Sunday, December 10, 2023

December 10, 2023

I am known as a Northern Shoveler
I have a big bill but I eat tiny food
Such as minute crustaceans and seeds
That I swallow whole, I've no teeth, I don't chew.

Location: Blackpoint Wildlife Drive, MINWR

Sources: https://abcbirds.org/blog/do-ducks-have-teeth/

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Saturday, December 9, 2023

December 9, 2023

I am known as a Cottonmouth snake
I'm venomous and a pit viper
I'm semi-aquatic and like to eat fish
And won't hurt humans unless I'm incited.

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

Location: Rock Springs Run Preserve

Sources: https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/agkpis.htm

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Friday, December 8, 2023

December 8, 2023

I'm known as a Banded Water Snake
I'm semi-aquatic and my body is heavy
I can be found everywhere in Florida
Except for the Florida Keys.

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Fellsmere Grade Recreation Area

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Thursday, December 7, 2023

December 7, 2023

I am a Spodoptera pulchella
My name means "diminutive beauty"
The curved, white line on my forewing
Can lead you to conclude that I'm me.

Location: My House, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20p?see=I_MPG32958&res=640

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

December 6, 2023

I am a Lineated Woodpecker
I'm not aggressive but this guy's gonna get hurt
The perverted little Palm Tanager
Is trying to look up my skirt!!

(Note from Dee: I am now officially retired from high tech and working with David full time. First up: we just returned from a trip to Ecuador and I am writing a new book tentatively titled, "The Rhyming Guide to Ecuador's Choco Andes Highlands", planned for a February release. For now, be on the lookout for some previews here in the blog!)

Location: Mirador Rio Blanco, Mindo Ecuador

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

December 5, 2023

This is the flower, fruit and leaves of Angel Trumpets
The red flowers enjoy hummingbird pollination
To humans all parts of the plant are poisonous
They can cause death, paralysis and hallucinations.

(Note from Dee: I am now officially retired from high tech and working with David full time. First up: we just returned from a trip to Ecuador and I am writing a new book tentatively titled, "The Rhyming Guide to Ecuador's Choco Andes Highlands", planned for a February release. For now, be on the lookout for some previews here in the blog!)

Location: Milpe Bird Sanctuary, Quito, Ecuador
Sources: https://www.britannica.com/plant/angels-trumpet

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Monday, December 4, 2023

December 4, 2023

I am a Shining Sunbeam hummingbird
I look sweet, but I'm really quite territorial
I'm aggressive towards other nectavores such as
Flowerpiercers and other hummingbirds equatorial. 

Location: Yanacocha Biological Reserve, Ecuador

Sources: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/332625669_The_behavior_and_diet_of_the_Shining_Sunbeam_Aglaeactis_cupripennis_A_territorial_high-elevation_hummingbird

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, December 3, 2023

December 3, 2023

I am a male Great Thrush
You can tell I'm make by my orbital skin
If I was female it would be dark, not light,
But we both have an orange beak, feet and shins.

(Note from Dee: I am now officially retired from high tech and working with David full time. First up: we just returned from a trip to Ecuador and I am writing a new book tentatively titled, "The Rhyming Guide to Ecuador's Choco Andes Highlands", planned for a February release. For now, be on the lookout for some previews here in the blog!)

Location: Quito, Equador


Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson.

Saturday, December 2, 2023

December 2, 2023

I am known as a Eared Dove
I'm similar to a Mourning Dove with a shorter tail
My name comes from the black spots beneath my ears
And my call is more growly, not a plaintive wail.

(Note from Dee: I am now officially retired from high tech and working with David full time. First up: we just returned from a trip to Ecuador and I am writing a new book tentatively titled, "The Rhyming Guide to Ecuador's Choco Andes Highlands", planned for a February release. For now, be on the lookout for some previews here in the blog!)

Location: Quito, Equador


Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, December 1, 2023

December 1, 2023

I am a Sorghum Webworm Moth caterpillar
I eat the seed heads of sorghum
You can find me in sorghum plantations
Or grass fields when I want to explore some.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/17470

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, November 30, 2023

November 30, 2023

We are Southern Green-striped Grasshoppers
We come in green or brown form
You can find us where
The soil is bare
Girl is larger than boy - that's the nor

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN010

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

November 29, 2023

I am a Silver Long-jawed Orbweaver
I'm frequently found in fields
But sometimes a car drives by
I get blown inside
Then I end up on a blog, oh what an ordeal!

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/143120

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

November 28, 2023

I am a Great Egret
Hanging out in the Pickerel Weed
I am the very embodiment 
Of the torture that retirement is to Dee.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, November 27, 2023

November 27, 2023

I am probably a Rice Stink Bug
It's difficult to tell from a side angle
Possible clues are my color and eyes
And my head's shaped like a triangle.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/295792-Oebalus-pugnax

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, November 26, 2023

November 26, 2023

I am known as a Scarlet Skimmer
I compete with the Eastern Pondhawk and Snowy Egret
We all like to snack on Rambur's Forktail
But to me, a Common Clubtail's a threat.

(Check out the cool Trophic Web chart at the Encyclopedia of Life link below that shows predator/prey relationships.)

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://eol.org/pages/131983

Saturday, November 25, 2023

November 25, 2023

I am known as a Leucauge argyra
Enlarge my picture to see my spinneret
It is where my silk comes from which I use
To wrap prey and to build my web.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/MISC/SPIDERS/Leucauge-argyrobapta.html

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, November 24, 2023

November 24, 2023

I am a Setophaga palmarum
Commonly known as a Palm Warbler
I breed in the boreal forest during summer
When I feel cooler weather is order.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, November 23, 2023

November 23, 2023

I am an immature Turkey Vulture
You can tell by the black tip on my beak
Soon my beak will be white and I'll have a red head
But I'll retain my dead-sexy physique.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

November 22, 2023

I am a Tropical Kingbird
I've got an olive-green back and a yellow tummy
I like to nest near Icteridae and wasps
Who keep predators from trying anything funny.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Tuesday, November 21, 2023

November 21, 2023

I am an Arabesque Orbweaver
An identifying mark is 3 pairs of dark spots
In the day you can find me curled up on leaf
At night, I wait to see who my web stops.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/39293

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Monday, November 20, 2023

November 20, 2023

I am known as a Savannah Sparrow
With that name you'd expect to find me
Only in savannahs - but I'm named for 
Savannah GA - one of the first places I was seen.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, November 19, 2023

November 19, 2023

We are Rambur's Forktail Damselflies
And we both have unwanted visitors
We  were infested with mites soon after we emerged
And until they are engorged, we remain their prisoners.

(I paid the price for these photos - I was unknowingly - till it was far too late - stood if a fire ant nest while taking these photos. Ouch.)

Location: TM Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor Unit

Sources: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10682-021-10130-z

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Saturday, November 18, 2023

November 18, 2023

I am an adult male Vermillion Flycatcher
My genus name translates to "fire-headed"
That's not a comment on my disposition, 
It's for my color: bright red and utterly splendid.

Location: TM Goodwin WMA

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Vermilion_Flycatcher/overview#

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, November 17, 2023

November 17, 2023

This is a casing from Brown Widow spider eggs
Though the momma was not around
If you look close you can see a hole in the top
Where the babies came out and spread around.  

Location: Riverside Park, Vero Beach

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, November 16, 2023

November 16, 2023

I am known as a Paper Wasp
In the Fuscopolistes Subgenus
You know I'm a male because my antennae are curved
And I don't have a stinger so I'm nothing but sweetness.

Location: Riverside Park, Vero Beach

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

November 15, 2023

These are Resurrection Ferns
Zoomed in close, they resemble human ribs
Although they grow on other plants they are not parasitic,
They don't steal from the other plant or call "dibs".

Location: Riverside Park, Vero Beach

Sources: https://dengarden.com/gardening/How-to-Grow-a-Resurrection-Fern-a-Native-Plant-Indoors-or-Outdoors

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Tuesday, November 14, 2023

November 14, 2023

I am an Arrowhead Orbweaver
My triangle ranges from yellow to white
I'm one of the few Orbweavers known to sit
In my web with my head facing upright. 

Location: Stow Conservation Area, Gifford

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/2035

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Monday, November 13, 2023

November 13, 2023

I am a Blackberry Looper Moth
I appear to be translucent but I really am green
You can find me in Mexico and Canada
And east of the Rockies in between.

Location:  St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/33362

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Sunday, November 12, 2023

November 12, 2023

I'm known as a Tersa Sphinx moth
Although it's probably just a coincidental abstraction
My eyespots very highly resemble
The ghosts from from the video game Pacman!

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: 
https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=pacman+ghost

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson




Saturday, November 11, 2023

November 11, 2023

I am known as an Eastern Amberwing
I'm tiny and considered a "wasp mimic"
I fly fast and erratic, but I don't sting
Looking like I might is just my gimmick

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://uwm.edu/field-station/bug-of-the-week/eastern-amberwing-dragonfly-family-libellulidae/

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Friday, November 10, 2023

November 10, 2023

I am a spider in the family Pholcidae
My abdomen's twice the length of my cephalothorax
Despite the rumors, I don't hurt humans
Bugs and sometimes other spiders are all I attack.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1366

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Thursday, November 9, 2023

November 9, 2023

I am known as a Sandhill Crane
Sandhill is habitat used by snakes, Scrub Jays and Turkeys
But I actually rarely hang out in Sandhills
Bird namers can sometimes be derpy.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://climateadaptationexplorer.org/habitats/terrestrial/1240

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

November 8, 2023

I am an Orange-spotted Flower Moth
My wings are orange, brown and black
Take a look at my huge proboscis
I'm tiny, but pizazz is not something I lack!

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://thefsca.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Media_Files_Plant-Industry-Files_Entomology-Circular_CIRCULAR-Syngamia-Florella-Stoll.pdf

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

November 7, 2023

I am known as an Oak Toad
I eat invertebrates, including spiders
But don't tell Dee, I hear she is partial to them
And I hate offending book writers.

(The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders is available at Ditch 13 Gallery and Gifts in Fellsmere, Merritt Island NWR Visitor Center gift shop in Titusville,  the Enchanted Forest Santuary gift shop in Titusville, and via mail order.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/frogs/oaktoad.shtml
https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson


Monday, November 6, 2023

November 6, 2023

I am known as a Pine Warbler
Sometimes I'm part of a flock of 100 or more
I'm the only warbler known to regularly eat seeds
But I also eat arthropods galore!

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Sunday, November 5, 2023

November 5, 2023

I am known as a Brown-headed Nuthatch
I only live in mature pine forests
I climb upside down looking for bugs
I am quite the non-conformist. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/brownheadednuthatch.htm

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson



Saturday, November 4, 2023

November 4, 2023

This is known as a Coconut Palm
It's the most important Palm Tree of them all
It is is an important crop for oil, food and drink
And stays green and doesn't lose its fronds in the fall.

Super big thanks to my special guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Harbor Pointe Park, Fort Pierce

Sources: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/MG043

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