Nature Moncton Nature News: July 21 2017

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 21, 2019 (Sunday)

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Edited by Nelson Poirier, <nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com>

Transcript by David Christie, <maryspt@mac.com>

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

** Georges Brun spotted a RING-BILLED GULL [Goéland à bec cerclé] with what appear to be three leg bands, among a small group of gulls behind the Circle K at the corner of Champlain and Paul Streets in Dieppe. The numbers could be very hard to read.

The caterpillar season is underway. David Cannon had one stroll across his near Moncton yard on Saturday. Its identity is not clear but on consultation with Jim Edsall, suspects it to be one of the Clearwing Sphinx moths but it is prepupal so the colouring has changed and he could not be certain of the particular species. We should be seeing lots more caterpillars on the move soon. Some will be surprisingly large and colourful.

** Catherine Hamilton has received confirmation that the Lilac Borer [Sésie du lilas] moth she photographed at Petitcodiac is the first record of this species for New Brunswick. This colourful moth is repeated again today. Should it be encountered, its colour markings should make it easy to recognize.

** The SHORT-TAILED SWALLOWTAIL [Papillon queue-courte] population has expanded to at least four on Saturday at Hay Island, from the one that Aldo Dorio spotted on Friday. Aldo also comments that he is seeing at least three pairs of EASTERN BLUEBIRDS [Merlebleu de l’Est] in the Néguac area, and some recently fledged birds as well.

The Black-crowned Night Herons should become much more evident at this time of year especially in the Lameque to Neguac area. Aldo Dorio sends a photo of one he took in July, 2017 to remind us of the special heron with a rookery in the Lameque area.

** I’m attaching a photo of a HALLOWEEN PENNANT [Célithème géante] dragonfly. Brian Stone got this during his Perth, Ontario, visit. I think there may be only one report of this dragonfly being recorded in New Brunswick. Take a close look at the photo should one appear.

** Joe Nocera gave an afternoon presentation on bumblebee identification in New Brunswick at the Festival of Nature in June. We don’t have a big variety of species in New Brunswick. I have been taking note and trying to get photos to identify the more common ones of this highly valued species. Attached are a few photos of the Brown-belted Bumblebee [Bourdon à ceinture brune] that is not among our more common species yet is not rare.

** On another note, most of our maples have already dropped their seeds (samaras). The AMUR MAPLE [Érable de l’Amour] is a cultivar being planted, and it is forming its bright red samara at the moment, much later than our native maples. Some photos of its samaras and leaves are attached. I have not seen them larger than a medium-sized tree and have not noted them in the wild, as an escapee, but it is becoming a very popular cultivar.

Nelson Poirier, <nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com>,

Nature Moncton