NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, June 30, 2020 (Tuesday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by: david.cannon@rogers.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
** Suzanne
and Yves Poussant visited Highland Park in Salisbury on Sunday. They found it a
nice place overall, but Yves' interest was more stimulated by the presence of
some HUMMINGBIRD CLEARWING MOTHS [sphinx
colibri] flying
around the numerous flowers of SPREADING DOGBANE. Yves took advantage of the
opportunity to take some excellent photos of this interesting day-flying moth
which was stalking a new flower every few seconds. When looking at the
literature at home an interesting situation was noted as Yves realized that
every time a moth had established a contact with the flower with its left
foreleg it was getting the nectar with its proboscis. Maybe that doing so the
moth can establish the exact distance to stay stable while getting the nectar.
Yves’ photos tend to illustrate this.
In
addition to this context, DAMSELFLIES [demoiselle élancée] (often noted in
tandem mating wheels), and DRAGONFLIES of different species were present in
great numbers: CANADIAN TIGER SWALLOWTAIL [Papillon
tigré du Canada], ATLANTIS FRITILLARY [Argynne de l'Atlantique] , and
NORTHERN CRESCENT BUTTERFLY [Croissant nordique] were the main species of butterfly seen and
photographed. Clusters of flowers of the MILKWEED are formed but not yet
opened. A photo of a YELLOW WARBLER [Paruline jaune] carrying what appears to be LACEWINGS is also
included.
** There
have been two inquiries over the past week about wasp nests with a long tubular
entry. Bridgitte Ledermann in Hampton got good photos of one under an eave. The
literature describes this as an entrance tube in the early stage of
construction of some nests which the wasps will get rid of by building over it
or removing it once more workers reach adulthood and make the nest more
standard rounded football or basketball-sized. The wasp Bridgette photographed
is the BALD-FACED HORNET (actually a wasp). It will be interesting to see more
photos in the weeks to come to see if this truly happens.
** Margie Scott-Rogers got an excellent photo of the DRYAD’S
SADDLE, a.k.a. PHEASANT BACK MUSHROOM. This specimen appears quite fresh with
several shelves that grew together. They grow on decaying logs, stumps, and
injured trees, and have a taste for dead elm trees. In the fresh state they
have a cucumber or watermelon odour and the literature classes them as a good
edible before they age and get tough.
** Brian
Stone did his Gorge Road run but deeper, on Sunday, past a couple of bogs near
Mapleton Road. There is a BALD EAGLE’s [Pygargue à tête blanche] nest there in a large WHITE PINE tree that I
suspect is very seldom visited. One eaglet was in the nest and an unimpressed
adult nearby. As he was photographing both, a mouse or vole darted into its
hole and peeked at him, waiting for him to be on his way. Brian photographed a
BOG COPPER [Cuivre des tourbières], and LITTLE WOOD SATYR [Petit satyre
des bois] BUTTERFLY as well as both EBONY AND RIVER JEWELWING DAMSELFLIES and also the dragonflies: BELTED WHITEFACE[leucorrhine
apprivoisée], DOT-TAILED WHITEFACE [leucorrhine mouchetée], with a BULLHEAD
LILY as a backdrop, a FOUR-SPOTTED SKIMMER [libellule à quatre
taches], and a
COMMON WHITETAIL [libellule lydienne], and a close-up photo of a CLICK BEETLE [taupin
trimarqué] that didn't play dead as this insect sometimes does.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
