Sightings – Page 25 – Sharon Friends of Conservation

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

Wild Geranium – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 2:45 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (formerly the Kendall Estate) Common Name: Wild geranium Scientific Name: Geranium maculatum Comments: Geranium maculatum, the wild geranium, spotted geranium, or wood geranium, is a perennial plant native to woodlands of eastern North America. More Information: USDA Forest Service

Autumn Olive – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 2:40 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Autumn Olive Scientific Name: Elaeagnus umbellata Comments: Autumn-olive is a hardy, prolific shrub that thrives in a variety of conditions, in part because it is capable of fixing nitrogen. Some varieties can produce up to 80 pounds (37 kilos) of bright red edible berries in a season, which ripen […]

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 […]

Ground Ivy – 5/26/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/26/19 Observation Time: 8:40 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm (TTOR) Common Name: Ground Ivy (a.k.a. “Gill-over-the-ground”) Scientific Name: Glechoma hederacea Comments: Commonly known as ground-ivy, gill-over-the-ground, creeping charlie, alehoof, tunhoof, catsfoot, field balm, and run-away-robin, it has numerous medicinal uses, and is used as a salad green in many countries. European settlers carried it around the world, and it has become a well-established […]

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 […]

American Woodcock – 5/24/19

Observer: Richard Mandell Observation Date: 5/24/19 Observation Time: afternoon Observation Location: 580 Mountain St. Common Name: American Woodcock Scientific Name: Scolopax minor Comments: Woodcocks are also called timberdoodles. They nest on the ground, and are very well camouflaged. Youtube video of woodcock mating flight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta1fxy0MR2c&t=6s Youtube video of woodcocks “waltzing”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSh9Shgwc5o More Information: All About Birds

Painted Skimmer dragonfly – 5/21/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/21/19 Observation Time: 12:15 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road 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 a jagged black central stripe on […]

Creeping Myrtle – 5/21/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/21/19 Observation Time: 7:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Creeping Myrtle Scientific Name: Vinca minor Comments: Also known as dwarf periwinkle, this non-native plant comes from Europe. It makes a good groundcover, and it produces lovely purple blossoms in spring and into summer, but once established it spreads and is hard to eradicate. More Information: Wikipedia

Pignut Hickory Tree – 5/19/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/19 Observation Time: 3:45 p.m. Observation Location: Billings Loop Botanical Trail Common Name: Pignut Hickory Tree Scientific Name: Carya glabya Comments: This tree is one of many plants identified along a botanical trail established by Kurt Buermann, President of the Sharon Friends of Conservation. More Information: Wikipedia

Witchhazel Tree – 5/19/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/19 Observation Time: 3:25 p.m. Observation Location: Billings Loop Botanical Trail Common Name: American Witchhazel Scientific Name: Hamamelis virginiana Comments: This specimen was observed in a shady, wooded area near the Sharon Friends of Conservation botanical trail. More Information: Carolina Nature

American Beech Tree – 5/19/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/19 Observation Time: 3:10 p.m. Observation Location: Billings Loop Botanical Trail Common Name: American Beech Tree Scientific Name: Fagus grandifolia Comments: These specimens were observed in a shady, wooded area. The American Beech is a shade-tolerant species, favoring shade more than other trees, commonly found in forests in the final stage of succession. Ecological succession is essentially the process of forests changing their […]

Red Admiral butterfly – 5/19/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/19 Observation Time: 3:08 p.m. Observation Location: Billings Loop Botanical Trail Common Name: Red Admiral butterfly Scientific Name: Vanessa atalanta Comments: Mating usually occurs in late fall or early winter following collective migration to southern regions with a warmer climate. The red admiral’s main host plant, stinging nettle, is most abundant during this migration. Larval development proceeds through winter and […]

Amber Snail – 5/19/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/19 Observation Time: 2:45 p.m. Observation Location: Billings Loop Botanical Trail Common Name: Amber Snail Scientific Name: family Succineidae Comments: This terrestrial snail was one of many crawling on a skunk cabbage leaf beside the trail. More Information: Terrestrial Mollusc Tool

Starflower – 5/19/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/19 Observation Time: 2:35 p.m. Observation Location: Billings Loop Botanical Trail Common Name: Starflower Scientific Name: Lysimachia borealis Comments: Formerly known as Trientalis borealis, it has been shuffled around to new species name Lysimachia borealis (same genus as the yellow Loosestrifes) and moved to the Myrsinaceae (Myrsine) family. This member of the primrose family likes moist woods. It blooms in May. […]

Harlequin Darner Dragonfly – 5/19/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/19 Observation Time: 8:00 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Harlequin Darner dragonfly Scientific Name: Gomphaeschna furcillata Comments: The Harlequin Darner is a member of the Aeshnidae family of dragonflies. The species occurs across much of the eastern United States and parts of southeast Canada. Its range extends to eastern Texas. I encountered this specimen by chance on the […]

Eastern Towhee – 5/19/19

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/19/19 Observation Time: 7:45 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Eastern Towhee (male) Scientific Name: Pipilo erythrophthalmus Comments: Towhees are common birds in Sharon, especially along edges between woods and open fields, but they are heard more than seen. The male’s song sounds like he’s singing, “Drink your tea.” They are sometimes seen scratching among dead leaves on the […]

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