Thursday, 31 July 2025

July 31 2025

 

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

July 31, 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

 

 

 

**It’s July 31. Does anyone know what happened to the month of July!

 

**Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins had a female monarch butterfly ovipositing on her milkweed plants on Wednesday. She was wondering if once the five chrysalids and four caterpillars in her cage were done, she would be out of business. Hopefully now that is not the case. Jane watched where she laid her eggs, and she's pretty sure she hit every milkweed plant in her yard!

 

**On Wednesday, George Brun waited one hour before the great egret showed up, which was well worth the time. A bonus because Selby Evans was surfing the bore and completed the run without a wipeout!

On Wednesday, the egret acted very differently from just hanging out with the gulls to putting on a show, comfortably preening itself, and then flying off with the gulls when they chose to relocate. It appears that the relationship is becoming more than just a place to hang out together, and could be interesting to watch.

 

**Naturalists are naturally curious about Mother Nature’s ways!

In a recent edition, Louise Nichols shared photos of a fern ball, which is a common method of certain moths and possibly other insects to roll up the tips of fern leaves into a nest-like structure to provide protection and food to a developing egg, then larva, then cocoon, then a flying adult to repeat the cycle. Louise has found several of these on her property and opened one of them and photographed the contents to find the pupal stage (cocoon), with that photo being shared today.

Some reading about this scenario suggests it is quite common and does little harm to the fern.

 

**Nelson Poirier paid a visit to Escuminac Point on Wednesday afternoon to experience the surprises that always seem to present themselves on a visit to this unique part of New Brunswick. A large portion of the point is now a Nature Conservancy-protected area, which is the result of a large grant of land. The diversity of flora with bog land, forest, and rugged coastline always has a different show to reveal, depending on the time of year. The diversity of berries is impressive.

There seemed to be less bird activity at the coastal point than expected but that can change with the day depending upon tides.

An interesting sidebar occurred when Nelson heard vocalization that sounded like black scoter a long distance offshore, and he could make out the appearance of dark birdlike silhouettes. Some long-distance documentary photos showed the group to be grey seals, with only their heads visible above water!

Nelson includes a photo of mountain holly with their fluorescent berries showing very prominently. Mountain holly happens to be one of the few inedible berries in the area.

Usually, this area is teeming with dragonflies and butterflies; however, a cooler, cloudy afternoon seemed to shut off the solar power these critters need.

 

 

 Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier.

Nature Moncton



GREAT EGRET. JULY 30. 2025. GEORGES BRUN


GREAT EGRET. JULY 30. 2025. GEORGES BRUN




GREAT EGRET. JULY 30. 2025. GEORGES BRUN




GREAT EGRET. JULY 30. 2025. GEORGES BRUN




INSIDE FERN BALL. JULY 28, 2025. LOUISE NICHOLS


MONARCH BUTTERFLY (FEMALE). JULY 30, 2025. JANE LEBLANC


MOUNTAIN HOLLY. JULY 30, 2025. NELSON POIRIER


GREY SEALS. JULY 30, 2025.  NELSON POIRIER


GREY SEALS. JULY 30, 2025.  NELSON POIRIER


GREY SEALS. JULY 30, 2025.  NELSON POIRIER