NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, August 29, 2019 (Thursday)
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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
** Roger Leblanc checked his 2
shorebird survey sites on Wednesday. Demoiselle Creek was very different. 2
weeks ago there were 35,000 SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS [Bécasseau semipalmé] there
but on Wednesday it was down to 250. BLACK-BELLIED PLOVERS were at 104 [Pluvier
argenté] where none were there 2 weeks ago. At Riverview Marsh the 2 MARBLED
GODWITS [Barge marbrée] were still there. No sign of the phalaropes, but a STILT
SANDPIPER [Bécasseau à échasses] was a pleasant surprise noting it hanging out
with SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHERS [Bécassin roux] and YELLOWLEGS. Roger wonders what
the upcoming storm will do to the shorebird scene and other birds that could
appear.
** Jane Leblanc came across HELLEBORINE
ORCHIDS blooming in her St. Martins yard. This is a widespread orchid around
the world but is introduced to North America and has become naturalized. It
tends to have a long period over which it will bloom from late spring to fall.
** John Massey sends a photo of 2 adult
BLISTER BEETLES. This beetle species is fairly commonly seen and forages on
plants as adults. They will secrete a yellow liquid from their joints called
cantharidin that can be irritating to human skin as well as would be predators.
John also got an interesting photo of a caterpillar in the process of constructing
its cocoon with the hairs (setae) from its body. The identity of the
caterpillar species is unclear but it is probably one of the Tussock Moth
caterpillars.
** Sherrill Owen, who recently
submitted the photo of the Monarch Butterfly chrysalids on her eagle statue in
her Gatineau, Quebec yard, forwards a photo of another caterpillar that is
foraging on her Common Milkweed. The photo is documentary but shows it to be a
MILKWEED TUSSOCK MOTH CATERPILLAR. This caterpillar can be very destructive to
Common Milkweed. I have seen it a few times in New Brunswick and it surely was
decimating the milkweed patch. It is one I would go on a squishing session
with, but use plastic gloves as the hairs can irritate human skin.
** Pam Watters and Phil Riebel noted a
mud nest on the basement foundation of their Miramichi home. I was able to
visit it on Wednesday. The creator of the nest dropped by as we were
photographing it to clearly show it to be a BLACK AND YELLOW MUD DAUBER WASP. This
is a non-aggressive, solitary wasp and will often place a spider in with the
deposited eggs before closing the cell for the larvae to feed on. Pam actually
saw a spider around the nest which was probably destined as larval food. This
particular structure was approximately 5 inches long and 2 inches wide.
** COMMON BRASS BUTTONS is a plant that
is identified by its bright, rayless, yellow flower heads and smooth, trailing
stems. It is native to South Africa but rarely is introduced to tidal mud flats
in New Brunswick. I photographed a group of Common Brass Buttons on the creek
edge that drains Lac Frye on Miscou Island on Tuesday. It has been known from
that site for some time.
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
BLACK-AND-YELLOW MUD DAUBER WASP AT NEST. AUG 28, 2019. NELSON POIRIER
BLACK-AND-YELLOW MUD DAUBER WASP NEST. AUG 28, 2019. NELSON POIRIER
BLISTER BEETLES. AUG 26, 2019. JOHN MASSEY
CATERPILLAR PREPARING COCOON. AUG 26, 2019. JOHN MASSEY
COMMON BRASS BUTTONS. AUG 27, 2019. NELSON POIRIER
HELLEBORINE ORCHID . AUG. 27, 2019. JANE LEBLANC.
HELLEBORINE ORCHID . AUG. 27, 2019. JANE LEBLANC.
MILKWEED TUSSOCK MOTH CATERPILLAR. AUG 28, 2019. SHERRIL OWEN