdoorsbeing.com/do-deer-attack-humans/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 9, 2022

I am Long-headed Toothpick Grasshopper,

My antennae are shaped like swords

With my color and shape I blend in with weeds

And enjoy the camouflage that they afford.

(This photo was taken on the front bumper of a friends car - clearly Long-headed Toothpick Grasshoppers are easier to see when they are not hiding in the grass!)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 8, 2022

This plant is known as Largeflower Rose Gentian

It has a star in the middle of its bloom

It likes full sun, grows well from seeds

And despite it's name doesn't require much room.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 7, 2022

This plant is Orange Milkwort

Sometimes also called Bog Bachelor Button

Ants often help to disperse its seeds

Because they are elaisome gluttons.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/elaiosome

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 6, 2022

I am known as an Orange Blister Beetle

Because my hemolymph causes blisters

Hemolymph is basically invertebrate blood - 

But without red blood cells, unlike human critters.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN323

https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-blood-and-hemolymph/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 5, 2022

These plants are Yellow Milkwort

Although there are many, they are solitary

For plants this means there is one flower per plant

Not two or three, it's not arbitrary.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-polygala-rugelii/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_botanical_terms#solitary

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 4, 2022

I am known as a Scarletsnake

I'm non venomous and basically docile

Sadly I get confused with the Coral snake

Who although venomous, is not particularly hostile.

* Please refer to the links below to learn how to tell them apart. There are a ton of rhymes that people can use such as "Red touches black, friend of Jack, Red touches yellow, kill a fellow." Unfortunately, due to color variations and the fact that people don't always remember the rhyme correctly, it is not the best way to tell the species apart. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/florida-snake-id/snake/scarletsnake/

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/florida-snake-id/snake/harlequin-coralsnake/

https://www.oriannesociety.org/science-of-scales/coral-snakes-and-their-mimics/?v=400b9db48e62

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 3, 2022

I am a Wingless Meadow Katydid

I have small simple eyes called ocelli

I eat plants in the Xyris genus

And I have ridiculously long antennae. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://eol.org/pages/502614

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 2, 2022

I am called "Common Eastern Velvet Ant"

But I'm actually a wasp that can make you go "OW!"

My venom isn't actually that toxic*

And it's a myth that I can kill a cow. 

*As with other bees and wasps, for most people the sting will hurt but not kill you. However, some people are allergic to certain venoms and can die from a sting, just as some people are allergic to peanuts or shellfish.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A536999730/HRCA?u=googlescholar&sid=googleScholar&xid=b699e504

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 1, 2022

I am an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

I'm a venomous pit viper that some people dread

I have a rattle on the end of my tail that gets

A new segment each time that I shed.

(Note: Click to enlarge the photos - the scales are quite amazing. In the close up of the rattle, you can count 11 segments, so because they shed their skin 3-4 times per year, this snake is about 3 years old.)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson