Nature Moncton Nature News: Oct 25 2016

** Jamie Burris got a new seasonal arrival: a LONG-TAILED DUCK [Harelde kakawi] at the Upper Coverdale Ducks Unlimited impoundment on Monday. One striking photo shows a long tail disappearing into the water in a dive.

** A few sundry photos to add from Sunday and Monday. One is of the DOG LICHEN which seemed to be flourishing on some of the rocks along the Mapleton trail as were many other lichens. According to the very old Doctrine of Signatures, this lichen was used to treat dog bites as when the underside is exposed, it looks like dog’s teeth.

** Usually we see burls growing from branches and trunks of trees; one rather large one was growing from the root of a Spruce tree on the Mapleton trail on Sunday. An AUTUMN MEADOWHAWK dragonfly was hunkered down on a rock in the cold temperatures of Monday on a woods trail to make for a poor, but documentary, photo due to its chosen background. Several CUP FUNGI were in the same woods trail, but not sure of the species of the one in the photo. The Cup Fungi release their spores in a springing up fashion from inside the cup. Fungi that do that are called ascomycetes.

** A nice track impression was left in several nice mud substrates, and although it appeared feline like, I’m not sure of the maker - Any comments would be appreciated.

** We have not had freezing nights so mushrooms should still be fruiting. I was tipped off to a big flush of SHAGGY MANE [Coprin chevelu] mushrooms by Jamie and Karen Burris on Sunday that made a great mushroom soup on Monday. A few good fresh HORSE MUSHROOMS [Boules de seige] are still popping up, especially on lawns.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton