Insects & Spiders – Page 8 – Sharon Friends of Conservation

Willow Leaf Beetle – 6/25/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/25/11 Observation Time: 3:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Willow Leaf Beetle Scientific Name: Plagiodera versicolora Comments: I got help identifying this tiny beetle at www.bugguide.net. I set up a free account and uploaded my photo. In a few days I received an email from one of their entomologists with the identification. Given that there are thousands […]

Widow Skimmer dragonfly – 7/31/11

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 […]

Widow Skimmer dragonfly – 7/3/10

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 […]

White Corporal dragonfly (female) – 5/26/14

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

White Corporal dragonfly (female) – 5/25/11

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 […]

Virginian Tiger Moth caterpillar – 6/29/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/29/11 Observation Time: 10:20 a.m. Observation Location: near outflow pool at Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Virginian Tiger Moth caterpillar Scientific Name: Spilosoma virginica Comments: This caterpillar, which was chewing on grape leaves, will metamorphose into a beautiful white moth. More Information: Moths in a Connecticut Yard

Velvet Ant – 5/19/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/13 Observation Time: 3:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: Velvet Ant Scientific Name: Pseudomethoca simillima Comments: This ant-like creature is not an ant at all, but rather a wingless wasp. It can sting you, so don’t pick it up! Watch (and listen) to a velvet ant in action. More Information: The Backyard Arthropod Project

Variable Dancer damselfly – 6/20/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/20/11 Observation Time: 5:05 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Variable Dancer damselfly Scientific Name: Argia fumipennis Comments: Note the forked shoulder stripe, overall violet, with blue at the end of the abdomen. The last photo is a female. More Information: Wisonsin Odonata Survey

Unicorn Caterpillar – 9/2/08

Observer: Amy Waters Observation Date: 9/2/08 Observation Location: Common Name: Unicorn Caterpillar Scientific Name: Schizura unicornis Comments: This Unicorn Caterpillar may have crawled off a blueberry bush. It also likes hickory, birch, maple, cherry, oak, sweet pepperbush, witch hazel, and many more woody shrubs and trees. Its range is from Canada to Florida and Texas. It will turn into a moth. Its family is Prominents […]

Two-striped Grasshopper – 8/11/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/11/13 Observation Time: 4:45 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Two-striped Grasshopper Scientific Name: Melanoplus bivittatus Comments: This grasshopper is named for the two stripes that run down its back. It is a common agricultural pest. More Information: Wikipedia

Turquoise Bluet damselfly – 6/19/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/19/13 Observation Time: 2:40 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Turquoise Bluet damselfly Scientific Name: Enallagma divagans More Photos: The Hibbits Network

Turquoise Bluet damselfly – 6/2/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/2/11 Observation Time: 2:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Turquoise Bluet damselfly Scientific Name: Enallagma divagans Comments: The final two shots are of a mating pair. More Information: BugGuide.net

Tree Cricket – 9/26/12

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/26/12 Observation Time: 1:35 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road (bridge near soccer fields) Common Name: Tree Cricket Scientific Name: Oecanthus spp. Comments: The tree cricket is also known as poor man’s thermometer. It is because if you count the number of chirps in 15 seconds and add 37 you get the temperature close to the Fahrenheit temperature outdoors. More Information: Wikipedia

Thread-Waisted Wasp – 7/16/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/16/11 Observation Time: 4:45 p.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Thread-waisted wasp Scientific Name: Ammophila procera Comments: This large solitary wasp (over an inch long) has an interesting life cycle, which is shown in this Vimeo video. More Information: insectidentification.org

Tent Caterpillar – 6/4/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/4/11 Observation Time: 3:50 p.m. Observation Location: conservation land near Billings Street Common Name: Tent Caterpillar Scientific Name: Malacosoma americanum Comments: The moths oviposit almost exclusively on trees in the plant family Rosaceae, particularly cherry (Prunus) and apple (Malus). The adult moth lays her eggs in a single batch in late spring or early summer. An egg mass contains about 200 to 300 […]

Summer Fishfly – 7/19/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/19/13 Observation Time: 10:00 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Summer Fishfly Scientific Name: Chauliodes pectinicornis Comments: This large (1.5″) flying insect got into our house. When it landed on my pants, I walked outside and took this photo. It has an interesting life cycle. More Information: University of Wisconsin BioWeb

Spined Soldier Bug (nymph) – 7/4/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/4/13 Observation Time: 8:45 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Spined Soldier Bug (nymph) Scientific Name: Podisus maculiventris Comments: Spined soldier bugs are small predatory stink bugs. They molt several times before reaching maturity. Each phase is referred to as an instar. This one was in the third “instar”. More Information: University of Florida

Spangled Skimmer dragonfly (male) – 6/17/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/17/13 Observation Time: 4:00 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Spangled Skimmer dragonfly (male) Scientific Name: Libellula cyanea Comments: Males of this species are blue, while females are brown. Both have striking white and black stigmas on their wings. No other dragonfly in the Northeast has white stigmas on its wings. Males are territorial. More Information: Dragonflies and Damselflies of NJ

Spangled Skimmer dragonfly (female) – 5/19/12

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/12 Observation Time: 5:40 p.m. Observation Location: dirt road leading to Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Spangled skimmer dragonfly (female) Scientific Name: Libellula cyanea Comments: This photo is a female. Male spangled skimmers are slate blue. Hence the species name “cyanea” which refers to its cyan (blue) coloration. Identifying dragonflies and damselflies is fun. Get a copy of A Field Guide to the Dragonflies and […]

Smeared Dagger Moth Caterpillar – 9/7/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/7/13 Observation Time: 3:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Smeared Dagger Moth caterpillar Scientific Name: Acronicta oblinita Comments: For pictures of the adult moth, see: http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Acronicta+oblinita&guide=Moth&cl=US/GA/Clarke More Information: Butterflies and Moths of North America

Small Cabbage White butterfly – 6/25/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/25/11 Observation Time: 3:00 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond near soccer fields Common Name: Small Cabbage White butterfly Scientific Name: Pieris rapae Comments: The top photo shows a copulating pair. The male has a single black wing spot. The female has two black wing spots, and slightly yellower wings. More Information: Wikipedia

Slender Spreadwing Damselfly – 6/15/13

Observer: Vin Zollo Observation Date: 6/15/13 Observation Time: 11:02 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Slender Spreadwing damselfly Scientific Name: Lestes rectangularis Comments: Billings Farm Loop Boardwalk More Information: BugGuide

Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle – 5/30/14

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/30/14 Observation Time: 12:10 Observation Location: Power lines near 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. The larvae pupate after […]

Silver-Spotted Skipper butterfly – 7/13/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/13/13 Observation Time: 10:55 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: Silver-Spotted Skipper butterfly Scientific Name: Epargyreus clarus Comments: Adults perch upside down under leaves at night and on hot or cloudy days. More Information: Butterflies and Moths of North America Back to the Sightings List

Scarlet Bluet – 7/1/11

Observer: John Baur Observation Date: 7/1/11 Observation Time: 2:50 p.m. Observation Location: Borderland State Park Common Name: Scarlet Bluet Scientific Name: Enallagma pictum Comments: This species is listed as threatened by the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP). More Information: MA NHESP

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