Nature Moncton Nature News: July 4 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 04, 2017 ( Tuesday )

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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)

** Rheal Vienneau spotted a SWAMP MILKWEED LEAF BEETLE on two different patches of Milkweed recently and got a photo. He found one on a patch of Common Milkweed in Salisbury and one on Swamp Milkweed in his Dieppe yard. Obviously this beetle does not restrict itself to Swamp Milkweed as its common name might imply.

** The CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS seem to be liking the present weather conditions. Jamie and Karen Burris found a cache of them on Monday, which soon found their way to the dining table. The yellow chanterelle mushroom is a choice edible.

** Gordon Rattray got some nice photos of one of the BLUET species of Damselfly, a COMMON WHITETAIL DRAGONFLY and a DOT-TAILED WHITEFACE DRAGONFLY, nicely showing the white face and single yellow dot on the S7 segment of the abdomen. Gordon also got a photo of a PAINTED LADY BUTTERFLY [Belle dame] from two different positions, showing signs of wear. Gordon got a close up of one member of the BEE FLY group as well. This species will lay their eggs in a bee's nest where the egg will hatch to parasitize the bees. These pictures were all taken in the Hillsborough area.

** Brian Stone stopped by the Sackville Waterfowl Park on Monday to note some of the activity there. A PIED-BILLED GREBE [Grèbe à bec bigarré] nicely showed how it is able to submerge its body under water while swimming to only leave the head exposed, as well as a Grebe up on the reeds. Numerous fish were noted in the shallows, appearing to be BANDED KILLIFISH and a CEDAR WAXWING [Jaseur d'Amérique] posed nicely.

** My neighbor's well watered and mulched flower bed continues to sport mushrooms. There are many of the WHITE-EGG BIRD’S NEST MUSHROOMS. This small mushroom starts off with the yellow covering lid that as it matures breaks off to show the spore sacks ( eggs ) that are on coils that will spring into the air at maturity to spread the packet of spores. An arrow in the photo points to the so-called "eggs" in the nest.

My neighbor also has a number of larger mushrooms fruiting which I have not been able to identify. They have been sent to Amanda Bremner and Dt. David Malloch, specialists at the New Brunswick Museum, who have not been able to identify them either. Very much a mystery and quite disturbing to watch them spring up beside me and not know what they are.

I am putting a few moths in paper sacks to see if they will lay eggs so I can rear them. So far several have been willing to do that, including BIG POPLAR SPHINX, NORTHERN APPLE SPHINX, POLYPHEMUS MOTH, and a new one to me called the LAUGHER MOTH of which a photo is attached. If they all hatch I will likely have bitten off more than I can manage.

Also a few of the WHITE-SPOTTED SAWYER BEETLES have been dropping by the moth light. A photo of one is attached to show that one white spot on its black body and its very long antennae. The grub of this wood boring beetle is surprisingly large and can sometimes be heard chewing on the interior of a dying or stressed tree.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton