I recently moved from the coastline of Connecticut to an inland location. I had moved in a little bit too late in the evening to explore my new surroundings but was eager to poke around the next day. My first night as I was trying to sleep I started hearing Gray Treefrogs (Hyla versicolor) calling. This was a pleasant surprise after spending the last two years listening to American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus) and other migrating shorebirds flying over. The next morning I set out to find one of the aforementioned calling frogs. It didn’t take long till I saw ideal real estate for this species. I located one, took some photos in its environment and Meet Your Neighbours style.
I then started to walk the property and investigate what the rest of the habitat looked like. I found a large mixed field with wild vegetation absolutely teeming with pollinators flying around. Quickly I saw quite a few Common Eastern Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa virginica) hovering around and going from flower to flower. I then spent some more time trying to examine a few species that were moving quickly. The first species I found that excited me was a Cuckoo Bee (Nomada sp.) that was on some honeysuckle. My next find was a nice Metallic bee (Augochloropsis sp.).
Down the hill was a small pond that I decided to check out. I could hear American Bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) and Green Frogs (Lithobates clamitans) calling when I was about half way down the hill. I quickly was able to find both species calmly floating in the water along the pond edge. After that I did some looking around to see if any odonata had appeared yet. I found only one species so far this female Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita).
Beyond the pond was a trail that I walked for a little while. I happened upon this Winter Firefly (Ellychnia corrusca) searching around in some rotten fallen tree limbs. It’s a species unlike your typical firefly and is most commonly found during the daytime. My last find while walking back was some Wild Geranium commonly known as Old Maid’s Nightcap (Geranium maculatum).
I plan on making this a weekly blog occurrence while I further explore the surroundings in my new habitat. I will try to focus on different habitat types around the center and some things to look for in the habitats at the particular time of year.
Sean Graesser
RTPI Affiliate
