Nature Moncton Nature News: July 4 2022

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

July 4, 2022 (Monday)

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Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

** Lucille Landry and Rejean LaForge hosted a group of naturalists for the New Brunswick Botany Club from around the province to a Cedar bog and adjoining bogs in the Caraquet area on Saturday. A group of very keen participants' eyes missed little, and many photos were taken some of which are shared today.

The incredibly striking Showy Lady’s Slipper was surprisingly abundant within the Cedar bog and was in prime bloom to make for a spectacular display. A few plants showed blooms just starting to open which are attached. A few plants of Yellow Lady’s Slipper were in prime bloom as well.

Among other orchids observed were White Fringed Bog Orchid, Rose Pagonia (Snakemouth), and Club-spur Orchid (not in bloom as yet).

Pod Grass is a unique plant that was observed in a bog site. The grass like leaves have a small pore at the tip to help identify them when not in fruit or flower.

Being a wet area, Royal Fern was showing some sporophytes in the upper portion of the fertile fronds.

The shrub Alder-leaved Buckthorn was encountered. We have 3 buckthorns in NB. This one does like wet calcitic conditions as would be found in a Cedar bog. Mature berries are black and inedible.

A colony of aphids were noted taking sap from one plant.

A tick incident created a surprise addition to a botany sleuthing expedition. A small critter was noted on the shirtsleeve (of the editor!). A participant went to take a photo of what was first thought to be a spider due to the obvious eight legs. It turned out to be an American Dog Tick (Deracentor variabilis). This tick is very common in southern Nova Scotia and its range is starting to expand. It has not been commonly reported in New Brunswick but is present and may be becoming more common. This report is the most northerly NB report of this species on iNaturalist which may mean it is expanding its range or has simply gone unreported.

We have up to a dozen tick species in New Brunswick and some have been here for a very long time. Most tick species are very host specific and would not partake of human blood; however, we do have 3 species that are more catholic in their tastes and do enjoy snacking on humans. As of present knowledge, only the Blacklegged Tick is considered a vector of the Lyme disease organism Borrelia, and this species is becoming more common as it expands its range. The above-mentioned American Dog Tick and the Groundhog Tick are unpleasant for human encounters but not considered medically dangerous.

The time has come that we must learn to live with ticks and use appropriate cautions as they are not about to go away. It is too detailed to get into specifics in this blog but everyone, especially naturalists who tend to enjoy the same habitat that ticks do, should educate themselves with reliable factual information.

A photo of the American Dog Tick encountered on Saturday is attached with an arrow pointing out the ornamented scutum that helps to identify this tick as an adult without magnification compared to the non-ornamented scutum of the Blacklegged and Groundhog Ticks. A large photo taken from the Internet is also added.

**Nelson Poirier is noting that the adult Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers are coming very frequently to the set-out jam container for short visits. It is assumed they are taking some of the sweet treat to their young. The parents should be bringing the fledglings to the jam container very soon as they have in other years.

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com