Insects & Spiders – Page 9 – Sharon Friends of Conservation

Mottled Prominent Moth (Caterpillar) – 9/22/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/22/13 Observation Time: 2:00 p.m. Observation Location: King Phillip’s Rock Common Name: Mottled Prominent Moth (caterpillar) Scientific Name: Macrurocampa marthesia Comments: For a photo of the adult Mottled Prominent moth, see: http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/177197-Macrurocampa-marthesia More Information: BugGuide

Mayfly – 4/23/09

Observer: Alex Hackman Observation Date: 4/23/09 Observation Time: 9:45 a.m. Observation Location: Beaver Brook Common Name: Mayfly Scientific Name: Ephemeroptera Comments: Adult mayfly hatch observed during a paddle up Beaver Brook. This insect is an indicator of good water quality. More Information: Texas A&M

Little Wood Satyr Butterfly – 5/31/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/31/11 Observation Time: 5:00 p.m. Observation Location: in the woods near Gavins Pond Common Name: Little Wood Satyr butterfly Scientific Name: Megisto cymela Comments: A common woodland butterfly in Massachusetts. More Information: Massachusetts Butterfly Club

Little Wood Satyr Butterfly – 6/20/10

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/20/10 Observation Time: 9:10 a.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: Little Wood Satyr butterfly Scientific Name: Megisto cymela Comments: A common woodland butterfly in Massachusetts. More Information: Massachusetts Butterfly Club

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 […]

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

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

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

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 […]

North American Harvester butterfly – 6/2/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/2/11 Observation Time: 1:40 p.m. Observation Location: near Gavins Pond Common Name: North American Harvester butterfly Scientific Name: Feniseca tarquinius Comments: The harvester is the only North American butterfly with carnivorous larvae, usually feeding on aphids. More Information: Tree of Life

Fishing Spider – 9/27/14

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 9/27/14 Observation Time: 4:15 p.m. Observation Place: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Fishing Spider Scientific Name: Dolomedes tenebrosus Comments: Fishing Spiders get their name from their hunting behavior and occasional food source. They are adept at ambushing insects and other food items on land, but they are also able to submerge their bodies just under the surface of calm water and […]

Giant Leopard Moth – 6/24/11

Observer: John Baur Observation Date: 6/24/11 Observation Time: 5:30 p.m. Observation Location: Sharon Train Station Common Name: Giant Leopard Moth Scientific Name: Hypercompe scribonia Comments: Also called Eyed Tiger Moth, this is a moth of the family Arctiidae. It is distributed throughout the Southern and Eastern United States from New England to Mexico. The obsolete name Ecpantheria scribonia is still occasionally encountered. More Information: Wikipedia

Black and Yellow Garden Spider – 9/24/10

Observer: April Forsman Observation Date: 9/24/10 Observation Time: 10:15 a.m. Observation Location: DPW Common Name: Black and Yellow Garden Spider Scientific Name: Argiope aurantia Comments: Males range from 5 to 9 mm; females from 19 to 28 mm. Like other members of Argiope they are considered harmless to humans.The female of the species grows much larger than the male. Females have large rounded bodies that may […]

Black and Yellow Garden Spider – 8/11/09

Observer: Regen Jamieson Observation Date: 8/11/09 Observation Location: Moose Hill in the meadow at the end of the “unnatural trail”. Common Name: Black and Yellow Garden Spider Scientific Name: Argiope aurantia Comments: Males range from 5 to 9 mm; females from 19 to 28 mm. Like other members of Argiope they are considered harmless to humans.The female of the species grows much larger than the male. […]

Galerucella Beetle – 5/17/13

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 5/17/13 Observation Time: 11:30 a.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Galerucella beetle Scientific Name: Galerucella calmariensis Comments: The Neponset River Watershed Association introduced these European beetles in Fowl Meadow in Canton and Norwood to control invasive purple loosestrife. They have spread to Sharon, where they are having the desired effect of keeping the invasive purlple loosestrife in check so native plants can […]

Galerucella Beetle Larvae – 6/17/11

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 6/17/11 Observation Time: 5:05 p.m. Observation Location: Gavins Pond Dam Common Name: Galerucella beetle larvae Scientific Name: Galerucella calmariensis (or G. pusilla) Comments: Galerucella beetles eat only purple loosestrife, an invasive exotic weed that has been displacing native wetland plants and reducing biodiversity. The Neponset River Watershed Association has been “ranching” and releasing Galerucella beetles, and they are now showing up in Sharon. More Information: […]

Funnel Weaver Spider – 10/18/12

Observer: Paul Lauenstein Observation Date: 10/18/12 Observation Time: 10:00 a.m. Observation Location: 4 Gavins Pond Road (basement) Common Name: Funnel Weaver Spider Scientific Name: Agelenidae family, Coras genus Comments: Spiders give me the creeps, especially big ones like this specimen, but I could not resist taking a photo and getting an identification from bugguide.net. More Information: BugGuide

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