Nature Moncton Nature
News
Clicking
on the photos enlarges them for closer observation.
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 email,
please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Please advise the editor
at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com, as well as proofreader 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
Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Sydney
Trenholm, an 85-year-old gentleman who lives in Port Elgin, would like to take
up birding and is looking for a second-hand spotting scope. If anyone can help
Sydney out, his phone number is 506-538-7709, and email contact is sidcan@nbnet.nb.ca
**Recently,
Nelson Poirier was able to travel route 105, the old TransCanada Highway along
the St. John River from Jemseg to Fredericton.
There
are many deciduous trees along this road, with a significant number of ash
trees. Nelson noted that many were affected by the ash flower gall, and this is the only area Nelson has seen this gall in abundance. The ash flower gall
is caused by a mite. The females lay eggs in the developing flower buds,
creating flowerlike galls. The galls are green in the early season but turn dark brown and persist on the tree throughout the winter. The galls cause no permanent damage to the tree, and in the photos, healthy clinging winter samara can be seen alongside the galls.
Many
ash trees are dying, not from the ash flower gall but the emerald ash borer.
The invasion of the emerald ash borer has been very serious to ash trees and it is working its way around the province.
Bur
oak is not
a common oak in New Brunswick. Nelson took note of a huge bur oak that may have
been planted purposely. The photograph shows it retaining its leaves into the
winter (marcescence), and a photograph is shown of the irregularly shaped
leaves.
(Editor's note: Bur oak trees can be found in Moncton on the west side of the driveway into Centennial Park past the rail engine. These were planted there by the City of Moncton Parks and Recreation.)
Nelson
also noted a number of grey squirrel nests very high in trees looking
like a ball of leaves, as this squirrel shingles the outside of its nest with
leaves.
On
Sunday, Nelson had a pine siskin visit his feeder yard for the first
time this season and it immediately chose the sunflower chips.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
