Sightings – Page 42 – Sharon Friends of Conservation

Lincoln’s Sparrow – 5/13/14

Observer: Liam Waters Observation Date: 5/13/14 Observation Time: 6:50 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary Common Name: Lincoln’s sparrow Scientific Name: Melospiza lincolnii Comments: This unusual sparrow was spotted on a morning walk at Moose Hill Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary. These walks take place at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday mornings in May. Dawn walks at Moose Hill are memorable experiences due to the diversity of […]

Lilypad Forktail Damselfly – 7/2/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/2/11 Observation Time: 5:15 p.m. Observation Location: Borderland State Park Common Name: Lilypad forktail damselfly Scientific Name: Ischnura kellicotti Comments: A southern species that appears to have increased in Massachusetts lately. This specimen is the red form of the female. There is also a blue form. Males are bright blue. More Information: Odonata Central

Leaf-Footed Bug – 4/28/12

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/28/12 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Leaf-footed bug Scientific Name: Acanthocephala terminalis Comments: The leaf-shaped hind legs give this bug its name. More Information: See: http://www.cirrusimage.com/bugs_leaf_footed_Acanthocephala.htm

Large Yellow Underwing Moth – 6/22/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/22/10 Observation Time: 6:05 p.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Large Yellow Underwing moth Scientific Name: Noctua pronuba Comments: The name “Noctua” presumably comes from the same root as “nocturnal” meaning active at night. More Information: Wikipedia

Lancet Clubtail dragonfly (male) – 6/19/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/19/13 Observation Time: 2:05 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Lancet Clubtail dragonfly (male) Scientific Name: Gomphus exilis Comments: Once you’ve learned all the birds, you can take up the challenge of learning the dragonflies. Start by getting a book like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Dragonflies-Damselflies-Princeton-Field-Guides/dp/0691122830 More Information: Wikipedia

Lancet Clubtail dragonfly (male) – 5/24/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/24/11 Observation Time: 4:10 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Lancet Clubtail dragonfly (male) Scientific Name: Gomphus exilis Comments: Male lancet clubtails have claspers at the end of the abdomen, which females lack. Lancet clubtails are common in Massachusetts near slow streams and ponds. The name lancet comes from the dagger-shaped marking on the abdomen. The clubtail moniker comes from the […]

Lanceleaf Tickseed – 6/15/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/15/13 Observation Time: 6:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: Lanceleaf Tickseed Scientific Name: Coreopsis lanceolata More Information: Go Botany

Lady Beetle larva – 6/5/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/5/13 Observation Time: 12:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Lady Beetle larva Scientific Name: Harmonia axyridis Comments: Lady beetle larvae don’t look much like the adults. Lady beetles eat aphids, so they can be beneficial for agriculture. More Information: University of Minnesota

Lady Beetle – 6/19/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/19/13 Observation Time: 2:20 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Lady Beetle Scientific Name: Harmonia axyridis Comments: Multicolored Asian lady beetles come in different color patterns. Some, like this one, don’t have black spots. More Information: Wikipedia

Lady Beetle – 6/4/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/4/11 Observation Time: 5:30 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Lady Beetle Scientific Name: Harmonia axyridis Comments: Lady beetles have variable coloration. More Information: Wikipedia

Kestrel – 4/13/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/13/13 Observation Time: 6:15 p.m. Observation Location: Field near Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: American Kestrel Scientific Name: Falco sparverius Comments: I was puzzled that five of the six bluebird houses that I checked were empty in mid-April when nesting should have been in full-swing. Then I saw a kestrel (a.k.a sparrow hawk) in a tree by the field. You can tell it’s […]

Juvenal’s Duskywing – 5/23/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/23/10 Observation Time: 2:30 p.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond dam Common Name: Juvenal’s Duskywing Scientific Name: Erynnis juvenalis Comments: This butterfly is found throughout Massachusetts. Its flight period extends from late April through early June. See the Massachusetts Butterfly Club for more photos. More Information: Massachusetts Butterfly Atlas

Dark-Eyed Junco – 4/18/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/18/11 Observation Time: 11:25 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Common Name: Dark-eyed Junco Scientific Name: Junco hyemalis Comments: Juncos are a type of sparrow commonly seen around Sharon in winter. This individual will soon be heading north for summer. More Information: Cornell Lab of Ornithology “All About Birds”

Dark-Eyed Junco – 1/1/09

Observer: Josh Simons Observation Date: 1/1/09 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Parkway Common Name: Dark-eyed Junco Scientific Name: Junco hyemalis Comments: This and the titmouse and wren photos were all taken with a Canon 50D and a Canon 500mm f4 lens from the comfort of my kitchen on Moose Hill Parkway. We have feeders that attract lots of birds who land on a nearby […]

Jewelweed – 7/24/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/24/10 Observation Time: 7:50 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond outflow pool Common Name: Jewelweed Scientific Name: Impatiens capensis Comments: Jewelweed, which often grows in disturbed areas near poison ivy, is also an antidote for poison ivy. More Information: Altnature.com

Japanese Barberry – 10/7/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 10/7/10 Observation Time: 3:15 p.m. Observation Location: end of Lee Road Common Name: Japanese Barberry Scientific Name: Berberis thunbergii Comments: This specimen was a few yards beyond the end of Lee Road near the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp drainage ditch. Japanese barberry is often planted for hedges, and easily spreads to natural areas, as this specimen evidently did. “In recent […]

Jagged Ambush Bug – 8/11/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 8/11/13 Observation Time: 4:50 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Jagged Ambush Bug Scientific Name: Phymata americana Comments: This small insect (1/2″ in length) turns out to be predatory. It waits in flowers to ambush prey that are sometimes larger than itself. This one was found among goldenrod blossoms. More Information: aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu or NatureSearch

The Infant Moth – 4/7/14

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/7/14 Observation Time: 11:55 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area (field near dam) Common Name:“The Infant” moth Scientific Name: Archiearis infans Comments: “Infans” is a Latin word meaning “an infant”; refers to the adult’s early emergence from a pupa in the spring, and is the basis for the common names “The Infant” and “First-born Geometer.” More Information: BugGuide

Indian Skipper butterfly – 7/16/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/16/10 Observation Time: 11:05 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road soccer field parking lot Common Name: Indian Skipper butterfly Scientific Name: Hesperia sassacus Comments: Typically found in open areas, often with some shrubby growth, such as old fields, abandoned pastures, forest clearings, and powerline cuts. More Information: MassAudubon.org or Butterflies and Moths of North America

Indian Pipe – 6/26/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/26/10 Observation Time: 3:20 p.m. Observation Location: headwaters of Beaver Brook Common Name: Indian Pipe Scientific Name: Monotropa uniflora Comments: Indian pipe, also known as ghost plant (or ghost pipe) or corpse plant, is a herbaceous perennial plant native to temperate regions of European Russia, Asia, North America and northern South America, but with large gaps between areas. It is generally rare in […]

Indian Pipe – 6/14/09

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/14/09 Observation Time: 7:30 a.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Farm, Trustees of Reservations land Common Name: Indian Pipe Scientific Name: Monotropa uniflora Comments: Indian pipe, also known as ghost plant (or ghost pipe) or corpse plant, is a herbaceous perennial plant native to temperate regions of European Russia, Asia, North America and northern South America, but with large gaps between areas. It is […]

House Finch – 6/17/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/17/13 Observation Time: 4:30 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond area Common Name: House Finch Scientific Name: Setophaga discolor Comments: Male house finches have reddish coloration on their head and breast. Females are brown. Both have a heavy, conical beak for cracking seeds open. More Information: All About Birds

American Hornbeam – 6/4/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/4/11 Observation Time: 4:20 p.m. Observation Location: Conservation land near Billings Street Common Name: American Hornbeam Scientific Name: Carpinus caroliniana Comments: The common English name hornbeam derives from the hardness of the wood (likened to animal horn) and the Old English beam, meaning “tree” (cognate with German Baum). The American hornbeam is also occasionally known as blue-beech, ironwood, or musclewood, the first […]

Honeybee – 7/31/12

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 7/31/12 Observation Time: 11:15 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Honeybee Scientific Name: Apis mellifera Comments: Honeybees perform the vital service of pollinating crops. Ward’s Berry Farm in Sharon maintains honeybee colonies for pollinating strawberries and other crops. Honeybees may travel several miles to gather nectar for making honey. Since 2007, abnormally high die-offs (30–70% of hives) of honeybee colonies have […]

Honey Mushrooms – 9/26/12

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/26/12 Observation Time: 2:05 p.m. Observation Location: Near the train station tennis courts by Beaver Brook Common Name: Honey Mushroom Scientific Name: Armillaria mellea Comments: Honey mushrooms are a plant pathogen and cause Armillaria root rot in many plant species. They appear around the base of trees they have infected. The symptoms of infection appear in the crowns of infected trees as discolored foliage, […]

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