Nature Moncton Nature News: June 15 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, June 15, 2017 ( Thursday )

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** What is happening with Monarch Butterflies in new Brunswick for me this year is unprecedented this early and in these numbers and is a wonderful scenario. David Christie saw four MONARCH BUTTERFLIES [papillon monarque] on Wednesday, all near his home. Two were at the interpretive center nectaring on white lilacs. while walking the road to his home he saw another flying towards the interpretive center, and then when arriving to his yard he encountered another. David comments that in his experience he has never seen this many Monarch Butterflies so early. That comment covers a lot of years of naturalist sleuthing! David also points out that PAINTED LADY[Belle dame] butterfly numbers went from a few that he had noted a few days ago to approximately fifteen on Wednesday in the area of the Mary's Point interpretive center.

** Roger LeBlanc brings up a very interesting query about how we should be caring for our Mason Bee houses after they have been in use for one year as many folks are now at that stage after some Mason Bee workshops around the province. Roger's query will be followed up in the coming days.

** Brian and Annette Stone made stops at Bell St. and Tucker St. Lavoie Ducks Unlimited impoundments on Wednesday. Brian got several photos of some of the activity, especially at Tucker St., noting the many striking patches of BLUE FLAG, the large groups of CANADA GEESE [Bernaches du Canada] and goslings, BULLFROG [Ouaouaron], EASTERN KINGBIRD [Tyran tritri], COMMON RINGLET BUTTERFLY [Satyre fauve], HONEY BEE [abeille], lots of RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS [Carouge à épaulettes] of both genders, SPOTTED SANDPIPERS [Chevalier grivelé], and a COMMON GRACKLE [Quiscale bronzé] with a frog prey in its bill. I'm getting the impression that the Common Grackle will eat anything that fits. They also heard, and briefly saw an AMERICAN BITTERN [Butor d'Amérique].

Brian had a grasshopper nymph appear inside his home recently. BugGuide has tentatively identified it as the CAROLINA LOCUST, aka CAROLINA GRASSHOPPER. We tend to see the adults later in the summer that are very cryptic when on the ground, but striking when they take flight to show their colorful, banded, open wings. They typically make short flights when disturbed.

** When sleuthing out the CALYPSO ORCHID in Halcomb on Tuesday I noted that there were many JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT plants emerging. I am attaching a photo of the whole plant with Jack under his drape covering him, and another with the drape folded back to briefly expose him in his pulpit. I also got some photos of MOUNTAIN MAPLE in bloom, and ALTERNATE LEAFED DOGWOOD in bloom.

Wednesday morning was a very special one at the moth light. Several ONE-EYED SPHINX and one NORTHERN APPLE SPHINX were present, but the star of the Sphinx show was a WILD CHERRY SPHINX. This is a very rare moth to appear in New Brunswick. It appears in temperate areas of the United States and can occur in eastern Ontario but is now rare there. I would have to assume that this visitor arrived here due to some recent high winds. Jim Edsall confirmed the identification as I had never seen one before and it is not in the new Peterson guide.

I also came across several BEAVERPOND BASKETTAIL dragonflies over the past few days. Gilles Belliveau points out that things to note for a male Beaverpond Baskettail are the angled down tip of the appendages at the tip of the abdomen, and that the area just behind the eye along the outer edge is a brownish colour to differentiate it from the other Baskettails that are colored black there. Gilles also comments that the Baskettails he sees most regularly are the Beaverpond and the Spiny Baskettails.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton