July 31, 2023

I am a Mexican Paper Wasp

I am also a pollinator

I pollinate with ease, but not as well as the bees,

Cause I have no hair, I'm a smooth operator.

Location: Private residence, Vero

Sources: https://fnpsblog.blogspot.com/2021/06/why-wasps-matter.html?m=1

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 30, 2023

I am a Typical Green Lacewing larvae

Although right now I just look like some schmutz

But I'm actually a voracious pest eater

And a hoarder carrying the carcasses of lunch.

Location: Private residence, Vero

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 29, 2023

The brown on the rocks are Cliff Swallow nests

Cliff Swallows migrate very long distance

You might see them when they pass through Florida 

In autumn using binoculars and persistence.

Very special thanks to today's guest photographer, Joy Handley.

Location: Red Canyon, Fremont County, Wyoming

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cliff_Swallow/maps-sightings

Photo © 2023 Joy Handley and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 28, 2023

We are two Sagebrush Lizards

We are gray or brown with stripe that is dark

We live in rocky, geothermal or sagebrush environments

So you can find us in Grand Teton and Yellowstone parks.

Very special thanks to today's guest photographer, Joy Handley.

Location: Red Canyon, Fremont County, Wyoming

Sources: https://uwnps.org/northern-sagebrush-lizard-sceloporus-graciosus-graciosus/

Photo © 2023 Joy Handley and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 27, 2023

I am a Tussock Moth Caterpillar

"Tussock" refers to the clumps of hair on my back

When I grow up, if you see me fly, I'm male

If I'm a girl functional wings I will lack!

Note: This is specifically a Southern Tussock Moth caterpillar. I spent hours researching Southern Tussock Moths, and there really isn't much written about them. I was trying specifically to find out if their hairs are venomous like some Tussock Moth Caterpillars. 

I never did find a definitive answer to that, but I did find out that in some species of Tussock, after the female Tussock Moths come out of the Cocoon, they have little tiny wings that can't be used for flying. They pretty much just wait for a male to come around, mate, lay eggs on top of their cocoon, then die. I then spent WAY too long trying to find out if Southern Tussock Moths fall into this category, but I could not find a definitive answer to that either. But at least I did find a very cool, free archive online where I came across some great resources listed below. 

Location: Riverview Park, Sebastian

Sources: All of the following can be found here in the book/text section: https://archive.org/

• Do butterflies bite? : fascinating answers to questions about butterflies and moths by Davies, Hazel
• Caterpillars of Eastern North America : a guide to identification and natural history by Wagner, David L.
• The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 1889-2012 (not related to anything in this post, but a cool archive nonetheless)

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 26, 2023

We are insects in the Tribe Nemognathini

As larvae, our development was hypermetamorphic

Our family is known as Blister Beetles

But what you call us? Well, that is your pick.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, Cattle Pens

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/medical/blister_beetles.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermetamorphosis

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 25, 2023

I am known as a Brown Thrasher

I'm grabbing a snack, but not for me to ingest -

My babies are waiting and quite impatient

In only 9 days they'll be leaving the nest.

Location: Private residence, Vero

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 24, 2023

I am known as a Trumpeter Swan

I'm white, but my head is stained reddish-brown

I'm building a nest atop a Muskrat lodge

It needs to be sturdy - I can weigh 25 pounds!

Special thanks to guest photographer, David Simpson.

Location: Ottawa NWR Wildlife Drive, Ohio

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

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

July 23, 2023

I am a Florida Scrub Jay

I have a broken beak.

I might have been predated,

Or was like this when created,

Either way, my future looks bleak.

(This is one of the birds in my monitoring area. We are not sure what happened to him - we haven't seen it for a while so have not been able to trap it for rehab.)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://birdfact.com/articles/why-do-birds-have-beaks

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 22, 2023

I am a Pantropical Huntsman Spider

Including my legs, I can be five inches wide

But I’m totally harmless to humans

But roaches? They are tasty and better go hide!

Location: St. Sebastian Preserve State Park, Cracker Camp

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/spiders/giant_crab_spider.htm

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 21, 2023

(Follow up from Wednesdays post!!)

We are pair of Southern Pink-striped Oakworm Moths

I am the female, I'm bigger than my mate

I am the male with a transparent patch on my wing

I'm smaller, but she thinks I'm great.

(Note: Enlarge the photo on the bottom - you can actually see through the wings. It is too cool for school!)

Location: My house, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1354097-Anisota-virginiensis

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 20, 2023

We are male and female Curly-tailed Lizards

Doing what Curly-tails do

Getting down, in the park on the ground

So she can be laying eggs soon. 

Note: These are invasive exotics, but they are pretty cool to look at. And I like critters that are named for an obvious feature, it makes life so much easier for humans to ID. 

Location: Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach

Sources: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103639/Leiocephalus_carinatus

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 19, 2023

I am a Southern Pink-striped Oakworm Moth

I had a pink stripe even when I was a kid

I'm orange and purple with a little white circle

In the middle of both of my wings.

Note: See caterpillar photo below. That photo was taken on Sept 14, 2018. It's not the same moth, but both photos were taken in my yard, so today's moth is possibly a descendant of that caterpillar. 

Location: My house, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1354097-Anisota-virginiensis

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 18, 2023

I am a Golden Silk Spider

Some people also call me Banana Spider

In the South Pacific, they call me a snack

Because I'm a good protein provider.

Location: Oyster Bar Marsh Conservation Area, Vero Beach

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 17, 2023

I'm an immature Yellow-crowned Night Heron

My head and body are mostly gray

I have some white spots, and occasional thoughts

Of going vegan, to my parents dismay.

Location: Oyster Bar Marsh Conservation Area, Vero Beach

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 16, 2023

I am an adult Yellow-crowned Night-Heron

I have a yellow crown and plumes

My head's mostly black, I'm grey on my back
And my farts smell like crustacean fumes.

Location: Oyster Bar Marsh Conservation Area, Vero Beach

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 15, 2023

I am a female Spinybacked Orbweaver

I'm easy to spot with my big red spines

My mate is quite a bit smaller than I

And he doesn't have spines like mine.

Note: Check out the bugguide link below - I've never actually seen a male Spinybacked Orbweaver before.

Location: Oyster Bar Marsh Conservation Area, Vero Beach

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

https://bugguide.net/node/view/457460

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 14, 2023

We are all Cuban Tree Frogs

We are a nonindigenous aquatic species

You can find us almost everywhere in Florida

You can ID us by our huge-toe-padded feetsies.

Location: St. Sebastian Preserve State Park Cracker Camp

Sources: https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=57

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 13, 2023

This plant's known as Virgina Creeper

Throughout Florida's where it can be found

It climbs on trees, trellises and buildings,

Its name is not as lascivious as it sounds.

Location: Oyster Bar Marsh Conservation Area, Vero Beach

Sources: https://www.fnps.org/plant/parthenocissus-quinquefolia

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 12, 2023

I am a Schistocerca serialis ssp. cubense

I'm just a grasshopper nymph right now

I'll grow wings when I become an adult

Hemimetabolous metamorphosis is how.

Location: Oyster Bar Marsh Conservation Area, Vero Beach

Sources: https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-holometabolous-and-vs-hemimetabolous-metamorphosis-in-insects/

https://bugguide.net/node/view/2032037

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 11, 2023

I am a spider in the family Thomisidae

My front sets of legs are larger than the back

My laterigrade legs make me look like a crab

And it's insects, not people I attack.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1957

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 10, 2023

This is a plant known as Coral Bean

Hummingbirds like it's nectar

But it's seeds are toxic to humans

Don't eat them lest you be left a specter.

Location: Jones Pier Conservation Area, Jungle Trail

Sources: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=erhe4

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 9, 2023

I am a Mangrove Tree Crab

I live in mangrove roots in the supralittoral zone

That means the roots are splashed but not submerged

Which is also how I wear my cologne.

Location: Jones Pier Conservation Area, Jungle Trail

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

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 8, 2023

This is the nymphal skeleton of a Cicada

It went through its 5th molt and left the shell here

It went to live in trees for a few weeks

After living underground for about 4 years. 

Location: Jones Pier Conservation Area, Jungle Trail

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/bugs/cicadas.htm

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 7, 2023

I am a Florida Cottonmouth

I'm patterned brown now, as I age I'll get darker

When I was a baby, my tail tip was yellow

My color's not always the best ID marker.

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

Note: Although this snake is not aggressive, it is venomous and it's bite can be lethal to people and pets. Please read the article linked below for details.

Location:  Goodwin WMA, Broadmoor unit

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

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

July 6, 2023

We are a pair of Wood Ducks

Nesting on top of a dead palm tree

We mate twice a year in the spring and the fall

Within a mile of water's where we like to breed.

Location: Captain Forster's Hammock, Jungle Trail

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 5, 2023

I am a Pale Daddy Longlegs spider

I was introduced in Florida from southeast Asia

I am not dangerous to humans and help control other pests

So there is no need for euthanasia. 

Update: This is a spider in the Pholcidae family, but is not necessarily a Smeringopus pallidus per Bug Guide. Need to re-research this one. 

Notes: This is an actual spider - what people up north call "Daddy Longlegs" are actually Harvestmen, in the order Opiliones. 

There is a bizarre myth that says daddy longlegs have the most potent venom in the world but their jaws aren't strong enough to bite humans. It is true that they don't bite humans, but the part about them having the most potent venom in the world is complete and utter bunk. 

Location: Captain Forster's Hammock, Jungle Trail

Sources: http://418.e25.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ent361.pdf

https://spiders.ucr.edu/daddy-long-legs

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 4, 2023

I am a female Mabel Orchard Orbweaver

If I were male I'd have a single red band

My mate also has much larger pedipalps

Despite being smaller than I am.

I use my pedipalps to help catch prey

And hold it while I inject venom

My mate uses his... for something else

When love is gaining momentum...

Location: My house, Fellsmere

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

https://www.britannica.com/animal/spider-arachnid/Importance#ref494939

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 3, 2023

I am an Eastern Cottontail

In the Americas I can be most anywhere

From Manitoba all the way down to Brazil

I'm hunted for sport, meat and my hair. 

Location: Captain Forster's Hammock, Jungle Trail

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 2, 2023

I am a Common Grackle

I can be a pest because I damage corn crops

In wintertime I gather with a few million friends

And we hang out in very large flocks.

Location: Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

July 1, 2023

I am a female Gray Wall Jumping Spider

My mate is dark where I am white

I like to snack on Diptera

And sometimes flies that are larger than I!

Location: Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach

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

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson