July 31, 2024

I'm known as a Orchard Oriole

I'm part black and my tummy is rusty

I eat insects, but also nectar and fruit

And flower pollen, which can leave my head dusty.

Location: Oak Openings Preserve Metropark, Swanton, OH

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

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.

July 30, 2024

This plant is a Flowering Dogwood

It's known for red fall foliage and showy spring blooms

It also has hard wood used for many things

Such as jeweler's blocks, mallets,  and spools.

Location: Oak Openings Preserve Metropark, Swanton, OH

Sources: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=cofl2

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.

July 29, 2024

I am a White-breasted Nuthatch

I got my name from the way that I eat

I stick an acorn in a tree,

Whack the acorn with my beak

Until the nut inside is "hatched" free.

Location: Oak Openings Preserve Metropark, Swanton, OH

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-breasted_Nuthatch/overview#

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.

July 28, 2024

I am a Ruby-throated Hummingbird

My short legs make it hard to walk

But I can fly super fast with precision

And I migrate alone, not ever in flocks.

Location: Oak Openings Preserve Metropark, Swanton, OH 

Sources: https://journeynorth.org/tm/humm/migration_route.html

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird/overview

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.

July 27, 2024

I am a fly in the suborder Nematocera

Notice my antennae that are feathery

My larvae are usually aquatic

The number of species in this suborder are many.

(I apologize for the vagueness of the identification - I couldn't nail this down to a species, but thought it was such a cool looking critter that I really wanted to share it.)

Location: Pipe Creek Wildlife Area,  Sandusky, OH

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/14927

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/154259-Nematocera

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.

July 26, 2024

I am a spider in the genus Tetragnath

I'm often found near rivers and streams

I build a horizontal,

Circular web above water

To intercept emerging insect cuisine.

Location: Pipe Creek Wildlife Area,  Sandusky, OH

Sources: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1997

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.

July 25, 2024

I am a Black-throated Green Warbler

My extra large head is of note

My beak's thick and black

And to be exact

I have both a black chin and black throat.

Location: Pipe Creek Wildlife Area,  Sandusky, OH

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

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.

July 24, 2024

I am a Bay-breasted Warbler

I live in Canada where I eat Spruce Budworms

My population goes down

When budworms aren't around

But when they come back I will also return.

Location: Pipe Creek Wildlife Area,  Sandusky, OH

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bay-breasted_Warbler/overview

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.

July 23, 2024

I am known as a Tufted Titmouse

I'm white and grey with a pointy crest

I hoard seeds from feeders in the winter and fall

And raise my young in a fur-lined nest.

Location: Pearson Park Dr, Oregon, OH

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

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.

July 22, 2024

I am a male White-crowned Sparrow

I learned to sing from the birds in my neighborhood

I like to eat seeds

Of grasses and weeds

And keep my white crown looking good!

Location: Pipe Creek Wildlife Area,  Sandusky, OH

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-crowned_Sparrow/lifehistory

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.

July 21, 2024

I am known as a Canada Goose

Shown here leading about 30 goslings

I seem to have accrued

A quite large "gang brood"

None named Ryan, but they're still little darlings.

Location: Pipe Creek Wildlife Area,  Sandusky, OH

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

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.

July 20, 2024

We are known as Indigo Buntings

I (the male) am a bright brilliant blue

My wife is kind of a dull brown bird

But she builds a great nest for our brood!

Location: (M) Pipe Creek Wildlife Area,  Sandusky, OH

(F) Oak Openings Preserve Metropark, Swanton, OH 

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

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.

July 19, 2024

I am known as a Yellow Warbler

I have a chestnut streaked breast and bright yellow head

I have big eyes

So it's a surprise

I sometimes get caught in spider webs!

Location: Pipe Creek Wildlife Area,  Sandusky, OH

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

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.

July 18, 2024

I'm an American Goldfinch

I'm attracted to native Thistles and Milkweed

I'm a frequent visitor to most styles of feeders

And I love Nyjer and Sunflower seed.

Location: Pipe Creek Wildlife Area,  Sandusky, OH

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

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.

July 17, 2024

This is knows as a Princess Tree

It's pretty, but that's the extent of it's charm

It is messy, fast growing, and has very week wood

And is invasive - do not plant in your yard!

Location: Pipe Creek Wildlife Area,  Sandusky, OH

Sources: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/paulownia-tomentosa/

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.

July 16, 2024

This plant is Hesperis matronalis

Commonly known as Dame's Rocket

It is pretty but should never be planted or bought -

In America, it's an invasive exotic.

Location: Pipe Creek Wildlife Area,  Sandusky, OH

Sources: https://www.invasive.org/alien/pubs/midatlantic/hema.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.

July 15, 2024

We are known as Tree Swallows

You can tell we're male by our sparkly blue heads

We nest in both trees and nest boxes

Which help scientists study our trends.

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

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

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.

July 14, 2024

We are both Red-winged Blackbirds

But only my mate lives up to our name

I can be mistaken for 1000 other birds

By no-talent birders like Dee who are lame.

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township (female), Ohio;  Pipe Creek Wildlife Area, Sandusky, OH (male)

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id

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.

July 13, 2024

I am known as a Fox Squirrel

I'm an omnivore but prefer nuts and seeds

When I run afoul

Of hawks and owls

I'm agile and can escape in the trees.

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

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

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.

July 12, 2024

I am known as a Great Egret

I'm doing some sky art

I like to call it post modern

That started as a small fart.

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

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

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.

July 11, 2024

I am known as a Trumpeter Swan

In North America, I'm the heaviest known bird

I need a 100 meter runway in order to take flight

And it can sound like a galloping horse herd.

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

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

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.

July 10, 2024

I am a Rose-breasted Grosbeak

I have a large, triangle shaped bill

My chest's mostly white

And I wear a red tie

My beautiful song is my finest skill.

Location: Oak Openings Preserve, Swanton, Ohio; Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rose-breasted_Grosbeak/id

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rose-breasted_Grosbeak/sounds

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.

July 9, 2024

I am a Baltimore Oriole

I prefer to eat dark, ripened fruit

I eat it by "gaping"

Which is my way of breaking

Open berries to release the sweet juice.

(To quote the linked article, Baltimore Orioles "...use their slender beaks to feed in an unusual way, called “gaping”: they stab the closed bill into soft fruits, then open their mouths to cut a juicy swath from which they drink with their brushy-tipped tongues.")

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

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

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.

July 8, 2024

I am a harmless Northern Watersnake

In Florida, you will see my Southern counterpart

You can find me in ponds,

And streams, lakes and bogs

Sometimes away from water, but not very far.

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

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

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.

July 7, 2024

I am known as a Muskrat

I have dense fur that keeps me warm and buoyant

I don't see, hear, or even smell very well

So I use my musk for intruder avoidance.

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

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

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.

July 6, 2024

I am a Prothonotary Warbler

I might look innocent enough

But I shaped modern American politics

And helped fear of Communism run amok.

(Read the link below for details.)

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

Sources: https://www.famous-trials.com/algerhiss/657-warbler

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Prothonotary_Warbler/overview#

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.

Butterfly Resources

The following are sources used in our Butterflies of Indian River County Presentation:

• Labeled Butterfly Anatomy Diagram
• Butterflies Vs Moths: What are the Differences?
• Butterfly Lifecycle
• San Mateo County Parks: Difference Between Butterflies and Moths
• Swallowtail Comparisons
• Butterflies on Dee at 8 AM
• Gulf Fritillary
• Common Buckeye
• Zebra Longwing
• Giant Swallowtail
• Black Swallowtail
• Tiger Swallowtail
• Monarch
• Queen
• Viceroy
• Cloudless Sulphur
• Barred Yellow
• Orange-barred Sulphur
• Great Southern White
• White Peacock
• Long-tailed Skipper 
• Phaon Crescent
• Pearl Crescent
• Red Admiral

July 5, 2024

I am a Red Admiral butterfly

My main colors are brown, orange and white

I like to eat fermented tree sap

With a little fresh dung on the side.

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

Sources: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/bfly/red_admiral.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.

July 4, 2024

I am an American Bullfrog

My ears are bigger than my eyes

My eyes are bigger than belly - 

I've a voracious appetite!

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

Sources: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Invasives/Species/Bullfrog

https://nypost.com/2018/12/28/science-explains-why-our-eyes-are-bigger-than-our-stomachs/

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.

July 3, 2024

We are known as Painted Turtles

We have yellow and red markings on a green-brown background

We have a good sense smell and of color perception

But we're lacking in the ability to hear sounds.

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

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

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.

July 2, 2024

We are a male and female House Sparrow

We cohabitate with people

We eat insects and seeds

And livestock feed

And nest in traffic lights, roofs and steeples.

Location: Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, Benton Township, Ohio

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

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.

July 1, 2024

I am a male Phainopepla

I mostly eat berries of mistletoe

They pass through my intestines in 12 minutes flat

I can eat 1,000 per day, so I go-go-go.

Location: Box Canyon, AZ

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

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

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.