The Not-So-Lazy Days of Summer

Central Massachusetts naturalists are far from lazy when summer arrives! Club members have been busy monitoring grassland birds, tracking down Lepidoptera species, watching and counting birds, setting up backyard wildlife cameras, hiking in our wonderful protected open spaces, photographing flora and fauna. . . in general, putting a lot of time and effort into enjoying and appreciating our local natural history.

On 19 July, Anne Greene captured this Bobolink in full song at Rutland's Glenwood School fields.

Two hikers shared the Quabbin Gate 45 trail with this black bear for a minute on 22 June before it looked around and saw them. Within seconds the bear vanished into the woods. Photo by Alan Rawle.

Canada Lily (Lilium canadense) was one of many species of wildflowers that were abundant as a result of the wet spring. New Braintree, 6 July. Photo by Alan Rawle.

A Great Egret at Eagle Lake in Holden posed for Ted Purcell on 26 July.

The spider species Argiope aurantia is commonly known as the yellow garden spider, black and yellow garden spider, golden garden spider, writing spider, zigzag spider, corn spider, or McKinley spider. This attractive, well-fed female was at Moore State Park in Paxton on 27 August and photographed by Bill Platenik.

A Wild Turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo) made its way to a favorite roost 40 feet up in a white pine in Hardwick in July. Photo by Alan Rawle.

A bright Cottonwood Dagger Moth (Acronicta lepusculina) caterpillar was hard to miss on 21 July in Hubbardston.

Identifying a Large Maple Spanworm moth (Prochoerodes lineola) photographed by Doug Wipf in Rutland was tricky because the colors and markings of the species can be quite variable.

The underwing view of the Eastern Comma butterfly (Polygonia comma) explains its common name. Photographed on 10 August by Alan Rawle.

The distinctive leaves of Large Whorled Pogonia (Isotria verticillata) peek out from other shaded woodland plants on protected land in Hardwick. This member of the orchid family occurs on the Massachusetts NHESP "watch" list as it is uncommon in many locations. Its status in other New England states ranges from rare to uncommon to potentially extirpated.

After the Glenwood School fields in Rutland were mowed, these two immature or female Bobolinks were taking shelter in a sumac stand at the field's edge. Photo taken on 26 July by Ted Purcell.

Both Yellow-billed (Coccyzus americanus)--above by Alan Rawle--and Black-billed (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) Cuckoos--on left by Anne Greene--were seen on most birding trips around the region for the third year in a row, a result of the gypsy moth infestation.

A bull moose on 27 August on a trail out of Quabbin Gate 45 has already grown an impressive set of antlers as autumn approaches.

Anne Greene spotted this immature male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus) in August. Over the winter in Central or South America, he'll molt his juvenile feathers and take on the striking black, white, and red plumage we see in the spring.

Bill Platenik of Brimfield sent us the two images below that were captured by the wildlife camera in his yard on 29 August at 4:42 p.m.
​ The fate of the gray squirrel is unknown.

More typical of the kind of wildlife photographs taken by trail cameras is this Eastern Coyote marking his territory in Doug Wipf's Rutland yard on 30 August. The coyote was likely inspired by the scent of the dog that lives there.

A Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela frenata) that was tending a nest of mewing young in Deerfield on 4 July has "weaseled" its way into the wildlife sightings of central Massachusetts.

A mosaic of bladderwort (Utricularia sp) and reflected pond water communicates serenity in this photograph by Anne Greene.

MORE WINGS!

Celebrating the 4th of July holiday were these Red-eyed Vireos (Vireo olivaceus) caught in mid-flight by Alan Rawle.

Snowberry Clearwing moth (Hemaris diffinis) on Verbena bonariensis, a non-native tropical plant of South America which is annual in our region. The flower is a strong butterfly attractant and wonderful to have in the home garden, but it may re-seed vigorously, so try to keep this non-native under control if you decide to grow it. This was a "good" year for our hummingbird moth species. Photo by Anne Greene in Rutland.

A fresh American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis) was found by Bill Platenik at Moore State Park in Paxton on 27 August.

Brilliant red Royal Catchfly (Silene regia), a rare and declining midwestern wildflower grown here in cultivation, attracts an immature Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Photographed in Hardwick on 30 August by Alan Rawle.

The striking pattern on this Clymene Moth (Clymene haploa) caught the attention of Doug Wipf in Rutland on 28 July.

Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) on 27 August in Paxton. Photo by Bill Platenik.

Two Eastern Wood Pewees (Contopus virens), part of a family group, in Hardwick on 4 August. Photo by Alan Rawle.

Take a second look! This is a Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) observed at Moore State Park by Bill Platenik on 25 July. Viceroys sometimes get overlooked, especially in years with numerous Monarchs about, such as summer 2019.

Northern Pearly-Eye (Enodia anthedon) found on a partly-shaded woodland path in Hardwick on 4 August. Photo by Alan Rawle.

Rather disconcerting is this excellent photograph by Anne Greene portraying the result of brood parasitism by a Brown-headed Cowbird ( Molothrus ater). As Cornell's allaboutbirds,org website explains, "Female cowbirds forgo building nests and instead put all their energy into producing eggs, sometimes more than three dozen a summer. These they lay in the nests of other birds, abandoning their young to foster parents, usually at the expense of at least some of the host’s own chicks." Despite our distaste for this survival strategy, we have noticed that, in our region, cowbirds select the nests of some of our most abundant species in which to lay their eggs. The population of American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)--the adult male is seen here--is fairly stable world-wide, so this incident of parasitism can be put in perspective. Warbler losses due to man-made hazards and causes are much more of threat.