Friday, June 9, 2023

June 9, 2023

I am a male Black Horse Fly
You know I'm male because I have holopticholoptic eyes
I drink nectar and thus, I pollinate plants
And don't sting humans, unlike my wife!

Location: St. Sebastian Preserve State Park, Cracker Camp

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, June 8, 2023

June 8, 2023

In life, this was a Tooth-necked Longhorn Beetle
Unlike butterflies and bees they appear staid and stoic
But beetles also pollinate too -
And have done so since the Mesozoic.

Location: St. Sebastian Preserve State Park, Cracker Camp

Sources: https://xerces.org/blog/notes-from-other-orders-beetles-as-pollinators

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

June 7, 2023

This plant is Passiflora incarnata
Its beauty is somewhat ethereal
It blooms spring to fall,
Bringing joy to all 
Of the butterflies who use it as host material.

Location: Private residence, Vero

Sources: https://www.fnps.org/plant/passiflora-incarnata

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

June 6, 2023

This plant is Jamaican Caper
It is native and propagated from seeds
It attracts pollinators such as Florida White butterflies
And striped-butted Western Honey bees.

Location: Private residence, Vero

Sources: https://www.fnps.org/plant/quadrella-jamaicensis

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, June 5, 2023

June 5, 2023

I am a Green Lynx Spider
I am beneficial to many farmers
I eat crop pests, but it's a double edge sword - 
I also am a pollinator harmer!

Location: St. Sebastian Preserve State Park Visitor's Center

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/beneficial/green_lynx_spider.htm

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, June 4, 2023

June 4, 2023

I am a female Needham's Skimmer dragonfly
I pollinate a little, but not on purpose
I generally feed on aquatic invertebrates
But other pollinators are not impervious.

Location: Jones Pier Conservation Area, Jungle Trail

Sources: https://guides.nynhp.org/needhams-skimmer/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Saturday, June 3, 2023

June 3, 2023

I am known as a Dilemma Orchid Bee
I'm metallic green and have large rear tibias
There's a hole in each tibia where I store fragrant compounds
To impress girl bees when "smells good" is boyfriend criteria.

Location: My yard, Fellsmere

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/MISC/BEES/green_orchid_bee.htm

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023

I am a female Zebra Longwing butterfly
I'm laying eggs, so you know I'm not a boy
My eggs become caterpillars, then metamorphose
And soon - more  Zebra Longwings for you to enjoy!

Location: Private residence, Vero Beach

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/zebra_longwing.htm

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023 Welcome to Pollinator Month!

These are Eastern Giant and Anise Swallowtails -
Photos taken at the same time but worlds apart
Eastern Giant in Florida, Anise in Wyoming
Pollinator Month's off to a great start!

Today we begin Pollinator month! To learn more about why we need to celebrate pollinators, visit pollinator.org.  For my readers in Central Florida, you can sign up for 3 online webinars and an in-person outdoor event presented by Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves - details at link below.

And, of course, continue reading  and sharing my blog to help spread the pollinator word!

Special thanks to guest photographer, Joy Handley.
Location:
Eastern Giant Swallowtail on Red Salvia at my house, in Fellsmere,  Anise Swallowtail on Indian paintbrush in Wyoming where guest photographer Joy lives.


Photos © 2023 Joy Handley, Dee Fairbanks Simpson and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson




Wednesday, May 31, 2023

May 31, 2023

I am known as a Merlin
North America is where I breed
I usually lay eggs in other birds old nests
In tall pines or deciduous trees.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Indiana Dunes National Park, Gary Indiana.

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

Photo © 2023 David Simpson and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, May 30, 2023

May 30, 2023

We are non-venomous Northern Watersnakes
Having a bit of fun in the sun
The result of this tryst will not be eggs - 
Unlike some snakes, we give birth to live young. 

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Sheldon Marsh Preserve in Huron, OH.

Sources: https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/animals/reptiles-amphibians/common-watersnake
https://a-z-animals.com/blog/7-snakes-that-give-live-birth-as-opposed-to-eggs/

Photo © 2023 David Simpson and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, May 29, 2023

May 29, 2023

I'm a male Chestnut-sided Warbler
I wear a yellow cap and have yellow and black wings
I have a chestnut stripe on each of my sides
I'm breeding, otherwise you'd see my eye rings.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson

Location: Magee Marsh, OH

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Chestnut-sided_Warbler/id

Photo © 2023 David Simpson and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, May 28, 2023

May 28, 2023


I am a Black-throated Green Warbler
I'm usually easier to hear than to see
I sing non-stop, high in the canopy
About how very much I love trees.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Magee Marsh, OH

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-throated_Green_Warbler/overview

Photo © 2023 David Simpson and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Saturday, May 27, 2023

May 27, 2023

I am a bird known as a Veery
Similar to a Robin, I'm a medium thrush
You can find me around, foraging on the ground
Singing my song at dawn and at dusk. 

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Magee Marsh, OH

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

Photo © 2023 David Simpson and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, May 26, 2023

May 26, 2023

I am a Painted Turtle
I can be found from Mexico to Canada
Some of us live 35 to 40 years
But not all of us have that kind of stamina.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Magee Marsh, OH

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

Photo © 2023 David Simpson and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, May 25, 2023

May 25, 2023

I am an Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly
I'm green, so you know I'm young or female
Unlike adult males, who are mostly blue
And I have square black spots down my tail*

* Technically, that is my abdomen, not my tail, but abdomen doesn't really rhyme with much. 

Location: Goodwin WMA

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/577
https://animalcorner.org/dragonfly-anatomy/

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, May 24, 2023

May 24, 2023

We are a family of Spoonbills
An adult and three juvie kids
You can tell I'm the adult cause I have a bald head
But my kids wear white feathered wigs.

Location: Goodwin WMA

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Roseate_Spoonbill/photo-gallery/477944

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson




Tuesday, May 23, 2023

May 23, 2023

We are a family of Anhingas
Dad is black, mom is tan, baby's white
When mom feeds baby with her long pointy beak
It looks like they're have a sword fight!

Location: Goodwin WMA

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Anhinga/id#

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson




Monday, May 22, 2023

May 22, 2023

I am a Bowl and Doily spider
So named for the style of my web
I weave a fancy placemat with a bowl on top
My prey arrives and I eat like a big celeb!

Location: Charles H. Bronson State Forest, Christmas

Sources: https://www.insectidentification.org/insect-description.php?identification=Bowl-and-Doily-Weaver-Spider

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, May 21, 2023

May 21, 2023

I am a wasp in the Genus Liris
Eating an Eastern Striped Cricket
We are known to be predatory to insects
And here's photographic evidence that I am complicit.

Location: Charles H. Bronson State Forest, Christmas

Sources: http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2012/03/wasp-wednesday-liris.html

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Saturday, May 20, 2023

May 20, 2023

I am known as a Wood Stork
I'd rather be in shallow water, hunting
I should have taken the left turn at Albuquerque
Now I'm on a Winn-Dixie sidewalk, obstructing.

Location: Winn-Dixie, Sebastian

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, May 19, 2023

May 19, 2023

I am a Red-headed Woodpecker
I am known to store my food in crevices and cracks
I store grasshoppers alive, but they don't survive
I come back later and eat them for snacks.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-headed_Woodpecker/overview

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, May 18, 2023

May 18, 2023

This is Christmas Lichen
Though it looks like steak stuck on a tree
It consists of fungi, plant matter and bacteria
In a mutualistic relationship - like clownfish and anomes.

Location: Charles H. Bronson State Forest, Christmas

Sources: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1296

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

May 17, 2023

I am a Common Myna
I'm native to south Asia
I can speak multiple languages*
And don't seem to suffer aphasia.

* To quote the article linked below: "Common mynas communicate vocally with other mynas and other bird species [...] In captivity, common mynas are able to imitate human speech."

Location: Florida City

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Tuesday, May 16, 2023

May 16, 2023

I am an African Spurred Tortoise
I'm a vegetarian and eat succulents for hydration
In some African cultures village leaders keep me around
To use my skills in ancestral communication.

