June 12, 2026

I am a Downy Woodpecker

I've been known to nest inside building walls

I don't go round singing like other birds -

I use my drumming instead as a call.

Location: Pearson Metro Park, Oregon, OH

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

Photo and text © 2026 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, 2026

This plant is Amur Honeysuckle

It is an invasive non-native plant

It shades out other natives and can grow 15 feet tall

Despite looking pretty at first glance.

Location: Pearson Metro Park, Oregon, OH

Sources: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lonicera-maackii/

Photo and text © 2026 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, 2026

I am a Baltimore Oriole

Ripe, dark colored fruit is what I demand

Deep purple is my favorite color of grapes

And is also my favorite rock band.

Location: Pearson Metro Park, Oregon, OH

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

https://youtu.be/UAKCR7kQMTQ?si=ka3AfqVVFiXuEAYQ

Photo and text © 2026 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, 2026

I am known as an Eastern Fox Squirrel

I have many ways to communicate and keep me from harm

Including vibrissae that I use as sensors

Near my eyes, nose, chin and forearms.

Location: Pearson Metro Park, Oregon, OH

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

Photo and text © 2026 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, 2026

I am in the family of Wolf spiders

Possibly a Shiny Wolf

I hide on the ground

While skulking around

Looking for insects to eat till I'm full.

(This was kind of a tough one for ID as I was far from home and not familiar with the spiders. Would have been nice if a scientist wandered by with a microscope so I could get a better ID!)

Location: Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, OH

Sources: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/153809-Pardosa-moesta#articles-tab

Common Spiders of North America by Richard A. Bradley

Photo and text © 2026 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, 2026

I am an Eastern Warbling Vireo

Cowbirds sometimes lay their eggs in my nest

But I am no fool

I use my beak as a tool

To get rid of the eggs when I notice the jest.

Location: Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, OH

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

Photo and text © 2026 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, 2026

I am a female Rose-breasted Grosbeak

But sometimes I pretend to be a nuthatch

I usually eat berries or glean insects

Upside down when I'm feeling brash.

Location: Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, OH

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

Photo and text © 2026 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, 2026

I am an breeding male American Goldfinch

I molt my feathers twice a year

Once in the cold late winter

And again when autumn is near.

Location: Pearson Metropark Johlin Cabin Wildlife Viewing Area, Oregon, OH

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

Photo and text © 2026 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, 2026

I am known as a Song Sparrow

My song is how I impress girls

They judge me not just by my voice

But how well my singing lessons were learned.

Location: Magee Marsh Wildlife Area, Oak Harbor, OH

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

Photo and text © 2026 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, 2026

I am a male Red-winged Blackbird

I get territorial when I am breeding

I'll even fight horses and humans

Despite my low chance of succeeding.

Location: Maumee Bay State Park, Oregon, OH

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

Photo and text © 2026 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, 2026

We are American Robins

If you love hearing our song

You can put structures in your yard for us to nest

But never put pesticides on your lawn.

(Because Robins dig in the dirt for worms, they are very susceptible to pesticides!)

Location: Maumee Bay State Park, Oregon, OH

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

Photo and text © 2026 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, 2026

We are known as Tree Swallows

We eat insects and berries and fruit
We also scavenge compost for eggshells

When we need calcium to reproduce.

Location: Pearson Metropark Johlin Cabin Wildlife Viewing Area, Oregon, OH

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

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 31, 2026

I am known as a Green Horsefly

In the US, I'm the only horse fly that's green

I'm crepuscular, I'm spectacular,

I have fuzzy white scapulars

I'm the prettiest bloodsucker that you've ever seen.

Thanks to our very special guest photographer, Heather Stapleton!

Location: Private residence, Vero

Sources: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/17583

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 30, 2026

I am a Hardwood Stump Borer Beetle

My name says all that you need to know

I bore holes in hardwood

To me, it tastes good,

My jaws are strong, watch your fingers and toes!

Thanks to our very special guest photographer, Heather Stapleton!

Location: Private residence, Vero

Sources: https://www.whatsthatbug.com/hardwood-stump-borer-all-you-need-to-know-explained-simply/

Photo and text © 2026 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.

Florida Native Plant Resources

David and I recommend the following online resources for native plant identification:

• A Photographic Atlas for Botany (Morrow) - Fantastic, full color online atlas.
• Florida Wildflower Foundation - I use this as a reference for my blog frequently
• This is the specific page that I showed in class, but please explore the whole site, it is wonderfully done.
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center  - A concise, easy to use resource that I also use frequently as a reference for my blog.
• iNaturalist.org: This is a good resource to narrow you down to at least a family. BUT - this is SO important - NEVER eat a plant based on a photo ID. Unless you have taken a science-based course on botany and plant identification, or are with someone who has,  do NOT eat any plant in the wild. Remember - all plants are edible ONCE.

Offline (old fashioned "books") that are handy to have:

• Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities by Walter Kingley Taylor - Considered the classic Florida ID book, but can be difficult to find. 
• A Falcon Guide: Central Florida. Wildflowers - I like this book because it's organized by color, which is the first think I notice about a flower, although it is not always the most definitive identification key. 
• The Wildflower Book: East of the Rockies - A Complete Guide to Growing and Identifying Wildflowers - My mom in law just gave me this, so I have only had a chance to scan it, but it looks like a great resource, and the phots are awesome.
• Guide to the vascular plants of central Florida by Richard P. Wunderlin - If you decide that you want to get seriously into botany, this is considered the bible of plant ID in Florida. This is a free edition.

May 29, 2026

I'm known as a Lateral-lined Sharpshooter

I'm a True Bug in the Leafhopper family

I'm the only species in this genus with red on my legs

And I wear pink stripes and dots that flatter me.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/16341

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 28, 2026

I am known as a Skull-collecting Ant

I spray Trap-Jaw ants with my formic acid,

Then I decorate my nest 

With their chopped off head

Eat a meal and then take an antacid.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://phys.org/news/2018-11-uncovers-predatory-behavior-florida-skull-collecting.html

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 27, 2026

I am an Eastern Cottontail

Take look at my fluffy white butt

You must be relieved

To get a reprieve

From Dee's nearly month-long bug rut.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: http://fs.usda.gov/database/feis/animals/mammal/syfl/all.html

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 26, 2026

I am an Atlantic Grasshopper

I like to stay in a semi aquatic place

My antennae are usually shorter than my hind femora

And I have a weirdly skeleton like face. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/5004

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 25, 2026

I am a Six-lined Racerunner

It's easy to confuse me with Skinks

Bad lighting makes me look dark here

But Skinks have 5 lines and I have six. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/reptiles/view.php?checklist_number=146.0

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 24, 2026

I am a Marl Pennant Dragonfly

I live near salt marshes or a beach

I occasionally hunt in swarms with my friends

And often hunt from perches on reeds.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://virginianaturalhistorysociety.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2022/12/B28-full-Marl-pennant-1.pdf

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 23, 2026

I am sometimes known as a Blue-eyed Roach

Which makes me sound prettier than I am

I'm fairly common in Florida

But I'm native to the Carribean.

Location: On the side (outside) of my house, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/82035

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 22, 2026

I am known as a Small Hooded Cockroach

The cover of the first part of my thorax

Looks like I'm wearing a cowl-neck sweater

My lack of fashion's my only drawback.

Location: On the side (outside) of my house, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/111902

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 21, 2026

I am known as a Rehn's Cockroach

I'm sure you are sitting there saying "ewww"

But take a close look at my wings and legs - 

They're translucent, you can see right through!

(I thought this was kind of silvery when I first took the photo, but eventually realized you can see through it. Very cool.)

Location: On the side (outside) of my house, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/507337/bgpage

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 20, 2026

I am a Rabid Wolf Spider

I'm harmless to humans but not to other bugs

I'm known as a "sit and wait predator"

Where sit and.. AAUUUUUUUUUGGGgggggg...

(Note: This spider and I were having a nice little chat and unfortunately I distracted her and this jerk wasp came by and nailed her. I realize everyone has to eat but I still felt bad for my inadvertent involvement. The wasp carried the spider off; I lost track of them but I assume she had young somewhere and was taking the spider home to them for dinner.)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

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

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 19, 2026

I am a Delaware Skipper

But don't be fooled by my name

I was named for the Delaware Native American tribe

Who lived where I first came into my fame*.

* Delaware Skippers are more common in Florida than in the northeast.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.flawildflowers.org/know-your-native-pollinators-delaware-skipper/

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 18, 2026

(Don't read today's post if you are eating. Or, if you are on a diet and struggling, continue scrolling, it might stop you from eating. I took the photo, forgot I took it and was snacking when I downloaded the photo and it came up for review.  Not a diet plan for everyone, but it sure slowed me down!)

I am a Turkey Vulture

Minding my own business in the grass

Dee thought I might be on a nest

I was eating my lunch, I bet she wish she had asked!

(It was a very demised and stinky wild hog, but I've never photographed maggots for the blog before. Now I remember why...)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

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

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 17, 2026

I'm a Flat-headed Bald Cypress Sapwood Borer

I am a species of metallic wood-bearing beetle

I can do some damage to oak and maple trees

But I'm totally harmless to people.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/2934

https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/woodborer-metallic-woodboring-beetle/

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 16, 2026

I am known as a Gallinipper

I'm basically a very large mosquito

I have a nasty bite and like the taste of humans

But I'm easy to avoid, I've no way to fly incognito.

Location: On the side (outside) of my house, Fellsmere

Sources: https://www.jacksonville.gov/departments/neighborhoods/mosquito-control/psorophora-ciliata

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 15, 2026

I am known as a Black Stink Bug

But that name's not entirely true

My legs are part white

And my back spot is light

And my mate likes my sweet perfume

Location: On the side (outside) of my house, Fellsmere

Sources: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN795

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 14, 2026

I am known as an Eastern Leaf-footed bug

You know I'm me cause my white stripe is unbroken

I'm mostly considered a minor pest to crops

And can be found from Florida to Hoboken*.

*Technically Long Island, but they are close enough, and Long Island doesn't rhyme with "unbroken"

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN229

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 13, 2026

We are known as Dark Flower Scarabs

We feed on pollen and sap and fruit

We occasionally are pests of mangoes and corn

Destroying the flowers before fruit is produced.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN750

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 12, 2026

We are both Spotless Lady Beetles

Though I (in photo 1) posed with my head down

And with macrophotography I look like a peach

But not Jame's*, which was big as a town. 

* As in Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach.

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391240608_Eye-spot-only_Ladybird_Beetle_Cycloneda_sanguinea_Linnaeus_in_New_Countries_and_Islands_while_declining_in_abundance

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

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 11, 2026

We are Southern Green-striped Grasshoppers

We can be seen in brown or green phases

Scientist argue if we are Chortophaga viridifasciata

But just live in different places.

(To clarify, these are both Southern Green-striped Grasshoppers [Chortophaga australior], which have two distinct color phases. In question is whether or not Southern Green-striped Grasshoppers are a different species from the Green-striped Grasshoppers [Chortophaga viridifasciata] found outside of the southeastern US.)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/orth/view.php?checklist_number=79.0

Photo and text © 2026 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.

May 10, 2026

We are instars of the Tobacco Budworm moth

We are considered pests due to what we eat:

Tobacco leaves

Which contain nicotine,

Which is harmful to all human beings.

(I'm not sure why they were all over the thistle - perhaps the anti-smoking messages are getting out into the wild!)

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/chloridea-virescens

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

Photo and text © 2026 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.