Nature Moncton Nature News: June 14 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, June 14, 2019 (Friday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Louise Nichols nicholsl@eastlink.ca

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

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** Catherine Clements got a nice side-by-side photo of the normal pink form of the PINK LADY’S SLIPPER [Cypripède acaule] along with some of the white form of the Pink Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule var. alba). The white form is not common in general, but in some patches, it can be surprisingly abundant. Catherine found these in a patch of woods in Riverview.

** Catherine Hamilton got several photos of a mother RED FOX [Renard roux] and some of her kits playing, taken last weekend. There were three kits and the mother and father were sitting nearby in the field watching. She took a few zoomed-in photos and then let them be, so as not to disturb them. These photos were taken in the Petitcodiac area. The fox kits are surely growing fast and look to be enjoying their teenage period as well as the adults enjoying them.

** John Foster leaves his simple method of filling bird feeders. He uses three one-gallon jugs for millet, flax seed and sunflower chips. He got a large funnel from a home brew store, and cut it down to fit the jugs. He has found this simple idea a very time-easy way to keep his feeders refueled.

** Aldo Dorio got a photo of a SAVANNAH SPARROW [Bruant des prés] among some newly minted leaves of a Gray Birch tree on Thursday, as well as one of the difficult-to-identify-by-photo Empidonax flycatchers, but relatively easy to identify by their vocalization. He also spotted four HERMIT THRUSHES [Grive solitaire], all at Hay Island.

** Brian Stone visited the Twin Oaks bog in Moncton on Thursday. This small bog, very rich in flora, is diminishing in size due to development. The south third has been bulldozed. The north two thirds are still present, but houses are going up right at the north edge of it. A lot of things are late this year, but Brian did get an amazing selection of the diverse flora already in progress and in bloom and some flying creatures as well. He got plants like LABRADOR TEA, THREE-LEAF SOLOLMON’S SEAL, PINK LADY SLIPPER (finding one of the white forms of it as well), BOG LAUREL, COTTON GRASS, a PALM WARBLER [Paruline à couronne rousse],which is a warbler species that likes bog habitat. A MAGNOLIA WARBLER [Paruline à tête cendrée] and a COMMON YELLOWTHROAT [Paruline masquée] joined in the group. BUNCHBERRY was in full bloom. It seems to like almost any habitat. A great array of bog and wetland specialists captured, and lots more to come.

** This week’s Sky-at-a-Glance is included in this edition, courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2019 June 15 – June 22
It has been said we live in a topsy-turvy world. Actually, we live on one. Earth’s polar axis is tilted to its orbital path around the Sun, leaning just over a quarter of the way from upright to horizontal. At our summer solstice, the north polar axis is tipped toward the Sun and sunlight reaches us at a steep angle with concentrated warmth.

If you note the times of sunrise and sunset over the month you might be surprised to discover the earliest sunrise and latest sunset do not occur on the solstice. Although the most amount of daylight occurs then, we get our earliest sunrise around June 16 and latest sunset around June 26. Earth’s tilt plays a role in that, as does the fact that its orbit is not circular. We are about five million kilometres closer to the Sun in early January than we are in early July. Four centuries ago Johann Kepler showed that planets travel faster when they are nearer the Sun. Have you noticed that the time between the beginning of spring and fall is a week longer than between fall and spring?

We expect the Sun to reach its highest daily position in the sky, the zenith, at midday (noon local standard time, accounting for distance from the centre of our time zone). However, the Sun’s daily north-south movement over the seasons and Earth’s varying speed in orbit make the Sun appear to reach zenith ahead or behind schedule by as much as 16 minutes. Consequently, our 24-hour clock is based on an annual average noon called mean solar time. Sundial aficionados know they have to account for these daily corrections to agree with the clock.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 5:27 am and sunset will occur at 9:12 pm, giving 15 hours, 45 minutes of daylight (5:35 am and 9:13 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 5:28 am and set at 9:14 pm, giving 15 hours, 46 minutes of daylight (5:36 am and 9:15 pm in Saint John). The summer solstice occurs on Friday, June 21 at 12:54 pm when the Sun reaches its most northerly position and remains above the horizon for the longest period of the year.

The Moon is full at sunrise on Monday, the Mi’gmaw Trees Fully Leaved Moon. It is near Jupiter on Sunday and near Saturn on Tuesday. Jupiter is now seen low in the southeast in evening twilight, and its atmospheric storm called the Red Spot might be seen with a telescope around 11 pm on Monday. Mercury and Mars will be within the same twilight binocular view all week, crossing paths on June 18 with Mercury just above the dimmer red planet. Saturn rises around 10:30 pm, before the end of nautical twilight, and Venus rises around the beginning of civil twilight in the morning.

Weather permitting, the Ganong Nature Park near St. Stephen will be a hosting a presentation about facts and fantasy of the Moon on Monday at 8:30 pm, followed by an open field hike under the rising full Moon. Admission is by donation.

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

Moon Monday Night.jpg

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton