While relaxing in my hammock recently at Fort De Soto Park, I felt someone watching me. Turning carefully around, I encountered this intriguing-looking insect.

Despite the common name of Eastern Eyed Click Beetle (Alaus oculatus), the ovate white rings are not sensory organs. Instead, they are an example of a defensive mechanism designed to thwart predation.

At roughly two inches long this is not a tiny insect and those false eyes certainly make it appear larger. But that’s not all, as a click beetle it can also spring away quickly (which makes a loud clicking sound). I wish I had witnessed this action. Maybe next time!

Meet the Sea Robin aka Gurnard (Prionotus carolinus), a bottom-dwelling fish. The first common name honors their wing-like pectoral fins. These special fins not only help them “fly’ through the water but the three modified fin-rays (visible in the photo above) help them “walk” along the sea floor. The second moniker mimics the croaking sound the fish makes during mating season (or when it is pulled from the water).

The three inch long fish in my photo is a juvenile while adults can reach about 17 inches. Long considered a trash fish or unwanted bycatch, this mild tasting, light, flaky fish is now gaining in popularity in the kitchen. Maybe someday I’ll get to try one.

My very generous neighbor recently gave me a couple of these small bushes, Four O’clocks (Mirabilis jalapa). She’s lived in this neighborhood for 27 years and as a fellow plant geek, her garden is now out of control. In exchange for me doing some light yard work she sends me home with plants. Talk about a win-win!

During the heat of the day, the flowers close but as the common name suggests, in the late afternoon they burst open. And not only are they stunningly bright but the scent is amazing. Almost as fragrant as a gardenia. They are now my third favorite floral scent, after citrus and gardenia (sorry jasmine, you’ve dropped down to fourth).

The first part of the binomial is Latin for wonderful, which is really quite fitting. I wasn’t previously familiar with this plant but I’m so happy to have it in my yard!

Discovered another welcome addition to my growing pollinator habitat this week. I was about to trim a branch off my Meyer Lemon tree but once I noticed this caterpillar (cleverly disguised as bird poop) I changed my mind. My little tree will remain lopsided until after my “orange dog” completes metamorphosis.

It will be worth the wait, the aptly-named Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes) is the largest on our continent!

I grew up with this snake’s cousins out west so I was fascinated to finally meet my first Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus). This was a healthy specimen and I was quite impressed by it’s girth.

Turns out, that’s one of the things this species is known for – being heavy. They don’t get much longer than 7 feet but in weight they average about 1 pound per foot, which is pretty hefty.

I recently removed some elderly hedges that were at the end of their life expectancy. After cutting down the five foot bushes I spent a couple days chopping and digging up the roots. I smoothed out the soil and covered my new planting bed with mulch while trying to decide what should go there.

This week, I walked out my front door and was greeted with a couple pops of green. My first thought was that somehow I missed a few persistent roots. Upon closer inspection I discovered that I am now a peanut farmer.

I already know who the culprits are, my noisy local flock of Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata). I don’t know anything about growing peanuts but I’m about to find out.

I figure if it’s good enough for a couple of our former Presidents (Jefferson and Carter) then it’s good enough for me! If all goes well, in four months the jays should get a 4000% return on their investment.

*Brought from Africa during the slave trade these legumes were originally called goober peas (derived from nguba, a Congolese word).