Nature Moncton Nature News: July 24 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 24, 2018 (Tuesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** Ray Gauvin shares some very pleasant sunset photos that he took at Pointe-du-Chene on July 16. It’s hard to beat sunset vistas over water.

** The NORTHERN GANNETS [Fou de Bassan] are very much enjoying the dining potential in Miramichi Bay at the moment with lots of diving feeding frenzies. Phil Riebel got photos of some just lifting off the water surface. Many DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS [Cormoran à aigrettes] will collect on points of land on the islands in the bay and a HERRING GULL [Goéland argenté] also posed for a photo.

** Aldo Dorio got some nice comparative photos of his EASTERN BLUEBIRD [Merlebleu de l'Est] family in his Neguac yard that have just fledged to show the adult male, the adult female and two fledglings.

** Brian Stone is in Dartmouth at the moment and as always has his camera at hand to get some nature photos. Some Odonata that he came across were VARIABLE DANCER damselflies, EASTERN FORKTAIL damselflies, an EASTERN LEAST CLUBTAIL dragonfly, and the SLATY SKIMMER dragonfly. Also seen were the NORTHERN CRESCENT [Croissant nordique] butterfly, POND LILIES and two color variations of the CAROLINA GRASSHOPPER. BugGuide points out that the Carolina Grasshopper can be distinguished from the other band-winged grasshopper we have when seen sitting by the single cut in the pronotum, the structure just behind the head, which seems to show in one of Brian’s photos.

To make labeling more complete the Arrowhead plant photos Brian Stone submitted in yesterday’s edition are more completely labeled on the blogspot as BROAD-LEAVED ARROWLEAF. Arrowhead was correct, but just not as complete as per Hind’s Flora of New Brunswick text.

** As many of us now have from the efforts of Rheal Vienneau and Jim Wilson I have both COMMON MILKWEED and SWAMP MILKWEED in my yard. The Common Milkweed bloomed almost a week ahead of the Swamp Milkweed. The Monarch butterflies seem to be going to the Common Milkweed first when it was in peak bloom but are now going equally to the Swamp Milkweed which is now in bloom. The two patches are side by side and it suggests that the Monarchs choose the blooming plants first due to their blooming date.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton