Because of the name, you might think the red admiral butterfly is somehow associated with the sea or sailors or seafaring – but it was originally called red admirable, presumably because it was a butterfly with many qualities to be admired.

Do you remember chasing flickering fireflies as a kid? In Massachusetts, there are at least 20 species of them, and you should be able to see them here now.

It’s young male black bears that most often make their way into residential neighborhoods in June and July; older males can be as heavy as 600 pounds.

Look for viceroys now – they reach peak numbers in mid-June and again in late July – but don’t mistake them for the monarch butterflies they ape.

Indigo buntings are easier to spot than many birds because the blue male stands out against the trees and likes to find the highest perch from which to sing.

Houseflies are pests, but are here because they have followed humans and their waste around the planet – and can be amazingly hard to hit with a swatter.

Snapping turtles can be dangerous, but not enough to keep George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton from convening once a year as members of the Hoboken Turtle Club, a social organization to feast on them.

Warblers are amazing migratory songbirds. They fatten up (sometimes doubling their weight) before migrating, which uses a lot of energy. To reduce unneeded weight, they absorb their own intestines, which they don’t need for the arduous flight!

Bumblebee colonies store only a few days’ worth of food, so the bees can die if there are not enough food sources. It is important, therefore, that we plant a variety of native flowering plants to support our native bumblebees.

Though these butterflies are known to hang around for New England winters, It isn’t always easy to spot one – when its wings are folded, it looks like a dead leaf.