September 1, 2026

We are known as Cuban Treefrogs

Our big strong legs help us strut

And the suction cups on our toes

Keep us from falling on our butts.

Location: My bedroom window

Sources: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW259

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.

October 18, 2025

I am known as a Squirrel Treefrog

I like to eat spiders and termites

I'll also eat ant, beetles and crickets

But I'm small, so humans are one thing I won't bite!

Location: Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park

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

Photo and text © 2025 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.

April 27, 2025

I am a Red-eyed Tree Frog

I use my eye color for defense

My eyelids are green

And blend in with leaves

But my open eyes startle predators  - I look possessed.

Location: Ara Ambigua Lodge, Costa Rica

Sources: https://www.rainforest-alliance.org/species/tree-frog/

https://nhpbs.org/natureworks/nwep2b.htm

Photo and text © 2025 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.

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.

March 26, 2024

I am known as a Greenhouse Frog

I was introduced from the Caribbean

I'm mostly reddish-brown with a few splotches or stripes

My tiny toe-pads make an adorable amphibian.

Location: UF DeLuca Preserve 2024 Bioblitz 

Sources: https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/frogs/greenhousefrog.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.

March 25, 2024

I am known as a Squirrel Treefrog

Sometimes known as "rain frog" based on when I sing

I sing in the rain

Gene Kelly isn't to blame

I also sing when I'm in the mood for a fling.

Location: UF DeLuca Preserve 2024 Bioblitz 

Sources: https://srelherp.uga.edu/anurans/hylsqu.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.

December 31, 2023

This was a Cuban Tree Frog

You can tell by the size of it's legs and its skin was bumpy

And you can also tell that it was female

Cause it's not a daddy, it's a mummy. 

Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

Sources: https://wec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/wildlife_info/frogstoads/osteopilus_septentrionalis.php

Photo and text © 2023 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

April 24, 2023

I am known as a Southern Toad

I'd never front a band or sing harmony

My call is a shrill 1 note trill

Not much melody but enough to ID me. 

Location: Tosohatchee Wildlife Management Area, Christmas

Sources: https://srelherp.uga.edu/anurans/bufter.htm

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

November 27, 2022

I am known as a Pig Frog

A Snowy Egret promised me a ride

But he knows that I'm afraid of heights, 

So he told me that he'd let me ride inside!

Location: Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL

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

Photo and text © 2022 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

May 31, 2020

Location: Maritime Hammock Sanctuary, Melbourne Beach

I'm an exotic Cuban Tree Frog
I prey on native lizards, frogs, and small snakes
I was accidentally introduced into Florida
It's theorized I stowed away in shipping crates.

Sources: University of Florida IFAS Extension - The Cuban Treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) in Florida

Photo and text © 2020 Dee Fairbanks Simpson