Nature Moncton Nature News: August 4 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 4, 2017 (Friday)

Please advise editor at nelson@nb.sympatico.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labeling.

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

Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

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

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** Louise Nichols had a nice surprise when a flock of 8 to 10 WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS arrived to her Sackville yard Spruce trees to check out the developing cones. Louise did see one a few weeks ago, so this is actually a second visit. This year’s cone crop is looking good for a White-winged Crossbill presence. I’m seeing good numbers as well in the Miramichi area.

** Gary Gilbert has a dozen plus Common Milkweed plants in his west-end Moncton yard. His wife saw a MONARCH BUTTERFLY [Monarque[ around them a few times at different times last week. Gary saw a caterpillar on the milkweed patch where the railroad crosses the Homestead Rd. at Berry Mills. Another interesting item Jerry came across was an UMBRELLA POLYPORE MUSHROOM [Polypoure en ombelle] for the first time he has ever seen one on a dry July day near the Tower Rd. in Riverview. Gary is an avid mushroom forager and reports this is a tasty edible, a bit like Hen-of-the-Woods, but more chewy. A photo of it from two angles is attached. It appears distinctive in appearance. I do not recall ever seeing one either myself.

** Aldo Dorio is noting a very significant number of COMMON WOOD NYMPH [Satyre des prés] butterflies at Hay Island recently. The one in Aldo’s photo appears to be nectaring on Sea Lavendar which is abundant at Hay Island. Aldo also got a photo of a BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER [Pluvier argenté] at Hay Island, showing breeding plumage remnants.

** Brian Stone paid a productive visit to the bog area off the Twin Oaks trail in Moncton on Thursday to see BUNCHBERRY [Quatre temps] in full fruit and LABRADOR TEA going to seed. With August, it’s arrival time for the Aster group in bloom. UGLY NEST MOTH CATERPILLARS were at their tent structures, RUSTY COTTON GRASS in bloom and WHITE-FRINGED ORCHID [Platanthère à gorge frangée] in bloom in all stages from prime bloom, pre-bloom and post-bloom. A colourful COMMON YELLOWTHROAT WARBLER[Paruline masquée] looked on. Some development is getting very close to that rich bog area as a map Brian outlined shows. I hope it stops there to protect this gem of a bog within the city.

** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is added to this edition, courtesy of Curt Nason. His faithful contributions are appreciated.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, August 5 – August 12

With the Perseid meteor shower increasing nightly to a peak next
weekend, let us visit its namesake constellation. Perseus the Hero
starts rising in the north before sunset now and by midnight he stands
on the northeastern horizon, just below the W shape of his
mother-in-law, Cassiopeia. He is a hero because, among other deeds, he
prevented his near-future wife Andromeda from becoming a tasty lunch for
a ferocious sea monster.

The brightest star in Perseus, Mirfak, is part and namesake of the Alpha
Persei Cluster. This is one of my favourite binocular targets because it
resembles a miniature version of the constellation Draco. Another
popular binocular target is a close pair of star clusters located
halfway between Perseus and Cassiopeia. Astronomers have cleverly called
this the Double Cluster. The Perseid meteors all appear to originate
from a point, called the radiant, to the left of the Double Cluster.

The constellation’s second brightest star is Algol the Demon,
representing the eye of the Gorgon Medusa. Perseus beheaded the Medusa
in a plan to avenge an embarrassing moment by using her head to turn his
hecklers into stone. The sea monster was his first victim of this
weapon. Algol is famous for dimming by a factor of three every 69 hours.
It is a very close pair of stars orbiting each other in our line of
sight, and their combined brightness drops when the dimmer star passes
in front of the brighter one. Look for the star cluster M34 about a
binocular width above Algol.

This Week in the Solar System

Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:06 am and sunset will occur at
8:43 pm, giving 14 hours, 37 minutes of daylight (6:13 am and 8:45 pm in
Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 6:15 am and set at 8:32
pm, giving 14 hours, 17 minutes of daylight (6:22 am and 8:35 pm in
Saint John).

The Moon is full on Monday, the Mi’kmaw Ripening Moon. Mercury is moving
sunward and sets 45 minutes after sunset by midweek. Jupiter is sinking
lower in the west at dusk, setting before 11 pm midweek and approaching
Spica nightly. Saturn, in the southern sky in evening twilight, makes an
interesting colour contrast in binoculars with orange Antares to its
lower right. Venus is the bright Morning Star, rising around 3:15 am
among the stars of Gemini. The Perseid meteor shower peaks on the
afternoon of August 12 and should make its presence known later this
week. Moonlight will wash out the fainter meteors but take some time on
a clear night to enjoy the show.

The Saint John Astronomy Club meets in the Rockwood Park Interpretation
Centre on August 5 at 7 pm. All are welcome. The Mount Carleton Star
Party runs from August 11 - 13; a great place to spend the weekend. Just
think of how much closer you will be to the meteors.

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.

nelson@nb.sympatico.ca

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton