Nature Moncton Nature News: June 29 2022

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

June 29, 2022 (Wednesday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

**Tonight is Wednesday's Nature Moncton evening walk which is written up below and will be led by Roger LeBlanc:

Meeting time: 7:00 pm

Meeting place: The parking lot of the Jean- Louis Levesque arena on the campus of l’Université de Moncton which is at the corner of Morton Ave. and Université Ave.

From there we will drive 1 Km or so to Crowley Farm Rd. which is just on the other side of Morton Ave. Over there we will do a short hike on what some used to call the ‘Warbler Trail’ to check for nesting birds and than go around to the other side of Hall’s Creek to check out other trails where very old and large Hemlocks can be found. In between we will check out the marsh that is created by the creek and is fresh water on one side and brackish on the other of Crowley Farm Road. All in all, we should not cover more than one km on very level ground.

**On Tuesday, Sterling Marsh took a walk about the old Keddy's Motel site on Shediac Road which is being turned into an industrial park. He noted many dragonflies and damselflies.

Sterling also noted Killdeer present out on the abandoned tennis courts that would make ideal nesting habitat for the species.

He noted a sole immature Common Loon cruising the nearby pond. The Common Loon can take several years to reach breeding status.

**Pat Gibbs was very pleased to have a male Northern Flicker drop by her yard to perch on a lawn chair to provide for a very cooperative photo.

**Aldo Dorio photographed a male American Wigeon at Hay Island on Tuesday that would appear to be going into eclipse plumage.

Aldo also photographed a caterpillar which Bugguide suspects to be the caterpillar of the Virginia Ctenucha moth (a.k.a. Smoky Moth). This moth overwinters as the caterpillar so if correct will soon be going into its short pupal stage, then on to the adult day-flying moth.

**Nelson Poirier shares another night of moth action of customers coming to his moth flight set up.

The sphinxes are an interesting group. Three different sphinx moths visited on Monday night to include the Small-eyed Sphinx, Blinded Sphinx, and Waved Sphinx. Photographs show the relatively cryptic upper wing as well as the teased away underwing to partially show the ‘eyes’ designed to alarm predators. One photo shows a Blinded Sphinx from a side view to show how they get their name. They tend to arch up their abdomen that reminded people who originally named the species of the Egyptian Sphinx structures.

Also included are photos of the Olive Angle Shades Moth, Yellow-necked Caterpillar Moth, Peppered Moth, and Rosy Maple Moth. The colourful common Rosy Maple Moth is one of the smaller members of the silkworm moth group.

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com