Location: Crane Point Hammock, Marathon

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, May 15, 2023

May 15, 2023

I am a male Cape May Warbler
I'm chestnut, black and yellow
This Red-bellied Woodpecker's checking me out
I think we'd make very strange bedfellows.

Location: Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area, Fort Lauderdale

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, May 14, 2023

Special Mother's Day Edition!

I'm starting this post off with a bouquet of purple flowers for my mom-in-law who doesn't like spiders but does like flowers (you don't have to scroll all the way to the bottom unless you want to:-)

On this Mother's day, be glad you are human
Having over 100 spiderlings is hard!
The very worst thing is Mother's day - 
I never get flowers or even a card!!

xoxoxo,

Dee:-)







May 14, 2023

I am a male Cape May Warbler
My ID marks are tiger stripes and a white wing patch. 
I have rust-colored cheeks
When I'm ready to breed
I'll head north with a mate who thinks I'm a catch.

Location: Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area, Fort Lauderdale

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Saturday, May 13, 2023

May 13, 2023

I am a Mangrove Upside-down Jellyfish
I live in warm, shallow waters
Sometimes crabs carry me on their back
To protect then from predators and marauders.

Location: Crane Point Hammock, Marathon

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, May 12, 2023

May 12, 2023

This is the nest of an American Robin
It is made of twigs and grass in the shape of a cup
It can also include feathers, moss, and soft mud
And fine, dry grass to cushion birdy butts.

Very special thanks to today's guest photographer, MaryAnn Stone.

Location: Private residence, Indianapolis IN

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

Photo © 2023 MaryAnn Stone and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, May 11, 2023

May 11, 2023


I am nymph in the genus Largus
Though I'm harmless, I have that red spot
To let predators they should leave me alone
And that I'm mean and scary (though really I'm not.)

Location: Crane Point Hammock, Marathon

Sources: http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2014/05/livin-largus.html

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

May 10, 2023

This plant is known as Triangle Cactus
Due to its sharp spines, also called "Barbed Wire"
It is eaten by the endangered Key Largo woodrat
Tenacity like that, you have to admire!

Location: Crane Point Hammock, Marathon

Sources: http://fnpsblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/born-in-usa-barbed-wire-cactus.html

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

May 9, 2023

This plant is known as Elegant Zinnia
It comes in every color but blue
It's non-native and loves the Florida heat
But is annual so each year, must be planted anew.

Location: Sams House, Merritt Island

Sources: https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/zinnia.html

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, May 8, 2023

May 8, 2023

I am a bug in the genus Largus
I have very little impact to people 
So I am not well studied, but they know what I eat:
Plants, carrion and sometimes matter fecal.

Location: Crane Point Hammock, Marathon

Sources: http://bugeric.blogspot.com/2014/05/livin-largus.html

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, May 7, 2023

May 7, 2023

I am known as a Lined Tree Snail
My stripes vary from chestnut to blue
I am native to Florida and can be found
On native shrubs and exotic trees too.

Location: Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area, Fort Lauderdale

Sources: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN305

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Saturday, May 6, 2023

May 6, 2023

I am an Eastern Striped Cricket
You've probably heard me chirp
I can vary from 6 to 46 chirps per minute
Click the link below to hear an excerpt.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/orth/view.php?checklist_number=122.0

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, May 5, 2023

May 5, 2023

I am known as a Green Heron
My nesting site can vary widely
It might be in trees from Mangrove to Willow
30 feet high or close to the ground, just as likely.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, May 4, 2023

May 4, 2023

We are a mom and baby Red House Spiders
We share a shower with Dee
We take care of bugs that try to come in the window
It's both how we eat and earn our keep.

Location: Dee's Shower, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/297992-Nesticodes-rufipes

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

May 3, 2023

I am an adult Asian Lady Beetle
I was introduced in America both accidentally and on purpose
I was released to control arthropod pests,
And I am happy to be of service.

Note: 
In winter they migrate northward
And gather by the thousands - it's annual occurrence
Which can really bug entomophobics 
Who are terrified by the disturbance!

Location: Riverview Park, Vero Beach

Sources: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN361

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson