Animal – Page 19 – Sharon Friends of Conservation

Field Sparrow – 6/2/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/2/19 Observation Time: 2:40 p.m. Observation Location: Rocky bluff under power lines near So. Walpole Street Common Name: Field Sparrow Scientific Name: Spizella pusilla Comments: Field sparrows have a relatively long tail, a thin white eye ring, and a pinkish conical bill. They have a gray face and a rust-colored cap. However, the best way to tell them apart from other sparrows is […]

Black Swallowtail butterfly – 6/2/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/2/19 Observation Time: 2:15 p.m. Observation Location: rocky bluff under power lines along S. Walpole St. Common Name: Black Swallowtail butterfly Scientific Name: Papilio polyxenes Comments: Black swallowtail butterflies look a lot like spicebush swallowtail butterflies. You can learn how to tell the difference between a black swallowtail and a spicebush swallowtail at: http://www.naba.org/chapters/nabambc/frames-2species.asp?sp1=Papilio-polyxenes&sp2=Papilio-troilus There is also a good discussion of how to […]

Prairie Warbler – 6/2/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/2/19 Observation Time: 1:20 p.m. Observation Location: on the bluff beneath the power lines that parallel So. Walpole St. Common Name: Prairie Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor Comments: Prairie warblers are found in scrubby fields and forests throughout the eastern and south-central United States, not on the prairies. Unlike many other warblers that migrate through Sharon in spring and fall, the Prairie […]

Mourning Dove – 6/2/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/2/19 Observation Time: 1:10 p.m. Observation Location: beneath the high tension wires that parallel So. Walpole St. Common Name: Mourning Dove Scientific Name: Zenaida macroura Comments: The mourning dove is one of the most abundant and widespread of all North American bird species. It is also a leading gamebird, with more than 20 million birds (up to 70 million in some years) shot […]

Six-spotted Tiger Beetle – 6/2/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/2/19 Observation Time: 12:10 Observation Location: beneath the power lines that parallel So. Walpole St. Common Name: Six-spotted tiger beetle Scientific Name: Cicindela sexguttata Comments: Female six-spotted tiger beetles lay eggs in sandy patches. When they hatch, the larvae burrow into the ground. The larvae lie in wait until small arthropods walk by. Then they pounce much like a jack in the box. […]

Flower Fly – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 3:40 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Streets. Common Name: Flower Fly Scientific Name: Helophilus fasciatus (family: Syrphidae) Comments: Flower Flies (also known as “hover flies” because of their tendency to hover in mid-air for long periods), are especially interesting insects. They are overlooked by nearly everybody but farmers, who recognize them as one of the most […]

Eastern Towhee – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 5:30 p.m. Observation Location: Under high tension wires across the street from Ward’s Berry Farm Common Name: Eastern Towhee (male) Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus Comments: This male towhee tried to scare me away by repeatedly raising one wing or the other to make itself look more intimidating. Note its deep red eye. More Information: All About Birds

American Lady butterfly – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 5:20 p.m. Observation Location: under the high tension wires across the street from Ward’s Berry Farm Common Name: American Lady butterfly Scientific Name: Vanessa virginiensis Comments: American Lady butterflies look a lot like Painted Lady butterflies. The American Lady has two large spots on the undersides of its trailing wings. The Painted Lady has four smaller spots instead. This Amerian Lady was […]

Great Crested Flycatcher – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 5:10 p.m. Observation Location: Rocky bluff under power lines near So. Walpole St. Common Name: Great Crested flycatcher Scientific Name: Myiarchus crinitus Comments: The great-crested flycatcher has a pale yellow breast. The underside of its tail is reddish brown. The memory hook I use to remember its call is “weep, weep, weep.” More Information: All About Birds

Field Sparrow – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 5:05 p.m. Observation Location: Rocky bluff under power lines near So. Walpole Street Common Name: Field Sparrow Scientific Name: Spizella pusilla Comments: Field sparrows have a relatively long tail, a thin white eye ring, and a pinkish conical bill. They have a gray face and a rust-colored cap. However, the best way to tell them apart from other sparrows is […]

Painted Skimmer dragonfly – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 5:00 p.m. Observation Location: on a bluff under high tension wires near S. Walpole St. Common Name: Painted Skimmer dragonfly Scientific Name: Libellula semifasciata Comments: Painted Skimmers live up to their name, and the wings especially glow with color. A rich brown, the thorax has two whitish to yellow diagonal stripes on each side. The abdomen has yellow edges and […]

Wool Sower Gall Wasp – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/10 Observation Time: 4:25 p.m. Observation Location: Beneath the high tension lines near So. Walpole St. Common Name: Wool Sower Gall Wasp Scientific Name: Callirhytis seminator Comments: Pink-spotted, white cottony wool sower galls are about the size of a ping-pong ball and are produced by a tiny species of Cynipid wasp, Callirhytis seminator, and are most commonly found on white […]

Orchard Orbweaver spider – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 2:20 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Orchard Orbweaver spider Scientific Name: Leucauge venusta Comments: I had a hard time focusing the camera on this tiny spider and its gossamer web. More Information: Wikipedia

North American Millipede – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: boardwalk through Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: North American Millipede Scientific Name: Narceus americanus Comments: Millipedes first appeared in the fossil record 400 million years ago and are some of the first animals to have lived on land. It is hypothesized that these ancient species are the largest animals without backbones to […]

Pine Warbler – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: May 27, 2019 Observation Time: 1:55 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Pine Warbler Scientific Name: Setophaga pinus Comments: Pine warblers nest here in Sharon, and can be found in pine woods in summer. The song of the pine warbler is hard to distinguish from the song of the chipping sparrow – unless you are a pine warbler! More Information: All […]

Scarlet Tanager – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 1:10 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Scarlet Tanager Scientific Name: Piranga olivacea Comments: Scarlet tanagers often play host to eggs of the brown-headed cowbird (male and female shown below), particularly where the forest habitat has been fragmented. When a pair of tanagers notices a female cowbird approaching, they aggressively drive her away. If […]

Snipe Fly – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 1:00 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Snipe Fly Scientific Name: Rhagio mystaceus Comments: Also known as a down-looker fly. Two of the photos show why. More Information: Wikipedia

Common Ringlet butterfly – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 12:45 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Common Ringlet butterfly Scientific Name: Coenonympha tullia Comments: Ringlets can be found in a variety of grassy habitats, including roadsides, woodland edges and clearings, prairies, bogs, and arctic and alpine taiga and tundra. It is an erratic flyer. It is a holarctic species found in northern […]

Swainson’s Thrush – 5/27/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/27/19 Observation Time: 9:35 a.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Morse & Lakeview Common Name: Swainson’s Thrush Scientific Name: Catharus ustulatus Comments: I lucked into this one. As I was walking down a trail through the woods I saw it fly from the trail up to a nearby branch, and I got just one photo before it flew away. I assumed it […]

Baltimore Oriole – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 3:40 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) Common Name: Baltimore Oriole Scientific Name: Icterus galbula Comments: I heard this oriole’s flutelike call before I spotted it. More Information: All About Birds

Bobolink – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) Common Name: Bobolink Scientific Name: Dolichonyx oryzivorus Comments: The big pasture at Moose Hill Farm is ideal breeding habitat for bobolinks. Meadow habitat is not nearly as prevalent in Massachusetts since industry replaced agriculture, and forests grew back in former farmlands. More Information: All About Birds

Common Yellowthroat – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 1:30 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) Common Name: Common Yellowthroat Scientific Name: Geoothlypis trichas Comments: Common yellowthroats are typically found in or near wetlands. They are a type of warbler, with a distinctive black mask that is reminiscent of a raccoon. Their song sounds like, “witchety, witchety, witchety.” More Information: All About Birds

American Lady butterfly – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 1:15 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) Common Name: American Lady butterfly Scientific Name: Vanessa virginiensis Comments: American Lady butterflies look a lot like Painted Lady butterflies. The American Lady has two large spots on the undersides of its trailing wings. The Painted Lady has four smaller spots instead. This Amerian Lady was visiting a mud puddle, but […]

Black Swallowtail butterfly – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 12:20 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (The Trustees of Reservations) Common Name: Black Swallowtail butterfly Scientific Name: Papilio polyxenes Comments: The big meadow at Moose Hill Farm was alive with pairs of black swallowtails chasing each other on this glorious spring day. Black swallowtail butterflies look a lot like spicebush swallowtail butterflies. You can learn how to tell […]

Tan Jumping Spider – 5/25/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/25/19 Observation Time: 8:15 a.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road (kitchen window) Common Name: Tan Jumping Spider Scientific Name: Platycryptus undatus Comments: A member of Salticidae, this spider jumps to ambush its prey in lieu of creating webs to ensnare it. It is a fast runner and it pounces on top of the insect it plans to eat. As the […]

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