NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
June 20, 2025
Nature Moncton members, as
well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond, are invited to share
their photos and descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh
(almost) daily edition of Nature News
To
respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line
editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .
Please
advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader
Louise Nichols at Nicholsl@eastlink.ca if
any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.
For more information
on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com
Proofreading
courtesy of Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca
To
view the live feed of the Peregrine Falcon nest cam on the summit of Assumption
Place in Moncton, go to:
**The
beginner bird workshop has been announced a few times as registration was
requested, but a last-minute heads up that it will be happening tomorrow, and
if any last-minute participants wish to join, all information is below:
Beginner
Birding Workshop
Saturday,
June 21
10 a.m. – 12
p.m.
The Journey
Church – Brentwood Campus (155 Dickson Blvd, Moncton, NB E1E 2P9)
Join Nature Moncton for a free Beginner Birding Workshop (EN) from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at The Journey Church – Brentwood Campus (155 Dickson Blvd, Moncton, NB E1E 2P9). Budding birding enthusiasts will learn how to use binoculars, how to use the free bird identification app called Merlin, the most common bird species likely to be seen in the area, and where to find the best birding hot spots in Greater Moncton. The indoor portion of the workshop will be offered in English, followed by a walk to Centennial Park with bilingual interpretation. Participants are encouraged to bring binoculars if they have a pair. Outdoor, weather-appropriate clothing and footwear are encouraged. Registration is required by emailing outandabout4nm@gmail.com.
**Shannon Inman
was at the Lars Larsen marsh in Harvey on Thursday and noticed a type of caddisfly on the platform. The body was about ½ an inch long, but a second photo
shows the antennae at approximately 4 inches long!
(Editor’s
note: We have a huge number of species of caddisfly in New Brunswick. They
play a very significant role in life’s food web. They emerge from underwater
larvae sometimes in huge masses and can look like moths fluttering. When
perched, their signature delta wing stature is a clue to their identity.)
Shannon
spent the moment observing the rose hedge in their front yard and quickly got a
few insect photographs of patrons that were attracted to it. She was able to
photograph a honeybee, a goldenrod crab spider, an ichneumon
wasp with prey, a northern azure butterfly, and a four-spotted
skimmer dragonfly.
**Susan
Richards submits a few photos from the Nature Moncton end-of-the-year June
2025 BBQ at Mapleton Lodge. Approximately 40 people enjoyed food and comradeship outdoors and a slide show indoors.
**Elizabeth
Eagles sends a few photos of a hummingbird clearwing moth as it enjoyed
nectaring on the blooming flowers on the deck of their apartment.
**This
Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2025 June 21 – June 28
With the Milky Way becoming prominent on summer evenings, binocular stargazing
is a great way to pass the time. From Cygnus heading south the Milky Way is
split by the Great Rift, a region where the starlight between us and the centre
of our galaxy is blocked by vast dust clouds. The western side of the Milky Way
runs through parts of Lyra and Ophiuchus to Scorpius, and the eastern side runs
through Aquila and Scutum to Sagittarius.
A good place to start observing is with orange Antares in Scorpius. Check out
the colour of this supergiant star, and pick out the globular cluster M4 in the
same field of view to its right. East of Scorpius is the Teapot asterism that
makes up much of Sagittarius the Archer. If you extend the two stars at the top
of the Teapot’s spout to the right you will find M6, the aptly named Butterfly
Cluster. To its lower left is a large star cluster called M7 or Ptolemy’s
Cluster. To the right of M7 is a pair of bright stars, Shaula and Lesath, which
marks the stinger of Scorpius. They have been nicknamed the Cat’s Eyes.
About a binocular-field width above the Teapot’s spout you will find a fuzzy
patch with a small cluster of stars in or near it. The fuzzy patch is a cloud
of dust and gas called M8, the Lagoon Nebula, where stars are forming.
Radiation from hot young stars makes the gas glow, and it can be seen with the
naked eye in rural areas. A telescope will reveal dark dust lanes in the nebula
that suggest its lagoon name. The cluster of stars is called NGC 6530, where
NGC stands for New General Catalogue. Just above M8 is a smaller cloud, M20 or
the Trifid Nebula, and the nearby star cluster M21.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:28 and sunset will occur at 9:14, giving
15 hours, 46 minutes of daylight (5:36 and 9:15 in Saint John). Next Saturday
the Sun will rise at 5:30 and set at 9:14, giving 15 hours, 44 minutes of
daylight (5:38 and 9:16 in Saint John).
The Moon is
near Venus this Sunday morning and close to the Pleiades on Monday. It reaches
the new phase Wednesday and it is a binocular field to the right of Mercury in
Thursday evening twilight. Mercury sets an hour and a half after sunset all
week but it is dimming rapidly. Mars remains within a binocular view of
Regulus for a few days before pulling away to the east. Saturn rises around
1:30 am this weekend, with Neptune being half a binocular field above it.
Jupiter is in conjunction on Tuesday, moving to the morning sky in mid-July.
Tune in to the
Sunday Night Astronomy Show at 8 pm on the YouTube channel and Facebook page of
Astronomy by the Bay.
Nelson Poirier.
Nature Moncton
