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Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC
Mason Farm used to belong to a family, but now is
set aside by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for biological
research. You can still see lots of rose bushes among all the wild stuff,
but they never seem to bloom. Otherwise, it's wilderness but it's mowed
periodically to keep the trees from taking over.
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC
5/4/08
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| Eastern Box Turtle, up
close and at a distance |
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| This
Question Mark has the white "question mark" on its hind wing,
only rotated 90° to the right. |
Same Question Mark |
Silvery Checkerspot |
Variegated Fritillary |
Red Admiral |
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| Red-spotted Purple |
Common
Buckeye, with a few pieces missing |
Skimmer dragonfly
in flight |
Casebearer leaf
beetle, possibly an Oulema cornutus |
Young adult Blue Dasher |
4/18/08
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| Eastern Tailed Blue |
Pearl Crescent |
Pearl
Crescent, quite difference in appearance |
Probably male Juvenal's
Duskywing |
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2/19/08
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| Northern Cricket Frog |
11/21/07
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| Bowl and
Doily Spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, 11/21/07 |
11/14/07
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| Stink
Bug (Brochymena
genus; arborea is the most common species) |
Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetle with prey |
This might be a
House Spider, but ID is uncertain. |
Differential
Grasshopper |
Spider egg sac,
appears to be that of a member of the Argiope genus. |
10/17/07
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White-backed Garden Spider or
Banded Argiope, Mason Farm
Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 10/17/07
Dorsal view. |
White-backed Garden Spider or
Banded Argiope, ventral
view of the same spider. |
Tipulid Crane Fly |
Leaffooted Bug (Leptoglossus phyllopus) |
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9/23/07
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| Hackberry Emperor.
This butterfly landed on my arm and was apparently taking in
my perspiration. We never see any hackberry trees there, so maybe
sweaty people are the main attraction! |
Pearl Crescent.
See other Pearl Crescents or see the main
Butterflies Page. |
Triangulate Orb Weaver.
See other spiders. |
Mating Differential
Grasshoppers. See other
Orthopterans. |
Crab spider |
9/1/07
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| Margined Blister
Beetle,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/1/07 |
Gemmed
Satyr,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/1/07 |
Cowkiller (Dasymutilla
occidentalis), a kind of velvet ant, Mason
Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/1/07. See other
Hymenopterans (bees, wasps and ants). |
7/22/07
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| Red Admiral, Mason Farm
Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC 7/22/07 |
Cloudless Sulphur, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange
County, NC 7/22/07 |
Question Mark, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange
County, NC 7/22/07 |
Acanalonid Planthopper, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange
County, NC 7/22/07 |
Stilt-legged Fly, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange
County, NC 7/22/07 |
5/26/07
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| Cloudless Sulphur, Mason Farm Biological
Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/26/07. This butterfly has apparently come
a long way! See other Whites and Yellows
or visit the Butterfly Index. |
Silver-spotted Skipper,
Mason Farm Biological
Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/26/07 |
Deer Fly. This
fly went inside a hat. Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange
County, NC, 5/26/07 |
Female Sharpshooter (Oncometopia nigricans). The other
side also had a white spot. Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 5/26/07. Leafhoppers once were classified as Homopterans, but that order has since been split in two, with the
"hoppers" in one and the aphids in the other. See other Leafhoppers, |
Weevil, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County,
NC, 5/26/07 |
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC
5/20/07
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| Crossline Skipper,
Mason Farm Biological
Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/20/07 |
Male Zabulon Skipper,
Mason Farm Biological
Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/20/07 |
Adult male
Eastern Pondhawk, Mason Farm
Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/20/07 |
Green Six-spotted Tiger Beetle,
Mason Farm
Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/20/07 |
Tiny mystery wasp. Note the little hairs on the
leaf. Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/20/07 |
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| Tiny jumping spider (about 1 mm long), Mason Farm
Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/20/07. It was apparently so
tiny that it did not see any point in retreating. |
Mason Farm Biological Reserve (area north of
creek), 4/28/07
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| Pearl Crescent,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve
(area north of the creek), 4/28/07 |
Male Golden-backed Snipe Fly,
Mason Farm
Biological Reserve (area north of the creek), 4/28/07 |
Ladybug beetle pupa, Mason Farm Biological Reserve
(area north of the creek), 4/28/07. Since there were 10+
Seven-spotted
Ladybug Beetle adults in the immediate area, it seemed likely that this was one, too. |
Adult male
Blue Corporal, Mason Farm Biological Reserve (area north of the
creek), 4/28/07 |
Jumping spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve (area north of the
creek), 4/28/07 |
11/17/06
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| Northern Cricket Frog,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 11/17/06 |
Autumn Meadowhawk,
Mason Farm Biological
Reserve, Orange County, NC, 11/17/06. See other
dragonflies. |
10/15/06
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| Question Mark,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 10/15/06 |
Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle,
Mason Farm
Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 10/15/06 |
Mystery beetle,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 10/15/06. It was perhaps 3mm long. |
9/29/06
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| Pelecinid Wasp (Pelecinus
polyturator), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/29/06 |
Tachinid Fly
(Trichopoda genus, subfamily
Phasiinae, family Tachinidae), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange
County, NC, 9/29/06 |
Flesh Fly,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/29/06 |
Red-spotted Purple,
Mason Farm Biological
Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/29/06. This butterfly was unusually
small for its species. |
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| Pelecinid Wasp (Pelecinus
polyturator), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/29/06 |
9/21/06
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| Boxelder Bug,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/21/06 |
Hackberry Emperor,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/21/06. This butterfly put its proboscis down,
hoping to find some nutritious human sweat, but only encountered a
wallet and soon flew off. |
Hackberry Emperor, Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/21/06. The same butterfly returned to a more
suitable place, but didn't uncoil its proboscis. |
Grasshopper, Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/21/06. One the biggest grasshoppers I've
seen. |
Araneus genus spider (an orb weaver), Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/21/06 |
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| Micrathena mitrata,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/21/06. A very tiny spider, maybe an
⅛ of an inch long. |
Jumping spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/21/06. Just look at those green chelicerae! |
Jumping spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/21/06. Another view of the same spider. |
Chinese Mantis,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/21/06. A very big insect. Very active
and complex mouthparts! |
9/2/06
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| Common Buckeye,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/2/06. This was one of many Buckeyes that we
saw today. |
Dog-day Cicada,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/2/06 |
Mating Sphecid (digger) wasps (Eremnophila aureonotata), Mason
Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/2/06. These are very
common insects; they should have a common name! |
Carolina Satyr,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/2/06 |
Gray Hairstreak,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 9/2/06 |
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| Triangulate Orb Weaver (rear view), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC,
9/2/06 |
Inchworm, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC,
9/2/06. This was a very tiny inchworm, not much more than
⅛ inch, and it was frozen in position. |
7/9/06
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| Delta Flower Beetle,
Mason Farm
Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 7/9/06 |
Mating
Dogbane Beetles,
Mason Farm Biological
Reserve, Orange County, NC, 7/9/06 |
Robber Fly,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve,
Orange County, NC, 7/9/06 |
Issid Planthopper
(Issidae
family) nymph, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 7/9/06.
These nymphs eventually cover themselves with this white stuff,
apparently to protect themselves from predators. |
Emerald (Somatochlora genus), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 7/9/06.
ID thanks to
Bryan Pfeiffer. |
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| Silvery Checkerspot,
Mason Farm Biological
Reserve, Orange County, NC, 7/9/06 |
Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle |
A very faded
False Crocus Geometer
Moth, Mason
Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 7/9/06 |
6/17/06
6/7/2006
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| Web-spinning Sawfly. See other
sawflies. |
Bee fly, possibly Hemipenthes genus. See other
flies. |
Solitary bee. See other
bees. |
4/29/06
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| Mating
Pearl Crescents, Mason Farm Biological
Reserve, Orange County, NC, 4/29/06 |
8/24/05
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| Mating Common Buckeyes, Mason Farm
Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 8/24/05. |
Same butterflies. |
5/28/05
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| Appalachian Brown,
Mason Farm Biological
Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/28/05. |
5/23/03
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| Phaon Crescent, ventral view. Yes, they aren't
supposed to come around here, but this one did! See more
Crescents. |
Same Phaon Crescent. |
Broad-headed bug (family Alydidae). A True Bug. |
Carolina Satyr, dorsal view. See more
Nymphs and Satyrs. |
Eastern Tailed Blue, rather deformed. See
Blues (and Hairstreaks). |
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