Nature Moncton Nature News: July 9 2019

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 09, 2019 (Tuesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: bjpstone@gmail.com

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

** Tina and Ron Steeves have had PAPER WASPS constructing their unique, open celled nest which is quite different from the large football plus sized woven closed nest that we are used to seeing. The Steeves comment that the Paper Wasps started building their structures under a roofed area of their farm for the past 3 to 4 years and are back in the same spot this year. The nest of wide open cells is attached to a surface by a ‘petiole’ or constricted stalk. The nest style sometimes gives them the name of Umbrella Wasps. The Paper Wasps can sting, but have to be provoked into doing so and thus are not as aggressive as the Yellow Jackets and Hornets. The Steeves comment that they noticed this lack of aggressiveness.

** Fred and Lynn Dube came across a large flush of a shelf mushroom which appears to be the CHICKEN MUSHROOM. If correct, this mushroom is edible when young. The tree may be dying and there is enough moisture in it to let the mushroom fruit freely as Fred’s photo shows. The spore print is white. It is not fussy about its tree host.

** Ethel Douglas got a nice photo of a POLYPHEMUS MOTH, one of the Giant Silkworm moths. This one cooperated very well to show the ‘scary’, false eyes on the underwings that it will open to alert predators of something potentially dangerous. This moth was on a porch step in Janeville on Saturday.

Rheal Vienneau also had one of the giant silkworm moths, the beautiful Luna Moth, decide to stay overnight on the brick wall of his Dieppe home. Rheal comments he finds it a bit late for Lunas as most things are this year. Rheal also had a small flock of Cedar Waxwings feeding on wild strawberries in his backyard. It is interesting to note the several reports recently of this species enjoying wild strawberries.

** Aldo Dorio got a photo of the relatively small LITTLE WOOD SATYR butterfly at Hay Island. This butterfly has swollen in numbers in New Brunswick since the 1990’s and now is establishing in Nova Scotia and PEI.

Aldo also was able to photograph the first arrival he has noted of 2 Short-billed Dowitchers on Tuesday morning at Hay Island. Numbers of migrating shorebirds will soon be building up very significantly.

Brian Stone got more nature photos from his visit to Perth, Ontario. He found a small Great Blue Heron rookery at the far end of the pond and got photos from a distance. The young nestlings look like they could soon be ready for inaugural flights by their apparent size and plumage stage. It must take a lot of effort from the parent birds to satisfy the grocery requirements of these young at this size even though their actual weight is surprisingly light. Brian also got photos of a male Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly and a great photo of a top view of a Question Mark Butterfly as well is the upswept underside to see the signature question mark. A Racket-tailed Emerald dragonfly got in the lineup as well as some begging European Starling nestlings.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton