Nature Moncton Nature News: August 11 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

August 11, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**Verica LeBlanc photographed something we all should be aware of this time of year, the Bald-faced Hornet, especially when near their basketball-sized grey-fibered pendulant nests.

Verica points out that this is a type of yellow jacket has the yellow-jacket temperament and even has the capacity to spray its venom. The other interesting thing is that they can apparently remember the faces of their intruders (repeat offenders beware!)

(Editor’s note: they also get the idea that you should share any sweet drinks or sweet treats with them and can become aggressively persistent, especially as fall approaches.)

**Nelson Poirier shares some photos from the recent ‘botanical vacation’ to southwestern Nova Scotia with the New Brunswick Botany Group.

Groundseltree was observed in one location. This shrub is only found in very limited locations in southwestern Nova Scotia, nowhere else in Canada. Oddly enough, this shrub is found in Australia and is called Consumption Weed there as it is very invasive in that country, and huge sums are being directed to try to eliminate it. This rather suggests that it has many native pollinators in Australia but not in Nova Scotia or Canada.

This is the same scenario we experience with invasive plants in Canada, yet they are not invasive in their countries of origin.

Long’s Bulrush was observed in another location. Again, Canada is the only location where it is found and only in southwestern Nova Scotia in a very restricted area. This plant is globally rare.

Its growth form is an interesting scenario. It starts off as a rhizome that grows in a curved circular pattern and sends up shoots. This growth pattern indicates that the photo shows one plant that has cloned from a single rhizome.

Another observation was Alder Tongue (Taphrina aini) which is a fungus whose host is specifically the seed cones (catkins) of alder. This is not specific to Nova Scotia as it is common in New Brunswick as well, but often overlooked.

**It’s Friday and our day to review what next week’s night sky has in store for us courtesy of sky guru Curt Nason.

This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2023, August 12 – August 19
With the Perseid meteor shower peaking this weekend, let us visit its namesake constellation. Perseus the Hero stands on the northeastern horizon by midnight, just below the W shape of his mother-in-law, Cassiopeia. He is a hero because, among other deeds, he prevented his future wife Andromeda from becoming a tasty lunch for a ferocious sea monster.

The brightest star in Perseus, Mirfak, is part and namesake of the Alpha Persei Cluster. This is one of my favourite binocular targets because it resembles a miniature version of the constellation Draco. Another popular binocular target is a close pair of star clusters - NGC 869 and NGC 884 - located halfway between Perseus and Cassiopeia, which astronomers have cleverly called the Double Cluster. The Perseid meteors appear to originate from a point near the Double Cluster.

The constellation’s second brightest star is Algol the Demon, representing the eye of the Gorgon Medusa. Perseus beheaded the Medusa in a plan to avenge an embarrassing moment by using her head to turn his hecklers into stone. The sea monster was his first victim with this weapon. Algol is famous for dimming by a factor of three every 69 hours. It is a very close pair of stars orbiting each other in our line of sight, and their combined brightness drops when the dimmer star passes in front of the brighter one. Look for the star cluster M34 about a binocular width above Algol.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:14 am, and sunset will occur at 8:33 pm, giving 14 hours, 19 minutes of daylight (6:21 am and 8:36 pm in Saint John). Next Saturday, the Sun will rise at 6:23 am and set at 8:21 pm, giving 13 hours, 58 minutes of daylight (6:29 am and 8:24 pm in Saint John).

The Moon is new on Wednesday, and the slim crescent passes just to the upper right of Mars on Friday. Venus is at inferior conjunction this weekend and Mercury is too close to the Sun for viewing. By midweek Saturn rises around 9 pm followed by Jupiter two and a half hours later. The Perseid meteor shower peaks early Sunday morning but the show is often worth sacrificing some sleep time a night or two before and after.

There will be public observing at the Irving Nature Park in Saint John on August 11 at 9 pm, with a backup date of August 12.

Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.