Nature Moncton Nature News: Sept 29 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, September 29, 2019 (Sunday)

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Edited by Nelson Poirier, <nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com>

Transcript by David Christie, <maryspt@mac.com>

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

** Louise Richard photographed two mushroom species in the same genus, Hericium, that grow on trees, usually at the 6 to 8 foot level. One is the BEAR’S HEAD MUSHROOM [Hydne tête d’ours], and the second one the COMB TOOTH MUSHROOM [Hydne corail]. Louise found these both on a decaying Yellow Birch. I am attaching the scientific name to Louise’s photos, as there are so many different common names appearing on the Internet now. The common names that I use are the ones in the old reliable “Mushrooms, the Audubon Guide” by Gary Lincoff, that has outlasted every guidebook produced on wild mushrooms.

** Justin Savoie shares a bumblebee photo of one gathering bits of pollen from a sunflower head. This appears to be the COMMON EASTERN BUMBLEBEE [Bourdon fébrile], which is our most abundant species in New Brunswick It will not be long before freezing nights start and all the worker and male bumblebees will die, with only the fertilized queens surviving to carry the torch, over wintering to carry the torch to start a new hive next spring. Our bumblebees are not aggressive unless annoyed, and should never be harmed in any way, to allow them to carry out the crucial role they play, in almost all plant pollination. Some of the Vespidae wasps [vespidés] are a completely different scenario in being aggressive and not playing a significant role in pollination. We may in fact start seeing good bees soon, which is all a part of Mother Nature’s cycle.

** The Nature Moncton visit to the Mapleton Acadian Eco Forest, near Elgin, went off on Saturday afternoon, and what a success it was, with excellent weather conditions, and the only precipitation experienced was the beautiful sound of fast-flowing streams over their rocky bed. Many thanks to Idella Lazar for her guidance to take the group around the complete circuit. There were so many things to see and experience of the flora and fauna of this old-growth forest. The participants could not do it justice in 3 1/2 hours.

Oddly, the first thing encountered was a parade of WOOLLY-BEAR caterpillars [Isia isabelle] crossing the path at the entrance, with more interesting caterpillars encountered as the hike went on. There was an endless supply of mushrooms to chatter about and learn, and the old-growth tree species to spend time talking to, ripening fruit and all things that belong under such a high canopy of huge, old-growth trees. Some of the vistas were awesome and the stream scenes were almost therapeutic.

We never did get to the people’s sugar shack, being re-erected as part of the forest project. There were too many photos taken to get into a few editions. Webmaster Brian Stone is hoping to do a selection of contributed photos, to put on a Drop-box link so people can enjoy it any time, and as Nature Moncton now has its own Drop-box feature on the website, it will be there permanently. Some of Brian’s photos are added today.

Yes, the Elgin Women’s Institute’s turkey supper was a delicious termination of a great day with Mother Nature.