Sightings grid
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 8/24/09
Observation Time: 12:30 p.m.
Observation Location: Margin of wetland behind Hunter’s Ridge
Common Name: White Baneberry (a.k.a. “Doll’s Eyes”)
Scientific Name: Actaea pachypoda
Comments: Needs continuously damp soil. Seeds, which are highly toxic, were once used as eyes for rag dolls.
More Information: Dave’s Garden
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 9/9/12
Observation Time: 3:15 p.m.
Observation Location: Sandy Ridge Circle
Common Name: White Baneberry, or Doll’s Eyes
Scientific Name: Actaea pachypoda
Comments: Both the berries and the entire plant are considered poisonous to humans. The berries contain cardiogenic toxins which can have an immediate sedative effect on human cardiac muscle tissue, and are the most poisonous part of the plant. Ingestion of the berries can lead to cardiac arrest and death.
The berries are harmless to birds, the plant’s primary seed dispersers.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/14/25
Observation Time: 3:30 p.m.
Observation Location: under power lines across the street from Ward’s Berry Farm
Common Name: White Bog Violet
Scientific Name: Viola lanceolata
Comments: Viola lanceolata can be found growing in bogs, swamps, wet meadows and along shores in sandy soil. It is a perennial plant that blooms between May and June.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/29/10
Observation Time: 3:15 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond
Common Name: White Corporal dragonfly
Scientific Name: Libellula (Ladona) exusta
Comments: Small, most commonly perches on the ground. Adult males have a white abdomen.
More Information: New Jersey Odes
Observer: Vin Zollo
Observation Date: 6/15/13
Observation Time: 3:45 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White Corporal dragonfly
Scientific Name: Ladona exusta
Comments: Small, most commonly perches on the ground. Adult males have a white abdomen.
More Information: New Jersey Odes
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/25/11
Observation Time: 12:25 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond
Common Name: White Corporal dragonfly (female)
Scientific Name: Libellula (Ladona) exusta
Comments: The pale rusty abdomen indicates this is a young female. Older females have a drab white abdomen more similar to the males.
Found in fields and clearings near water. White corporals inhabit the northeast coastal plain into SE Canada. Fairly common in MA.
Males are territorial.
More Information: New Jersey Odes
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/26/14
Observation Time: 12:10 p.m.
Observation Location: Borderland State Park
Common Name: White Corporal dragonfly (female)
Scientific Name: Libellula (Ladona) exusta
Comments: Dragonflies eat insects. That’s a good thing because bat populations have plummeted due to a mysterious disease called white-nose.
More Information: White corporal dragonfly
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 6/10/15
Observation Time: 7:30 p.m.
Observation Location: Lake Massapoag
Common Name: White Perch
Scientific Name: Morone Americana
Comments: There are lots of white perch in Lake Massapoag. This one died and washed up on the shore.
More Information: MA Fish Finder
Observer: Steven D’Addieco
Observation Date: 8/15/21
Observation Time: 8:30 p.m.
Observation Location: Lake Massapoag
Common Name: White Perch
Scientific Name: Morone Americana
Comments: There are lots of white perch in Lake Massapoag. White perch are good to eat. White perch are not a true perch but, rather, belong to the bass family, Moronidae.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Steven D’Addieco
Observation Date: 8/23/19
Observation Time: 6:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Lake Massapoag
Common Name: White Perch
Scientific Name: Morone Americana
Comments: There are lots of white perch in Lake Massapoag. White perch are good to eat. White perch are not a true perch but, rather, belong to the bass family, Moronidae.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Deborah Radovsky
Observation Date: 11/10/17
Observation time: unknown
Observation Location: Moose Hill, Vernal Pool Trail
Common Name: White Pine
Scientific Name: Pinus strobus
Comments: White pines are very common in Sharon.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Deborah Radovsky
Observation Date: 12/20/18
Observation Time: early morning
Observation Location: Conservation trail near the lake (dog park trail)
Common Name: White Pine
Scientific Name: Pinus strobus
Comments: White pines can live over 500 years and grow to more than 150 feet tall.
More Information: Wikipedia
O
Observer: Josh Simons
Observation Date: 6/1/23
Observation Time: 9:45 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill area
Common Name: White slant-line moth
Scientific Name: Tetracis cachexiata)
Comments: The caterpillars of the white slant-line moth are twig mimics, like other members of the Geometer family. Their brown, narrow bodies hold on to a branch at one end and stretch away from the branch to look like a twig.
More Information: Insect Identification
Observer: Josh Simons
Observation Date: 5/8/04
Observation Time: 8:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Parkway
Common Name: White Squirrel (leucistic variation of the Eastern Gray Squirrel)
Scientific Name: Sciurus carolinensis
Comments: There are several different reasons why Eastern Gray Squirrels sometimes are sometimes white. Check out this video: http://www.untamedscience.com/biodiversity/white-squirrel/
More Information: White Squirrel Research Institute and Jamaica Pond’s Albino Gray Squirrel
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 4/17/13
Observation Time: 12:40
Observation Location: Beaver Brook, Sharon (downstream of the wooden footbridge near the tennis courts at the outbound train station)
Common Name: White Sucker
Scientific Name: Catostomus commersoni
Comments: White suckers spawn in Beaver Brook for a few days in mid to late April. Remember to look for them after you file your taxes. Note the reddish stripes on the sides of the males flanking the female in the photo. The female and the males release their eggs and sperm simultaneously, thrashing their tails to mix them and ensure fertilization. White suckers also spawn in Sucker Brook where it enters Lake Massapoag near the entrance to the Community Center.
Check out this 2-minute video of white suckers spawning in Beaver Brook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru_KsfE4ZJQ
Observer: Richard Kramer
Observation Date: 4/19/13
Observation Time: 2:35 p.m.
Observation Location: Sucker Brook near the entrance to the Community Center
Common Name: White Sucker
Scientific Name: Catostomus commersoni
Comments: White suckers spawn in Sucker Brook for a few days in mid to late April. Remember to look for them after you file your taxes. The female and the males release their eggs and sperm simultaneously, thrashing their tails to mix them and ensure fertilization. White suckers also spawn in Beaver Brook just downstream of the wooden footbridge near the tennis courts at the outbound train station.
Check out this 2-minute video of white suckers spawning in Beaver Brook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru_KsfE4ZJQ
More Information: Massachusetts Wildlife
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 4/25/09
Observation time: 1:05 p.m.
Observation Location: Beaver Brook, Sharon (downstream of the wooden foot bridge near the tennis courts)
Common Name: White Sucker
Scientific Name: Catostomus commersoni
Comments: White suckers in spawning frenzy in Beaver Brook, 4/25/09. Note the red stripes and erect dorsal fins. Suckers typically spawn for a few days sometime between April 15 and April 30. They also spawn in Sucker Brook where it enters Lake Massapoag near the entrance to the Community Center.
2-minute video of white suckers spawning in Beaver Brook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ru_KsfE4ZJQ
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 8/18/20
Observation Time: 11:50 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate)
Common Name: White Vervain
Scientific Name: Verbena urticifolia
Comments: I initially identified this plant using a cool app called Seek. Normally white vervain has green leaves, so I sent my photo of this red-leaved specimen to a botanist, who verified that it is indeed white vervain.
The name vervain is derived from the Celtic ferfaen, that is from fer (to drive away) and from faen (a stone). In early times the plant was used for afflictions of the bladder, such as kidney stones. The species name, urticifolia, means it has nettle-like leaves.
More Information: Friends of the Wildflower Garden
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 10/6/19
Observation Time: 2:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Near Beaver Brook
Common Name: White Wood Aster
Scientific Name: Eurybia divaricata
Comments: Eurybia divaricata is native to Eastern U.S. and typically grows in the wild in dry open woods. It grows in loose clumps with dark, sprawling, sometimes zigzag stems up to 2.5′ tall. Distinctive leaves are heart-shaped, stalked and coarsely toothed. Small but abundant flowers (to 1 inch across) have white rays and yellow to red center disks and appear in flat-topped, terminal clusters in late summer to early fall. Attractive to butterflies.
More information: Missouri Botanical Gardens
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 3/8/14
Observation Time: 11:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White-breasted nuthatch
Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis
Comments: This white-breasted nuthatch was attracted to the suet feeder at Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary headquarters.
More Information: All About Birds: White-breasted Nuthatch
Observer: Josh Simons
Observation Date: 5/10/20
Observation Time: 1:15 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill area
Common Name: White-breasted nuthatch
Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis
Comments: White-breasted nuthatches are year-round Sharon residents. Learn to identify their nasal call.
More Information: All About Birds: White-breasted Nuthatch
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/15/20
Observation Time: 7:50 a.m.
Observation Location: conservation land near Lakeview & Morse Sts.
Common Name: White-breasted nuthatch
Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis
Comments: Here’s a lucky shot of a white-breasted nuthatch in flight.
More Information: All About Birds: White-breasted Nuthatch
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/2/25
Observation Time: 10:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White-breasted nuthatch
Scientific Name: Sitta carolinensis
Comments: White-breasted nuthatches are year-round Sharon residents. They scurry up and down tree trunks looking for insect larvae under the bark with their upturned beak. Learn to identify their nasal call.
More Information: All About Birds: White-breasted Nuthatch
Observer: Deb Radovsky
Observation Date: 5/9/23
Observation Time: 7:00 p.m.
Observation Location: Paul Revere Rd., Sharon
Common Name: White-crowned sparrow
Scientific Name: Zonotrichia leucophrys
Comments: White-crowned sparrows migrate through Sharon every spring en route to their nesting grounds farther north.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/25/23
Observation Time: 7:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White-edged Sedge
Scientific Name: Carex debilis
Comments: The drooping seed stalks are characteristic.
More Information: Go Botany
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 7/8/13
Observation Time: 5:40 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond area
Common Name: White-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly
Scientific Name: Sympetrum obtrusum
Comments: Males are red. Very similar to Ruby Meadowhawk and Cherry-faced Meadowhawk. This species seems to be in decline.
More Information: Nature Search
Two more photos taken 7/19/13 at about 5:30 where Turning Mill Brook flows under Wolomolopoag Street:
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 8/11/12
Observation Time: 11:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road bridge over Billings Brook
Common Name: White-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly
Scientific Name: Sympetrum obtrusum
Comments: Adult males are identifiable by a distinctive pure white face and red body. Juveniles and younger females have a yellow abdomen. Older females have olive-brown or reddish-brown abdomen.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 8/15/18
Observation Time: 1:15 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly (male)
Scientific Name: Sympetrum obtrusum
Comments: Juveniles and females have yellow abdomens. Males are red. Similar to Ruby Meadowhawk and Cherry-faced Meadowhawk, but white-faced meadowhawks have a distinctive white face.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 8/4/17
Observation Time: 1:55 p.m.
Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road
Common Name: White-faced Meadowhawk dragonfly
Scientific Name: Sympetrum obtrusum
Comments: Juveniles and females have yellow abdomens. Males are red. Similar to Ruby Meadowhawk and Cherry-faced Meadowhawk, but white-faced meadowhawks have a distinctive white face.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 4/12/14
Observation Time: 2:00 p.m.
Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road (back yard)
Common Name: White-footed mouse
Scientific Name: Peromyscus leucopus
Comments: This juvenile mouse was in our garden.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/6/26
Observation Time: 8:10 a.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road
Common Name: White-lipped Snail
Scientific Name: Cepaea hortensis
Comments: This snail was crawling on the underside of our bulkhead.
The white-lipped snail or garden banded snail, scientific name Cepaea hortensis, is a large species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Helicidae. The only other species in the genus is Cepaea nemoralis.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Peter Higgins
Observation Date: 11/26/08 & 11/30/08
Observation Time: 7:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm
Common Name: White-Tailed Deer
Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus
Comments: Moose Hill Farm is a wonderful gift to the town, I get up early and see deer, turkeys, and coyotes on a regular basis.
More Information: University of Michigan Museum of Zoology “Animal Diversity Web”
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 4/29/20
Observation Time: 7:55 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR)
Common Name: White-tailed Deer
Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus
Comments: White-tailed deer are common in Sharon due to the absence of top predators such as wolves and cougars. If the deer population becomes too high, they will starve. This individual was still gaunt from the privations of winter.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/1/24
Observation Time: 12:10 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White-tailed Deer
Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus
Comments: White-tailed deer are common in Sharon due to the absence of top predators such as wolves and cougars. If the deer population becomes too high, they will starve. This doe was still gaunt from the privations of winter. She did not seem too concerned about my presence.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/16/23
Observation Time: 3:20 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White-tailed Deer
Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus
Comments: White-tailed deer are common in Sharon due to the absence of top predators such as wolves and cougars. If the deer population becomes too high, they will starve. This doe was still gaunt from the privations of winter. She did not seem too concerned about my presence.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Deb Radovsky
Observation Date: 5/2/18
Observation Time: 6:20 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon, Billings Loop
Common Name: White-tailed Deer
Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus
Comments: Adult white-tails have reddish-brown coats in summer which fade to a duller grayish-brown in winter. Male deer, called bucks, are easily recognizable in the summer and fall by their prominent set of antlers, which are grown annually and fall off in the winter. Only the bucks grow antlers, which bear a number of tines, or sharp points. During the mating season, also called the rut, bucks fight over territory by using their antlers in sparring matches.
More Information: National Geographic
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/7/19
Observation Time: 7:55 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White-tailed Deer
Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus
Comments: White-tailed deer are common in Sharon due to the absence of top predators such as wolves and cougars. If the deer population becomes too high, they will starve. Exclosures have been erected in the woods at the Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary to assess the impact of deer browsing. The photo below shows lush green vegetation growing inside the exclosure where the deer cannot get at it.
More Information: Wikipedia
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 7/12/10
Observation Time: 7:40 a.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road soccer field
Common Name: White-Tailed Deer
Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus
Comments: This doe was grazing on the green grass at the soccer field.
More Information: University of Michigan Museum of Zoology “Animal Diversity Web”
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 4/21/18
Observation Time: 2:00 p.m.
Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road, Sharon
Common Name: white-throated sparrow
Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis
Comments: This species passes through Sharon in spring on its way to Canada. It’s distinctive song sounds like, “Oh, say, Canada Canada Canada.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 4/23/25
Observation Time: 8:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White-throated Sparrow
Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis
Comments: This sparrow passes through Sharon in spring on its way to Canada. If you look at the dates of the white-throated sparrow sightings on this web site over the years, you will see that none are in summer.
Its distinctive song sounds like, “Oh, say, Canada Canada Canada.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 4/27/24
Observation Time: 5:45 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR)
Common Name: White-throated Sparrow
Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis
Comments: This sparrow passes through Sharon in spring on its way to Canada. Its distinctive song sounds like, “Oh, say, Canada Canada Canada.”
The photos show two different white-throated sparrows, which I encountered in the same place. I assumed one was the male and the other was the female, but that assumption might not be correct. See: https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/11424/20140904/variety-matters-among-white-throated-sparrows
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 4/29/26
Observation Time: 10:05 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White-throated Sparrow
Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis
Comments: This sparrow passes through Sharon in spring on its way to Canada. If you look at the dates of the white-throated sparrow sightings on this web site over the years, you will see that none are in summer.
Its distinctive song sounds like, “Oh, say, Canada Canada Canada.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/1/26
Observation Time: 7:15 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White-throated Sparrow
Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis
Comments: This sparrow passes through Sharon in spring on its way to Canada. If you look at the dates of the white-throated sparrow sightings on this web site over the years, you will see that none are in summer.
Its distinctive song sounds like, “Oh, say, Canada Canada Canada.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/14/14
Observation Time: 10:50 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White-throated sparrow
Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis
Comments: The song of the white-throated sparrow sounds like, “Oh, say, Canada-Canada-Canada.” It is a reminder that they are only passing through Sharon on their annual migrations.
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 5/16/23
Observation Time: 8:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary
Common Name: White-throated Sparrow
Scientific Name: Zonotrichia albicollis
Comments: This sparrow passes through Sharon in spring on its way to Canada. Its distinctive song sounds like, “Oh, say, Canada Canada Canada.”
More Information: All About Birds
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 6/14/09
Observation Time: 11:30 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm, Trustees of Reservations land
Common Name: Whorled Loosestrife
Scientific Name: Lysimachia quadrifolia
More Information: Wild Flowers of Sleepy Hollow Lake
3 Whorls:
4 Whorls:
5 Whorls:
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 9/4/20
Observation Time: 1:10 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (in the woods)
Common Name: Whorled Wood Aster
Scientific Name: Oclemena acuminata
Comments: Whorled Wood Asters are among the relatively few woodland wildflowers that bloom in late summer and early fall.
Note the pure gold-green sweat bee feeding on the blossoms.
More information: Wildflowers of the Adirondacks
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 7/3/10
Observation Time: 8:05 a.m.
Observation Location: near Gavins Pond
Common Name: Widow Skimmer dragonfly
Scientific Name: Libellula luctuosa
Comments: Odonates (dragonflies) are completely harmless – they do not sting or bite. Indeed, they are beneficial in the same way spiders and other predators are beneficial – they keep the burgeoning insect population in check.
More Information: North American Insects and Spiders
Observer: Paul Lauenstein
Observation Date: 7/31/11
Observation Time: 3:45 p.m.
Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road
Common Name: Widow Skimmer dragonfly
Scientific Name: Libellula luctuosa
Comments: The widow skimmer is famous for its pruinosity – the white, waxy coating on the dragonfly’s wings and abdomen. Dragonflies have excellent eyesight. Their compound eyes have up to 30,000 facets, each of which is a separate light-sensing organ or ommatidium, arranged to give nearly a 360° field of vision.
More Information: CirrusImage
Observer: Josh Simons
Observation Date: 7/7/20
Observation Time: 1:30 p.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill area
Common Name: Widow Underwing moth
Scientific Name: Catocala vidua
Comments: The widow underwing (Catocala vidua) is a moth of the Erebidae family. It is found from southern Ontario, into Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut, south at least to Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama, west to Texas and Oklahoma, and north to Wisconsin.
More Information: iNaturalist and Bugguide.net and Discover Life and EverythingAbout.net
