June 30, 2024

This plant is a Spider Lily

The name isn't totally senseless - 

Unlike a spider, it only has 6 legs

But I can otherwise see the resemblance.

Location: Rotary Park, Merritt Island

Sources: https://ccmedia.fdacs.gov/content/download/25063/file/botany-circular-39.pdf

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 29, 2024

This is a plant known as Flattened Pipewort

It is also called Hatpin

It has a single white flower on top of its stalk

Which has no leaves and is green and thin.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ERCO7

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 28, 2024

I am in the tribe Conocephalini

My tribe name translates to "conical head"

That name seems a little derogatory

My friends call me Meadow Katydid.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

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

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 27, 2024

This is a Yellow Butterwort

It secretes mucilage from it's stems and leaves

This is the same glue

That I used in school

I used it for crafts, the plant uses it to feed.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-pinguicula-lutea

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 26, 2024

This is an orchid named Pale Grasspink

When a bee lands on it, the bee's lightly trapped

To escape, the bee first must pollinate the plant

An odd, but successful way for the plant to adapt.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-calopogon-pallidus/

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 25, 2024

I am a freshwater sunfish

In my genus there are 13 species

I was found in a puddle

You would not find me in the deep seas.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/49592-Lepomis

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 24, 2024

This plant is Tracy's Sundew

It has a sense of self-preservation

It eats insects

But it also protects

Bees who help it with pollination.

(The article below goes into more detail, but basically the flower is far enough above the sticky stem so pollinators don't get caught and digested.)

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.fnps.org/plant/drosera-tracyi

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 23, 2024

This plant is known as Pink Sundew

It's a different type of carnivorous plant

It secretes a sticky, acidic substance

From its leaves covered in tentacle-like glands

Insects get stuck, 

And say "On no, I'm [in trouble]"

The leaves fold in, ending the insects life span.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-drosera-capillaris/

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 22, 2024

These are Parrot Pitcher Plants

Their flower is a deep, vibrant red

They use a "lobster pot" trap to catch insects

This isn't a pitfall, the plants still get fed.

(Note: This might be one where you have to read the linked article to get the joke.)

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-sarracenia-psittacina/

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 21, 2024

These are Venus Flytrap plants

In Florida, they are not native

A guy had some seeds

Threw them into the breeze,

At least the plants aren't invasive.

(I found the linked article interesting - it's not often we can trace non-native plants to one specific source!)

Location: Apalachicola National Forest 

Sources: https://cpn.carnivorousplants.org/articles/CPNv48n3p135.pdf

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 20, 2024

These are Hooded Pitcher Plants

They are little bug eating machines

They have showy fruits and foliage

That look just a tad obscene.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.fnps.org/plant/sarracenia-minor

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 19, 2024

These are all Yellow Pitcher Plants

They are host for epaulleted pitcher plant moths

They are also carnivorous insect eaters

Bugs come to them, they don't hunt or stalk.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.fnps.org/plant/sarracenia-flava

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 18, 2024

This is Asclepias longifolia

It grows well in prairies and bogs

Its common name is Longleaf Milkweed

It's scientific name comes from a Greek god. 

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-asclepias-longifolia/

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 17, 2024

This plant is known as Michaux's Milkweed

It is a host plant for the Monarch butterfly

Native bees also like its nectar

Anywhere it's planted, it's sure to prettify.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ASMI12

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 16, 2024

This plant is Euphorbia floridana

Also known as Greater Florida Spurge

Don't touch its sap

You will regret that

It will blister your skin and can make you go blind. 

Note: Follow the instructions on the page linked below if you ingest, touch, or get the sap in your eye.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.poison.org/articles/keep-away-from-spurge-sap-222

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

Frogs and Toads of Indian River County Presentation Resources

The following resources were referenced in our Frogs and Toads of Indian River County presentation:

• UF Wildlife Johnson Lab - Great resource for frogs, snakes, invasive species and more. 
• Frog Call Lookup - All calls in the presentation are from this website. An amazing resource. 
• AmphibiaWeb - Connects people around the world by synthesizing and sharing information about amphibians to enable research, education, and conservation
• Deadly Frog Disease More Prevalent in Central Florida Than Expected, UCF Study Finds 
• Sick frogs in Central Florida worry scientists
• A key to the songs of Florida frogs

June 15, 2024

I am a Hentz Striped Scorpion

I might sting, but I probably won't kill you

I prefer to eat cockroaches and termites

Which is just one of my better attributes.

Note: That is not my arm shown in this photo. The Scorpion was being handled by someone who knew how to handle it without scaring it or inspiring it to sting him.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://guatemala.inaturalist.org/taxa/199583-Centruroides-hentzi

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 14, 2024

I am a Scudder's Bush Katydid

To determine which species, you must see my tail end

And view my supra-anal and subgenital plates

But first buy me dinner and ask to be friends.

Location: The Nature Conservancy Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve (Garden of Eden trail)

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/7130

https://orthsoc.org/sina/g060a.htm

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 13, 2024

This is Hairyflower Spiderwort

It can grow, even in a bad drought

Although it might go dormant in summertime

In winter time, it sprouts right back out.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TRHI5

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 12, 2024

I am a Funnel-web Wolf Spider

I build a funnel-shaped web on the ground

I don't hunt like other Wolf spiders, 

I trap prey in my funnel-shaped shroud.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2012/02/spider-sunday-funnel-web-wolf-spiders.html

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 11, 2024

This plant is known as Spurge Nettle

It looks sweet, but you better not touch

It has hairs that can sting your fingers

If you need to weed round it, you better wear gloves.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.fnps.org/plant/cnidoscolus-stimulosus

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 10, 2024

I am a Georgia Wolf Spider

In the US, I'm endemic to the south east.

You might find me out hunting after dark

During the day, I hide under felled trees.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/750194

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 9, 2024

I am a Southern Marbled Grasshopper

I'm sand colored with marbled brown

I have a pronatal crest

That protects my neck

And I'm well camouflaged when on the ground.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://theincorrigibleentomologist.wordpress.com/2019/02/12/spharagemon-of-florida/

https://www.uwyo.edu/entomology/grasshoppers/field-guide/ghparts.html

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 8, 2024

I am an American Bird Grasshopper

In Florida I am a citrus crop pest

I don't have a lot of predators

But Cattle Egrets think I taste the best. 

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/field/american_grasshopper.htm

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 7, 2024

We are all Ornate Chorus frogs

We come in four color morphs

Gold, brown, grey and green

I bet you've never seen

Such a rainbow of froggy dwarfs.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://herpsofnc.org/ornate-chorus-frog/

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 6, 2024

I am a Southern Cricket frog

You can find me in marshes and lakes

My toepads are tiny

And though I look slimy

My warts make me easier to embrace.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/frogs/southerncricketfrog.shtml

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 5, 2024

I am known as a Southern Leopard frog

You can recognize my dark leopard-like spots

My snout is pointed and my feet are webbed

And you can find me in wetlands and swamps.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/frogs/southernleopardfrog.shtml

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 4, 2024

I am a Brown-chinned Black Racer

I'm endemic to a very small area

You can only find me in the Apalachicola Lowlands
I'm not venomous - there are things far scarier.

Location: Apalachicola National Forest

Sources: https://www.facebook.com/coastalplainsinstitute/posts/meet-the-brown-chinned-racer-coluber-constrictor-helvigularis-if-you-have-just-o/1907189636103530/

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 3, 2024

This is the chrysalis of a milkweed butterfly

For a while, it was a caterpillar's home

But then the caterpillar metamorphosed,

Now it's a butterfly and free to roam.

Location: Rotary Park, Merritt Island

Sources: Video: What is Metamorphosis?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ89qQDmysI

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 2, 2024

I am an Eastern Harvestman

I'm an arachnid, but a spider I'm not.

When I am threatened I can release a bad smell

It's not venom, but it's all that I got.

Location: The Nature Conservancy Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve (Garden of Eden trail)

Sources: https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/daddy-longlegs-harvestmen

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.

June 1, 2024

I am a Workman's Jumping spider

I look similar to, but smaller than a Regal

I like to hang out in the scrub and sandhills

And I'm sweet and not harmful to people.

Location: The Nature Conservancy Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve (Garden of Eden trail)

Sources: https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.120940/Phidippus_workmani

Photo and text © 2024 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

If you are reading and enjoying this blog, please consider supporting me on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/deeat8am, or purchase my current book, The Rhyming Guide to Florida Spiders (details at https://deeateightam.blogspot.com/p/rhyming-guide-to-florida-spiders-now.html). Thank you for being a reader and friend of Dee at 8 A.M.