Nature Moncton Nature News: July 30 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 30, 2018 (Monday)

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

Transcript by: David Christie maryspt@mac.com

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

** On July 18, Judy Marsh was weeding her cucumber patch and came across a plant she did not recognize, and out it came. To her surprise, the plant was coming from a split-open whole peanut. She suspected it was placed in the ground by BLUE JAYS [Geai bleu]. She replanted it with the basil, to see if it would continue to grow, if it did happen to be a real peanut that did indeed germinate in the warm conditions that we have had. Sean Blaney has looked at Judy’s photos and feels that the plant shown does indeed look like a PEANUT [Arachide] plant. Hopefully, the re-plant has taken and we’ll be able to get photos of a potential peanut plantation on the Shediac Road!

** Louise Nichols got a photo of a MARSH ST. JOHN’S-WORT [Millepertuis de Virginie] on the July 28 Nature Moncton field trip to Grand Lake Meadows. It is in peak flower with its small red blossoms, which will become equally attractive red seed-pods. Many plants seen on this field trip will be trickling in all this week.

** Brian Coyle got a great video of a COYOTE [Coyote] foraging for what appeared to be rodents. Brian did a great job of getting a photo of the action, as the camera was not on a tripod and was at full zoom, to not disturb the animal. Take a look at the attached link.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/az3uopr0vkcl5w9/DSCN1693.MP4?dl=0

** Jim Wilson offers the opinion that yesterday’s young-of-the-year sparrow, photographed by Aldo Dorio, was indeed a SONG SPARROW [Bruant chanteur]. Now, with three opinions, I will change the labelling to Song Sparrow at the Blogspot. Thank you, Jim. I’m re-running that photo today.

** Brian Stone was hearing CICADA [Cigale] insects on Sunday in the Mapleton Park area. He got a video clip of one doing its mating call. Take a look and listen at the attached link.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c2mn3fb12zp4fpb/Cicada.MOV?dl=0

The pine trees that the cicadas were in were short enough that Brian could get close enough to get photos that show it was a SAY’S CICADA , as could be identified from the photo and the recorded stridulation. One photo shows just how cryptic these insects are, against the bark of the tree.

Brian also visited the COMMON MILKWEED [Herbe à coton] patches beside the Trans-Canada Highway overpass on the Gorge Road and found several quite large MONARCH [Monarque] butterfly caterpillars, but did not see any adults while he was there.

Brian also got quite a surprise on Sunday when thousands of very small bugs descended on the outside walls of his home. They turned out to be the adult and developing stages of the CHINCH BUG (Nysius sp.). They forage on thatch on lawns, but why they suddenly decided to go on the sides of the home is somewhat of a mystery. This is a very small bug. The photos are blown up a lot to show detail.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton