Nature Moncton Nature News: Aug 8 2018

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 08, 2018 ( Wednesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Judy Marsh marshj@nbnet.nb.ca

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

** Georges Brun has found one more photo of a number he tried to get of the TRICOLORED HERON [Aigrette tricolore] at Bis Marsh on Monday. It is attached and highly cropped. I have heard no reports of it being relocated.

**Jane LeBlanc photographed a squid that washed up on the Saint Martins beach. Jane's photo clearly shows it to be Peale’s Squid aka Long-finned Squid. We don't often see squid intact like this but more likely as calamari we eat in a restaurant. Squid is a favourite food source of many sea critters from Stripped Bass to some whales. Peale’s Squid lays egg masses called « Sea Mops » on salt water beaches.

** Paul Langelaan in Second North River is pleased to host a small colony of CLIFF SWALLOWS [Hirondelle à front blanc] this season that built nests in late June when the mud supply was good. They built one nest on their home and four on the barns. A few years ago they had nailed a 2 x 4 on the end of the barn in hoping it may assist them. They did build one nest on that board this year with one photo showing that it is being used.

** It’s great to have a photo of a second Bedstraw Hawkmoth aka Gallium Sphinx Moth in a week in the Mirimichi area. Phil Riebel had one visit his Mirimichi garden last week and Nancy Mullin had one hiding in her petunias in Quarryville last week as well.This is a stiking moth that is not attracted to light and can be seen at dusk but flies during the night hiding out in the day as Nancy found out and photograghed it. We will see the large variable caterpillars as fall approaches. They invariably have a red horn tail and ten yellow spots along the body segments, but the body colour can vary somewhat.

** Louise Nichols has been monitoring plants in their new Etter Ridge location near Sackville to get photos of the sporangia head of Hair Cap Moss, Bog Buck Bean, Labrador Tea and White Beakrush. These are all plants that favour bog habitat.

**The Cicada has been creating a lively symphony the past several hot days which they favour very much. Lisa Morris has been surprised to have one stay on her screen for over a day, rather wondering why it’s not on its mating mission. It moves around but for some reason it seems to remain on the screen.

**Brian Stone ventured into Mapleton Park on Tuesday before a major rainfall hit. He was able to get nice photos of the Harvester Butterfly. This is our only carnivorous butterfly. It feeds on the Woolly Alder aphid larvae. The adult Lady Beetles are obviously emerging, Brian was able to get a lady beetle larva and a freshly emerged adult together. A bit of a coup to say the least. He also photographed the plant Arrowhead in bloom which favours a wet habitat. Brian also got a photo of an extremely heavy and sudden rain that hit and ended his outing quite abruptly.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton