Nature Moncton Nature News: Sept 8 2015

** Louise and Maurice Richard share several observations from their Acadieville cabin site over the weekend. The heat was just what our 2 native Cicadas like, hearing them stridulating with gusto in the heat. They are often hard to photograph as the adults head high into the trees - the Richards got a photo and closer observation of a DOG-DAY CICADA by gently and very briefly bringing one to the ground from a tall tree branch with the help of a butterfly net. They also took note of CANADA MAYFLOWER (aka Wild Lily of the Valley) berries which become red when mature, but speckled red at the moment. They also noted RED BANEBERRY which is designated as a toxic berry. We also have White Baneberry - note the fine stalks to the berries in Louise’s photos whereas the White Baneberry would have very thick stocks to the white berries. They can occasionally hybridize to make identification confusing. They also noted INCH WORM CATERPILLARS, a SALT MARSH CATERPILLAR and one special striking caterpillar: the LAUREL SPHINX MOTH CATERPILLAR, the larvae of the large LAUREL SPHINX MOTH. Its caterpillar is appropriately large. Louise got excellent photos from different angles.

** Gabriel Gallant came across a scenario on Sunday morning where a BALD FACED HORNET was attacking a WOOD NYMPH BUTTERFLY [satyre des pres] and feeding on it as prey. Gabriel captured a few photos of the incident.

** Jack Perry queries about the comments of SPRING PEEPERS [rainette crucifere] calling at the moment and away from water. The Spring Peeper is a frog with sucker feet very adapted to living in trees and bushes. They only go to the water in the spring to mate and lay eggs, and often after approximately a month of this activity head back to land. This frog is really a land lubber only going to the water to procreate. There are many potential explanations why the males will call at this time of year, whatever the real reason, they do it, and it surely sounds very different as a single call versus the chorus of spring.

** Anne Marsh, Louise Nichols and Brian Stone visited the Bouctouche area on Sunday to note the BONAPARTE’s GULLS [mouette de Bonaparte] there and a SOLITARY SANDPIPER [Chevalier solitaire] off the Boardwalk Marsh behind the Information Centre; lots of DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS [Cormoran a aigrettes] at the lagoon, NORTHERN SHOVELLER [Canard Souchet] and CLOUDED SULPHUR BUTTERFLIES [Coliade du trefle]. They witnessed a FLYING ANT swarm that was huge looking like it was a blizzard especially in the Gilbert’s Corner area; however, saw batches of them all the way to Moncton. They were flying high and low and Brian caught some and got photographs. Brian noted the larger lighter coloured ones were approximately 1 cm long while the smaller darker ones that appeared to be mating with the large ones were 3.5 mm. They did not see any birds foraging on the swarm.

** Many folks have been able to witness the PEREGRINE FALCON [Faucon pelerin] and MERLIN [Faucon emerillon] activity with the shorebirds at the Johnson's Mills Nature Conservancy site. Louis Melanson was able to capture an open-wing photo of a mature adult Peregrine Falcon on August 6 which he shares. Louis comments it spotted a shorebird away from the flock, and after a few dozen seconds of aerial persuit got its trophy in the very strong winds of that day.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton