American Robin

This is again an exceedingly common organism in and around Lexington. I found this American Robin (Turdus migratorius) on Worthen Road, across from the Captain Parker Arms area. They are gray in color, with a bright orange underside, black heads, and a white patch on the tail. Robins, along with many other prey animals, have

Eastern Chipmunk

This organism is one that we see almost everywhere–I found this one under my deck. Just like the Eastern Gray Squirrel, Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias striatus) are so common we barely notice them. These chipmunks have grayish to reddish colored fur, with five dark stripes along their body. Lighter stripes occur on their face and around

Catherine’s moss

Again an oft-ignored bit of biodiversity, I saw this Catherine’s moss, aka Common Smoothcap Moss (Atrichum undulatum), while near the Valleyfield play area. Had I not been looking down at the ground for signs of life, I probably would have missed it, despite its bright green color. This moss is a little larger than most,

Common Greenshield Lichen

This time, I want to spotlight a kind of organism that no one ever really pays attention to. I photographed these Common Greenshield Lichen (Flavoparmelia caperata) around the Lexington Reservoir. These lichen are one of the most common lichen in North America, and are actually composed of two organisms–the fungus Flavoparmelia caperata and green algae–living

Red Maple

I saw this Red Maple (Acer rubrum) while photographing some of the wildlife around Worthen Road, around the Captain Parker Arms Area. This is one of the most common native trees in Eastern North America, and is the maple tree that produces a famous bright red fall coloration. These trees are tall, and grow to

Callery Pear

I noticed several of these trees planted along the sidewalk in the Lexington town center. They were quite large, and were in full bloom, with beautiful white 5-petal flowers. The Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) is a species of pear tree that is native to China and Vietnam, but is often artificially planted as a decoration.

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) are probably animals that you see every day when you go outside or look out the window. I saw this one by the Lexington Reservoir, sitting on a little branch and nibbling on some food. Eastern Gray Squirrels are found all over the eastern United States, usually in continuous woodlands,

Snapping Turtle

I noticed this Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) in the water of the small pond to the east of the Lexington Town Reservoir. It stayed motionless the entire time, but I was able to recognize it by its distinctive long, spiked tail and its flat shell. With its sharp claws and reptilian appearance, it almost

Cracked Cap Polypore

I came across these two large Cracked Cap Polypore (Phellinus robiniae) in the woods around the Valleyfield Play area. They were growing on the side of a rotted tree stump, and were both easily the size of my open hand. They were a dark brown in color with a flat underside (the spore producing region

Mallards

I found these Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) at the Lexington Reservoir, where they had been swimming on the water in both the large reservoir and the small pond next to it. I found them originally at the shoreline, but as I approached, the ducks swam away from me and towards the middle of the water. Mallards