Nature Moncton Nature News: July 3 2015

** Tracy Redmond found a beautiful fresh LUNA MOTH [Papillon lune] day-perching on her Moncton deck on Thursday morning. It's the time to watch for the large striking giant silkworm moths and sphinxes.

** Dave Miller also had a visit from a TWIN-SPOTTED SPHINX MOTH to his Salisbury home on Thursday. As indicated, it's that time for all these striking moths to be on their adult flights.

** Gloria Chase has a DOWNY WOODPECKER [Pic mineur] that has taken a liking to the Hummingbird nectar and quite able to partake.

** Bruce Coates brings up some very interesting comments on MILKWEED [Asclépiades] propagation in that it may cause a conflict between naturalists and farmers. As this plant can be toxic to horses, cattle and sheep, we need to be cautious where we propagate it. I was surprised to see the long list of other plants toxic to livestock as well in the URL that Bruce refers to. Many of these plants listed are very commonly occurring plants depending upon the habitat. Bruce's comments are copied below withthe URL.

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The issue of growing milkweed puts my farmer background and my naturalist interests in direct conflict. For generations, farmers have attempted to eradicate all types of milkweed with good reason. It is toxic to domestic farm animals. Normally, animals will not graze on milkweed but small amounts in hay or eaten when other food sources are scarce in pastures will kill cattle, sheep and horses. It should be pointed out that it is vitally important that milkweed not be allowed to spread into any areas where hay is made or that horses, sheep or cattle could graze. The very fact that naturalists are growing milkweed will strain the relationship between the naturalist community and the agricultural industry.

This link is to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture site: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/dairy/facts/poisonousweeds.htm.

Courtesy of Bruce Coates

** The male REDHEAD [Fuligule à tête rouge] duck David Miller found at the Salisbury Government Rd. lagoons was still present on Thursday morning. Brian Stone and I saw it mid-morning, just on the first lagoon to the left on Government Rd. It then flew over to the lagoons at the back part of the mini-home park. It was diving frequently. There were many other ducks with broods there and a KILLDEER [Pluvier kildir] issued its unwelcome mat.

** A stop to a bog adjacent to the Irishtown Nature Park found the orchids that were in full bloom at this time last year had not appeared yet. A BALTIMORE CHECKERSPOT [Baltimore] butterfly was very co-operative, lots of HARRIS'S CHECKERSPOTS [Darnier de Harris], NORTHERN CRESCENTS [Croissant nordique], COMMON RINGLETS [satyre fauve], and a few VICEROYS [Vice-roi], WHITE ADMIRALS [Amiral] and the first SILVER-BORDERED FRITILLARIES [Argynne de l'Atlantique] that we've encountered, as well as a QUESTION MARK [Polygone à queue violacée] butterfly. One photo shows the question mark on the hind wing clearly that gives this butterfly its name. HUMMINGBIRD CLEARWING MOTHS were most interested in vetch, and a blooming VIPER'S BUGLOSS [Vipérine commune] was noted as well.

This week’s sky at a glance is attached below courtesy of Curt Nason

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, July 4 – July 11 courtesy of

Curt Nason

With turkey vultures becoming more prominent in the province, you might be interested in knowing a vulture once flew with the swan and the eagle in the sky. The bright star Vega can be seen high in the east in evening twilight. Soon after its appearance you can spot Deneb to the lower left and Altair even lower to the right. Deneb is the tail of Cygnus the Swan and Altair is the head of Aquila the Eagle. These three stars, the brightest of their respective constellations, form the isosceles Summer Triangle, an asterism popularized by the late Patrick Moore in England more than 50 years ago. It was mentioned in James Michener’s 1982 novel “Space,” where mention was also made of the Great Summer Triangle composed of Vega, Arcturus and Antares.

Vega’s constellation is Lyra the Lyre or Harp, with the main part of the instrument being formed by a parallelogram of stars. If you point a spotting scope between the two brighter stars of the parallelogram, opposite Vega, you might notice a fat, blurry star. A moderate-sized telescope will show it as a smoke ring or doughnut. This is the Ring Nebula or M57, the remnants of a Sun-sized star that puffed off its layers of gas when it ran out of nuclear fuel. Near Vega is a dimmer but naked-eye star that binoculars will show as two stars. A larger scope at high power reveals each of those as a pair of stars, prompting its common name of the Double-Double. Lyra is the Celestial Tim Hortons.

In mythology, the lyre was made from a tortoise shell by the god Hermes, who gave it to Apollo. It was mastered by Apollo’s son Orpheus, who soothed all around him when he played. After his bride was killed tragically on their wedding night, he spurned the advances of the many young ladies vying for his attention. They schemed revenge, screaming loudly so as not to be affected by his music, and then beat him to death and tossed the lyre into the river. Zeus sent a vulture to retrieve the lyre and had it placed in the sky to commemorate Orpheus and his music. Star maps from a few centuries ago depicted the lyre in the talons of a vulture.

This Week in the Solar System

Today sunrise in Moncton was at 5:34 am and sunset will occur at 9:13 pm, giving 15 hours, 39 minutes of daylight. Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:39 am and set at 9:10, giving 15 hours, 31 minutes of daylight. (To counter Nelson’s comments in January: The days are getting shorter! This means longer nights for stargazing.)

The Moon is at Third Quarter on Wednesday, July 8, rising around 12:30 am that day and around 1 am the next day.

Mercury continues to brighten and rise more than an hour before the Sun, but binoculars are recommended and you should be looking before 4:45 am.

Venus pulls away to the left and slightly downward from Jupiter over the week as they both approach the star Regulus. Approaching Earth, Venus appears as a larger, thinner crescent over the month. It shows its greatest illuminated area in a scope on Friday, July 10, reaching maximum brightness.

Earth is at aphelion, its greatest distance from the Sun, on late Monday afternoon. Please do not stare at the Sun to see if it looks smaller. We are about 3% farther from the Sun in July than we are in January.

Mars is very low in the east at sunrise, too close to the Sun to be visible.

Saturn is highest in the sky during late twilight. Its rings are at their best viewing in a decade so give them a try with your spotting scope, and look for its brightest moon Titan nearby.

Questions? nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton