Nature Moncton Nature News: July 22 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 22, 2019 (Monday)

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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)

** John Massey got a nice, spread-open photo of a HARRIS’ CHECKERSPOT [Damier de Harris] butterfly from the top view to clearly show the markings of its heavy black border compared to some of its look-alikes. It’s a small to medium-sized butterfly.

** Jane LeBlanc got a photo of a crab spider (une araignée de la famille Thomisidae) in its perfect camo suit, ready and waiting for an unsuspecting insect to drop by a rose bloom in her St. Martins yard. The crab spider will change colour to some degree to match is surroundings.

Leigh Eaton reports Chipping Sparrows at his window feeder do not appear at all concerned with his being only 1 meter away. He has set up my trail camera and hopes to take some decent photos of other visitors.

Regular window feeder visitors include American Goldfinch, Song Sparrow, Chipping Sparrows, European Starlings, House Finch, Common Grackles and the occasional Racoon. The later usually knocks the feeder to the ground causing damage.

We have many flower varieties around our property as well as three hummingbird feeders but this year have had very few visits from Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. Their visits are skittish and their stays quite brief.

We have located 4 nests made by American Robins and suspect there are more. One nested above our patio deck, two were in our cedar hedge and one in a juniper.

A strikingly green tiny weevil landed on Leigh’s arm on the weekend.

** Richard Blacquiere took note of the leg-banded RING-BILLED GULL [Goéland à bec cerclé] that Georges Brun recently located in Moncton. Richard photographed one that was similarly banded in January 2019 (attached) and is wondering if it may not have been from the same banding project from ten years ago in Massachusetts. Georges and Richard will check out what they are able.

** Brian Stone and I checked several COMMON MILKWEED [Asclépiade commune] patches along Route 126 on Saturday. Only one male MONARCH [Monarque] was spotted and no caterpillars were located. However, some areas were alive with HUMMINGBIRD CLEARWING [Sphinx colibri] moths, ATLANTIS FRITILLARY [Argynne de l’Atlantique] and GREAT SPANGLED FRITILLARY [Argynne cybèle] butterflies. HARRIS’ CHECKERSPOT [Damier de Harris] and PECK’S SKIPPER [Hespérie de Peck] were also nectaring. The very small, 10-SPOTTED SPURLEG LADY BEETLE was on the milkweed leaves. We have found this lady beetle before on Common Milkweed, but that may be because we tend to check milkweed patches more. Being so small, it is an easy lady beetle to overlook. There were lots of bumblebees and honey bees enjoying the nectar. A photo is attached of the TRICOLOURED BUMBLEBEE [Bourdon tricolore], a fairly common species in New Brunswick. The black shield design on top of the thorax in combination with the reddish bands on the abdomen easily identify this species.

My own nursery of MONARCH caterpillars hatched out from the eggs removed with a hole punch and transferred to covered SWAMP MILKWEED [Asclépiade incarnate] seem to be doing well. They have very surprisingly taken a sudden growth spurt. I am seeing a very notable difference in size and in appetite every day. There are 20+, which should be in the chrysalis stage in approximately 10 days.

Nelson Poirier, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com>

Nature Moncton