Sharon Friends of Conservation
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Observer: Rick Dumont Observation Date: 1/26/08 Observation Time: 4:15 p.m. Observation Location: Front yard Common Name: Downy Woodpecker Scientific Name: Picoides pubescens Comments: First the male showed up, then along came the female. The male has a moustache and red stripe while the female is clean-shaven and stripeless. More Information: All-Birds.com
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/2/07 Observation Time: 10:10 a.m. Observation Location: Trustees of Reservations Moose Hill Farm Common Name: Gray Tree Frog Scientific Name: Hyla versicolor Comments: This gray tree frog was sitting motionless in the foliage along the dirt road leading through the woods to the big pasture. More Information: Learn what a gray tree frog call sounds like at: music of nature, so you […]
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 11/6/06 Observation Time: 2:10 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road 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 in October […]
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/9/05 Observation Time: 7:00 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Road Common Name: Snapping Turtle Scientific Name: Chelydra serpentina Comments: Snapping turtles lay their eggs in early to mid June. The eggs hatch in late summer. More Information: Tufts Wildlife Clinic and Mass Audubon’s guide to turtle species
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/2/05 Observation TIme: 10:00 p.m. Observation Location: crossing Moose Hill St. (near TTOR) Common Name: Red eft (juvenile terrestrial form of eastern newt) Scientific Name: Notophthalmus viridescens Comments: The eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) is a common newt of eastern North America. It frequents small lakes, ponds, and streams or nearby wet forests. The eastern newt produces tetrodotoxin, which makes the species unpalatable […]
Read moreObserver: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 4/2/05 Observation Time: 9:00 p.m. Observation Location: Moose Hill Street near Kendall Estate Common Name: Yellow Spotted Salamander Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum Comments: It’s best not to handle salamanders because the salts and oils on your skin don’t do amphibians any good (mea culpa!). To see a variety of frog and salamander species, walk down Moose Hill Street on the first rainy night after the snow melts in late […]
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