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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
** The sudden cool day must have kept
many people inside to make for a very short report today.
Judith Dewar spotted a BEE FLY in
Fredericton on Tuesday. The two wings (Diptera) immediately give this bee mimic
away as a fly, not the 4 wings of the bee family. That very pronounced long
proboscis is another good clue. This is a parasitic fly and follows ground
nesting bees back to their burrows where they will shoot their eggs into their
nests. As their larvae hatch, they will both feed on the pollen the bees have
gathered for their own young as well as can feed on the developing bee larvae.
A very interesting life style for a fly.
Brian Stone got some excellent photos to
compare PUSSY WILLOW female seed catkins and male pollen catkins. Take note of
the green female parts, with each female part looking a bit like a vase with
the ovary at the bottom, the slimmer style in the middle, and the sticky stigma
at the top that will accept the male pollen to effect fertilization and become
a seed. The whole female structure is called the pistil. The yellow male pollen
catkin has the male stamens with a long, slender filament and anther at the top
that will shed pollen and eventually drop off. A close look tells the whole
story. Brian also includes an anthill photo that with its turned up soil often
sports some of the first greenery.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
BEE FLY. APRIL 28, 2020. JUDITH DEWAR
BEE FLY. APRIL 28, 2020. JUDITH DEWAR
PUSSY WILLOW (FEMALE-left AND MALE-right). APRIL 28, 2020. BRIAN STONE
PUSSY WILLOW (FEMALE-left AND MALE-right). APRIL 28, 2020. BRIAN STONE
PUSSY WILLOW (FEMALE). APRIL 28, 2020. BRIAN STONE
PUSSY WILLOW (FEMALE). APRIL 28, 2020. BRIAN STONE
PUSSY WILLOW (FEMALE-left AND MALE-right). APRIL 28, 2020.. BRIAN STONE
