NATURE
MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, July 01, 2020 (Wednesday)
To view the photos mentioned in this
edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca .
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your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .
Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any
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rather than the email transcript. The BlogSpot can always be accessed from
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For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .
Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com
Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)
** Fred and Lynn Dube are finding lots
of moths attracted to their Niagara Rd. home in Lower Coverdale. Recent ones
photographed include the BLINDED SPHINX MOTH, the BLACK-RIMMED PROMINENT MOTH
and a YELLOW-HEADED CATERPILLAR MOTH. Moths can be fascinating creatures with
many day perching for close observation and other day fliers and many are very significant
pollinators.
** John Massey got a nice photo of an
interesting little insect … the HARVESTMAN, or Daddy Longlegs. It resembles a
bit of puffed rice mounted on long legs. John also photographed a pair of
CARRION BEETLES [Scarabée nécrophage] exchanging genetic material.
** On the White Rock field trip on June
20th some oddly patterned Red Maple sapling leaves were noted that
everyone wondered about but were not able to get an explanation for until Doug Hiltz,
an instructor at the Maritime College of Forest Technology in Fredericton
provided a very clear explanation of the condition, called “chlorosis”. I’m
going to near quote Doug’s explanation below as well as including some other
photos of similar scenarios he directed to. He also provided a chart that shows
when different micro nutrients are deficient what appearance they create. It
may be hard to read it with the blog photo but if still not sufficient when
enlarged I can provide the original to anyone interested.
Paraphrasing Doug Hiltz’s comments
“I believe what we are looking at in your photo is a condition known as iron chlorosis. Iron chlorosis is essentially when a plant lacks enough iron and develops yellow leaves with bright green veins. In its later stages you also start to see rusty brown or red spots as seen in your photo. This condition occurs most often in areas with alkaline soils which again matches your information. Different forms of chlorosis can occur from deficiencies in different minerals which we call micronutrients in plants. I have attached an image that outlines chlorosis symptoms for deficiencies in different micronutrients as well as some sample images of iron chlorosis in different leaves. I suspect that the most clearly affected seedling in your photo may have some sort of genetic susceptibility to chlorosis or may just have extremely little iron available to it on its microsite but as you can see the other red maple seedlings around it are showing early signs as well. So just to summarise, the condition shown is almost certainly chlorosis and I personally believe it to be iron chlorosis due to a lack of iron available for this particular plant. This happens commonly on alkaline sites especially in species better suited to acidic soils (like red maple).”
** More moths are catching people’s
attention. Aldo Dorio photographed the yellow with dark bands FALSE CROCUS
GEOMETER MOTH that tends to be a fairly common one. A photo Aldo got of a BELTED
KINGFISHER [Martin-pêcheur d'Amérique] shows that huge bill as well as the
white spot that seems so bright in front of the eye.
** The Nature Moncton Activities
Committee has a field trip scheduled for Saturday, July 18th to the
White Birch Ducks Unlimited impoundment near Sackville, as well as the Sunken
Island Bog off the High Marsh Rd. on the Tantramar Marsh. These two areas have
a lot to discover and rediscover. The writeup is attached below but make sure
to register ahead with Louise Nichols to follow Covid restrictions.
NATURE MONCTON FIELD TRIP
WHITE BIRCH RD IMPOUNDMENTS and SUNKEN ISLAND BOG,
SACKVILLE.
DATE: Saturday July 18th, 2020
(Rain date: Sunday July 19th,
2020)
TIME: 9:00 am
PLACE: Meet in the parking lot of Lillas
Fawcett Park, off Morice Dr. by Silver Lake, Sackville
GUIDES: Roger Leblanc as birding guide; Louise
Nichols who is familiar with the area
**
PLEASE REGISTER WITH LOUISE NICHOLS AT nicholsl@eastlink.ca
Two interesting areas to explore in one day! After meeting at Silver Lake, we will travel
up to White Birch Rd. which provides access to an extensive area of marsh and
impoundments. As this is one of the few
areas where Black Terns breed, we may possibly see some of these birds flying
and even be lucky enough to see the adults with the juveniles. Waterfowl, warblers and other songbirds will
also be present as we visit some of the marsh area along the road and walk on
the dyke through a very large wetland.
Afterward, we’ll travel to High Marsh road, change
into rubber footwear, and enter the Sunken Island bog to explore bog plants,
insect life and even more birds. Keep in
mind that much of this walk – and the walk through White Birch -- will be in
the sun without benefit of shade, so a hat will be a good idea.
In addition, bring a lunch, water, sun screen and
insect repellant.
All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.
Brian Stone shares more great photos from some recent wanderings to include the ATLANTIS FRITILLARY BUTTERFLY [Argynne de l'Atlantique] showing its grey eyes, a LONG DASH SKIPPER BUTTERFLY [Hespérie mystique] showing its markings very clearly, a pair of NORTHERN CRESCENT BUTERFLIES [Croissant nordique] showing over and underwing views, the berries forming of RED-BERRIED ELDER [Aîné aux fruits rouges], SARSAPARILLA [Salsepareille], the two-eyed berry of the PARTRIDGE BERRY, SHEEP LAUREL [Mouton Laurel] in bloom, some insects that have become entrapped in the sticky mucus covered filament traps of SUNDEW plants, YELLOW GOAT’S BEARD [Barbe de chèvre jaune] now in its large seed head, and more DRAGONFLIES showing some distinct markings to identify them. Brian also came across SHINLEAF showing its flower buds that took Gart Bishop to tell us it was not a berry cluster.
** Bob Blake maintains morning
temperatures, daily high temperatures, and monthly precipitation statistics
from his Second North River home. I am attaching the table as Bob sent it, comparing
June of 2019 to June 2020. Yes, we sure had a dry June in 2020.
|
2019 |
2020 |
||
|
morning temperatures |
daily highs and rainfall |
morning temperatures |
daily highs and rainfall |
|
+19-day +17-3 +16-7 +15-3 +14-4 +13-4 +12-4 +11-2 +9-1 +8-1 |
+27-3 +26-5 +25-4 +24-2 +23-3 +22-3 +21-1 +20-1 190 mms. rain |
+24-1 +22-2 +21-3 +20-2 +19-2 +18-1 +17-1 +16-1 +15-4 +14-2 +13-1 +12-2 +11-1 +10-1 +8-2 +7-1 |
+34-3 +33-2 +32-1 +31-3 +29-2 +28-1 +26-1 +25-1 +24-1 +23-1 +22-1 +21-3 42 mms. rain |
Nelson Poirier,
Nature Moncton
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