August 31, 2022

I am an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper 

I'm only in my second instar

I don't have wings yet, but they are starting to form

But I'm still too young to go drinking in bars.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 30, 2022

I am a Pink-spotted Hawkmoth

I like to get nectar from Morning Glory

As a caterpillar I liked to eat sweet potato

I'm not a pest, and I'm sticking to my story.

(But alas, Sweet Potato farmers disagree and call the caterpillars pests.)

Special thanks to guest photographer, Heather Stapleton.

Location: Vero Beach, Private Residence

Sources: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Agrius-cingulata

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

August 29, 2022

We are Ghost Bulimulus

We are exotics and are invasive

There are lots of us, and we are everywhere

But in a wasp nest? Now that is creative!

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.fdacs.gov/Agriculture-Industry/Science/Technique-Development

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 28, 2022

This is a species of Liatris

Also called Blazing Star

It grows naturally in most states east of the Rockies

And prefers dry habitat - flooded areas are sub-par

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/nassauco/2017/06/05/fact-sheet-liatris/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 27, 2022

I am a Leptofreya ambigua

In Florida, I am not native

I came (or was brought) here from South America

I'm tiny and fast and somewhat evasive. 

(Note: To get a feel for how tiny this guy was, that is my wrist he is on, and those are the holes in my Fitbit wrist band in the first photo. In the second photo, he had crawled off my wrist into a tiny crack in a fence post.)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: http://www.rkwalton.com/salticids/Leptofreya_ambigua.php

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 26, 2022

I am a Stinging Rose Caterpillar Moth

My name pretty much says everything

I feed on roses, and as my name discloses

Petting me would not be a wise thing

Even my aposematic colors warn you

My spines contain poison that will give you a sting.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Private residence, Warne, NC

Sources: https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/aposematic%20coloration

https://arthropod.uark.edu/stinging-rose-caterpillar/

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

August 25, 2022

I am known as a Northern Bobwhite

2.5 million year old fossils of me exist

The cavemen would have to use a stone tablet and chisel

To add me to their birding life list!

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: ⁨Las Cienegas National Conservation Area⁩, ⁨Elgin⁩, AZ

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

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

August 24, 2022

We are Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

We are social and live in prairie dog towns

We manicure our lawns quite cleanly so we

Can see predators who might give us a beat down!

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Cienega Grasslands, AZ

Sources: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/black-tailed-prairie-dog

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

August 23, 2022

I am a male Broad-billed Hummingbird

I have an orange beak, and shiny blue and green feathers

I drink nectar and eat insects from flowers

And I am also a mountain dweller.

Location: Ash Canyon, AZ

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Broad-billed_Hummingbird/overview

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

August 22, 2022

I'm a male Anna's Hummingbird

My face and throat are iridescent on sunny days

I'm stocky and have a straight bill

The rest of my feathers are green or grey.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Ash Canyon, AZ

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

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

August 21, 2022

This is known as an Angel Cactus, 

Also called "Polkadot" or "Bunny-ear"

They grow new oval-shaped segments,

And like bunny-ears, they are always in pairs

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Ash Canyon, AZ

Sources: https://www.houseplantsexpert.com/bunny-ear-cactus.html

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

August 20, 2022

I am a Violet-crowned Hummingbird.

I require riparian habitat to breed

I'm a solitary bird, without much concern

I mate, then just up and leave!

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Ash Canyon, AZ

Sources: nps.gov/articles/000/nrca_glca_2021_riparian.htm

https://abcbirds.org/bird/violet-crowned-hummingbird

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

August 19, 2022

I'm a male Lucifer Hummingbird

I have a curved bill and a purple neck

I'lll swoop and dive, from 100 feet high

To meet a girl with whom I'd like to connect.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Ash Canyon, AZ

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

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

August 18, 2022

I am known as a Grace's Warbler

In the U.S., I live in the southwest

I hang out in the tops of mature pine trees

Where I catch insects and build my nest.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Reef Town Campsite, Carr Canyon

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

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

August 17, 2022

I'm an arachnid in the order Solifugae

Wind Scorpian is one of my common names

I'm covered in fine hair, I love hot desert air

And I run like the wind on 6 legs.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Coronado National Forest, Tucson, Arizona

Sources: https://www.desertusa.com/insects/solpugids.html

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

August 16, 2022

We are Cactus Longhorn beetles

We're pests for the Cholla and Prickly Pear cacti

We make a hole, then our larvae take their toll

On the cactus stem and roots when it's snack time.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Coronado National Forest, Tucson, Arizona

Sources: https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az1399.pdf

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

August 15, 2022

I am a Desert Tarantula

I can survive without much water

I'm reclusive and stay in my burrow all day

At night I become a nocturnal insect stalker.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: California Gulch, Arizona

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

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

August 14, 2022

I am an Eastern Cottontail

My ears are bigger than the Marsh Rabbit's

My fur is softer, and my tail is white

And we have different hopping habits.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/mammals/land/rabbit/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 13, 2022

We are Oriental Latrine Flies,

We play a role in forensic science

We can tell investigators the time of death

As long as they can properly identify us. 

Location: Riverside Park, Vero

Sources: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20961790.2018.1426136

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 12, 2022

This is three stages of the Cucumberleaf Sunflower, From top to bottom, bud, in bloom, gone to seed

Potential, a flower, the next generation,

But don't ever call it a weed!

Location: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, stop 8

Sources: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/beach-sunflower.html

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 11, 2022

These are three stages of Indian Blanket 

From bottom to top: Gone to seed, a bud, and in bloom

It grows very fast, and can spread quite far

So if you plant it, give it plenty of room!

Location: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Black Point Wildlife Drive, Stop 8

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-gaillardia-pulchella

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 10, 2022

I am a Common Box Turtle

I live in a shell and you don't scare me

My bottom shell is hinged, as you see in the pix

When I feel threatened, I can simply retreat.

(I was a bit confused when I first saw a Box Turtle. I didn't know that the thick line on the underside of his shell is a hinge and the turtle can completely close itself in when it feels threatened. To see this in action, check out the video linked below. )

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://youtu.be/Zqw478TWGXI

https://www.welcomewildlife.com/all-about-box-turtles/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 9, 2022

I am known as an Oak Toad

I blend in well with my surroundings

Hognose and Garter snakes both like to eat me

It's good my camouflage can be confounding.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 8, 2022

I am a Proctacanthus heros

I am a type of robber fly

I have a tiny "beak" on which I impale prey

Which includes Cicadas, Wasps, and Horseflies.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://gophertortoisecouncil.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=104:sandhill-robbers&catid=31

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 7, 2022

This is a feather from a Northern Flicker

Pigmentation is based on the bird's diet

Metabolic processes also contribute -

It's easier to be natural than to try to tie-dye it.

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

Location: Little League Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/norfli/cur/appearance

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 6, 2022

This is a Black Vulture feather

The second photo shows several

Although it looks like some vultures exploded, 

They just molted, it's nothing distressful.

Location: Little League Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/the-basics-feather-molt/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 5, 2022

This is Paraguayan Purslane

It was first recorded in the US in the 1950's

It grows quite well in disturbed sites

From pastures to parking lots in the middle of cities.

Location: South Carolina Ave, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41966600

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 4, 2022

I am a young Cooper's Hawk

When I get older, my head will be darker

Right now I'm a warm reddish-brown color

But my long, striped tail's an identifying marker.

Location: South Carolina Ave, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 3, 2022

This is known as Shoestring Fern

It can grow from 1 to 23 inches

It is Epiphytic and grows on palm trees

And it's long green strands are reminiscent of Grinches.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: http://floranorthamerica.org/Vittaria_lineata

https://clickamericana.com/wp-content/uploads/Dr-Seuss-How-the-Grinch-Stole-Christmas-classic-cartoon-14.jpg

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 2, 2022

I am a Common Nighthawk

I have a tiny beak and big black eyes

When I sit on a snag the same color as me

I become a master of disguise.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

August 1, 2022

This photograph was taken

Just a few days after a wild fire

But do not despair, it's not a bad thing

For many species, fire's required*

Note all of the green in the photo

This is new plants already coming back up

The Scrub Jays who live here safely left and came back

To feast on the insects who, post-fire,  erupt!

* Special thanks to Sammy McGee for introducing me to the term "fire required". Please make sure you click the link for a great article that describes the benefits of fire. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Fellsmere

Sources: https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/media/sfylifasufledu/pinellas/natural-resources/The-Benefits-of-Fire.pdf

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson