January 14, 2018

Location: Fellsmere, my house

This is the abdomen of a dragonfly.
They use separate muscles to control each wing.
This helps them control aerodynamic forces,
So they don't fly into things.

Sources: The Secret of Dragonflies' Flight

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

January 13, 2018

Location: Fellsmere, my house

This is the back of the head of a dragonfly
He can rotate his head while he flys.
This makes it easier to keep his prey in sight,
Well, that, and his crazy huge eyes.

(Make sure you click to enlarge - I had no idea that dragonfly heads are mostly hollow until I took this picture.)

Sources:

• Motor Control: How Dragonflies Catch Their Prey
• Tiny Dragonfly Backpacks Reveal Mysteries of the Brain

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

January 12, 2018

Location: Vero Beach, Vero Beach Wetlands

This is the same Anhinga from yesterday
Mooning and looking quite weird
He's taking off to go hunting,
Somewhere soon a fish will be speared.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

January 11, 2018

Location: Vero Beach, Vero Beach Wetlands

This is another Anhinga,
In a much livelier pose.
He looks a lot like a Double-crested Cormorant
But has much straighter and pointier nose.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

January 10, 2018

Location: Vero Beach, Vero Beach Wetlands

This is what's left of an Anhinga,
You can tell by the white marks on the wing.
It was predated by a critter, perhaps
A bobcat, an owl, or some other thing.

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

January 9, 2018

Location: Fellsmere, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

I'm known as a feral Pig,
You can blame Hernando Desoto for my release.
He brought me here in 1539,
Since then I've become a destructive beast.

I trample on flowers, I root up the ground,
I can carry diseases and parasites.
I can hurt people and critters with my tusks,
But I taste yummy if I am barbecued right!

Sources: Extracts: Hog Wild! Feral Pigs a Problem in Florida

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

January 8, 2018

Location: Fellsmere, St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park

I am an Eastern Phoebe,
I was the first recorded American banded bird.
Audubon tied a silver string 'round my ancestor's leg,
And then he waited for the bird to return.

Sources: USGS - A Brief History About the Origins of Bird Banding


Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson