Field and Swamp: Animals and Their Habitats

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Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC

Mason Farm was bequeathed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1894 by Mary Elizabeth Morgan Mason, with the proviso that it not be sold as separate plots. Today it is used for biological research and for environmentally friendly visits by the public. It was instituted in its current form as a research area in 1984. I mostly experience it as a natural place that still has a number of rose bushes and rows of tall trees to remind us that people once lived there.


Some of the tall trees	Asters in a field, 10/5/08	Siler's Bog, 2/1/09	Purple False Foxglove (Agalinis purpurea), 9/17/08. Contrary to what its name suggests, it's a pink flower.	A creek through the woods, 2/1/09	A pine tree in a field, 2/1/09

5/20/10


Question Mark. See the white sideways "question mark" in the middle of the hind wing.	Carolina Satyr	Mourning Cloak	Boxelder Bug nymph	Zabulon Skipper

5/2/10


American Snout	Silvery Checkerspot, ventral view of wings	Silvery Checkerspot	Male Zabulon Skippers, in a brief and unusually peaceful interaction	Big Periwinkle

Eastern Blue-eyed Grass Mourning Cloak caterpillar turning into a pupa Assassin bug Snowberry Clearwing Moth Buttercups. Photo by Karl D. Gottschalk


Miami Mist (Phacelia purshii), one of many near the parking lot. ID thanks to Bailey Winstead, who says they are common in the Smoky Mountains and to Philip Johnson. They are not native this far east, according to Harry LeGrand, who confirmed the species ID. Thanks also to Taylor Piephoff, whose ID of the genus came first. These are similar the Fringed Phacelia, which has fewer flowers per stem.

3/18/10


Mourning Cloak	Boxelder Bug	Field Pansy	Spring Beauties	Bluets

2/21/10


Painted Turtle

11/5/09


Autumn Meadowhawk, about an inch long. See other dragonflies.

9/13/09


Purple False Foxglove, the fuzziest flower I know of!	These mating robber flies landed on my hat	Orb weaver	Large Milkweed Bugs on a Swamp Milkweed seed pod


Common Wood Nymph. See Butterfly Index.	Viceroy	Great Lobelia	Hackberry Emperor

8/21/09


Kudzu flower (Pueraria montana)	Rose Gentians	Cardinal Flower	Sericea lespedeza	Adult male Eastern Pondhawk


Small Milkweed Bug	Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia)	St. Andrew's Cross	Horse Nettle	Horse Nettle


Elongate Long-jawed Orb Weaver. Note the red "jaws" (chelicerae), which end in fangs.

8/9/09


Northern Pearly Eye	Male Zabulon Skipper	Partridge Pea	Ironweed


Scuppernong grapes	Spider (Neoscona genus)	St. Andrew's Cross (Hypericum hypericoides)	Trumpet Creeper	Horse fly


Black Rat Snake

7/17/09


Common Wood Nymph

5/21/09


Boxelder Bug	Argid Sawfly	Leafhopper nymph	Katydid nymph	Harvestman


Spider, maybe jumping spider	Grasshopper nymph	Mourning Cloak (ventral view)	Mourning Cloak (dorsal view)	Snout moth


Orange Sulphur, dorsal view	Orange Sulphur, ventral view	Common Milkweed	Penstemon	Field of penstemons

5/1/09


American Lady. Also see the Butterfly Index.	Red-necked Cane Borer (Agrilus ruficollis), a very small Buprestid beetle	Male Zabulon Skipper	Blue Corporal dragonfly


Grape Root Borer Moth (Vitacea polistiformis, according to BugGuide). Neither the Integrated Taxonomic Information System nor the Tree of Life Web have applied taxa on the genus level for this species. It is a Sesiidae family member.	Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacoma disstria)	Boxelder Bug nymph

3/20/09


Juvenal's Duskywing. See other spreadwing skippers.	Male Fragile Forktail. See other damselflies.	Painted Turtle


Red-tailed Hawk		White-throated Sparrow	Male Mallard

3/11/09


Northern Cricket Frog	Painted Turtle, about 3 inches long. Those big yellow head spots are unusual in my experience, but no unheard-of in this species.	Spring Azure	Mourning Dove

11/7/08


Cloudless Sulphur. See other Whites and Yellows. See the Butterfly Index.	Common Buckeye	Common Buckeye, ventral view.	Northern Cricket Frog


Triangulate Orb Weaver. See other spiders.	Scarab Beetle Grub	Boxelder Bug. Dozens of these landed on our car that day.

10/5/08


Least Skipper, found in Siler's Bog	Pearl Crescent, seen on trail in Siler's Bog	Common Buckeye, seen on trail in frequently mowed field	Black Blister Beetle, also seen in frequently mowed field

9/17/08


Tree Stink Bug (Brochymena genus)	Glassy-winged Sharpshooter. See other leafhoppers.	Appalachian Brown. See other nymphs and satyrs.


Ambush Bug	Ambush Bug (close-up)	Common Wood Nymph	Triangulate Orb Weaver. See other spiders.


Common Buckeye caterpillar. I saw dozens of them in one field, feeding on the leaves of tall grass plants. ID thanks to Jeff Pippen.

8/12/08


Crab spider	Arrow-shaped Micrathena (Micrathena sagittata


Male Zabulon Skipper	Male Bowl and Doily Spider	Flatid Planthopper	Leaffooted Bug


Common Wood Nymph. Photo by Karl D. Gottschalk	Common Buckeye. Photo by Karl D. Gottschalk

6/3/08


Little Wood Satyr. See other woods butterflies. See Butterfly Index.	Long-legged fly	White-lined Burrowing Bug	Eight-spotted Forester moth	Immature Eastern Pondhawk. Photo taken by Karl D. Gottschalk.


Wasp hovering, landing, ovipositing

5/4/08


Eastern Box Turtle, up close and at a distance


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


Red-spotted Purple	Common Buckeye, with a few pieces missing	Skimmer dragonfly in flight	Shining leaf beetle (Criocerinae subfamily), possibly an Oulema cornutus	Young adult Blue Dasher

4/18/08


Eastern Tailed Blue	Pearl Crescent	Pearl Crescent, quite difference in appearance	Probably male Juvenal's Duskywing

2/19/08

Northern Cricket Frog

11/21/07

Bowl and Doily Spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, 11/21/07

11/14/07


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


White-backed Garden Spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 10/17/07 Dorsal view.	White-backed Garden Spider, ventral view of the same spider.	Tipulid Crane Fly	Leaffooted Bug (Leptoglossus phyllopus)

9/23/07


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


Braconid wasp (Psyttalia fletcheri), very tiny (about 2 mm). ID based on photo by Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service. Family ID provided by Richard Vernier.	Cowkiller, neither wasp nor ant but somewhere in between. It's named for its nasty sting, one informally hypothesized to be bad enough to kill a cow. See other Hymenopterans.

9/1/07


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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.


Pelecinid Wasp (Pelecinus polyturator), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 9/29/06

9/21/06


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


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


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


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


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.


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


Orange Sulphur. See other Sulphurs and Whites.	Leafhopper (Sibovia occatoria, subfamily Cicadellinae). See other leafhoppers.	Bee fly.	Katydid nymph. See other katydids, grasshoppers, and crickets.	Leaf beetle. See other beetles.

6/7/2006


Web-spinning Sawfly. See other sawflies.	Bee fly, possibly Hemipenthes genus. See other flies.	Solitary bee. See other bees.

4/29/06

Mating Pearl Crescents, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 4/29/06

8/24/05


Mating Common Buckeyes, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 8/24/05.	Same butterflies.

5/28/05

Appalachian Brown, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 5/28/05.

5/23/03


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).