Insects
Green Lacewing
Chrysoperla rufilabris
What it looks like:
A small green insect, with delicate wings and large antennae.
Observed Habitat/Behavior
Massachusetts Conservation Status
Common
Massachusetts Native Status
Native
Photo/observer: Ethan
Natural History
Found in open areas. Larvae are predators, some species are known to camoflauge themselves with sand grains. Larvae are actually beneficial, feeding on aphids by sucking out there internal organs and fluids. Some species even camoflauge themselves with the dried out husks of the aphids they have killed. Adults feed on plant nectar. They
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Large Crane fly
Family: Tipulidae
Photo/observer: Lis
What it looks like:
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body color: grey
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long segmented abdomen
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much larger than a mosquito
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6 legs: long, thin, brown, segmented; attached to thorax; all outstretched and held wide
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2 wings: veined, slender, transparent; held outstretched
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two short slender protrusions from abdomen below wings, with flat bulb on the end of each
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large round compound eyes
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segmented antennae
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thin sharp point at end of abdomen
Observed Habitat/Behavior
Found completely still against wall immediately outside the back door of home on a chilly (50F) early-May morning in Salem suburb.
Massachusetts Conservation Status
Common
Massachusetts Native Status
Native
Natural History
Diet of adults is unknown. Adult females have a visible ovipositor (body part used to lay eggs underground) at the base of their abdomen. Range: all of North America and Mexico. Often found sitting still on walls.
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Source: www.insectidentification.org
Yellow Jacket
Vespula maculifrons
Photo credit: Aidan G.
What it looks like:
Smaller than other wasps, black with yellow bands or stripes across the body. It has six yellow legs and long but thin black wings. Its eyes are like a gyroscope or a flys in appearance.
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Observed Habitat/Behavior
When I found it it was in my shirt, stinging me.
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Massachusetts Conservation Status
Common
Massachusetts Native Status
Native
Natural History
The eastern yellow jacket, although frequently found, can be out-competed by the invasive and more aggressive german yellow jacket. The queen has spots, is 50% larger, and has a diamond shape near its “waist”. It’s a ground nesting species but it has been found to nest in spaces in walls or in homes. Workers are 12mm, or a ½in. The queens are 18mm. It’s a generalist (it doesn’t need very specific requirements, like pandas need bamboo).
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Source: Penn State Entomology, ADW