Nature Moncton Nature News: August 30 2023

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

August 30, 2023

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Edited by Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

** Nature Moncton Wednesday walk for tonight (Aug 30) in Taylor Village is written up below:

**Tonight, Wednesday, August 30, 2023, will be the final Nature Moncton Wednesday Walk of the summer of 2023. The walks have been very well attended this year and Thank You to all who participated.

This week’s walk will start at 31 Rockland No.1 Road, Taylor Village, NB. E4K 2R1. This will be mostly a social outing. We will have some snacks, and then if we feel up to it, we can go for a walk. This event will start at 6:00 PM, but if you arrive late (before 7:00, please), it will be OK. This is more of a snack and mingle, but there is always lots to see. We will be holding this come rain or shine. Contact number is 506-334-0100, and please call if you need help with directions, as many GPS products do not believe that the Rockland Bridge went out in 1978 and will try to get you here from the Dorchester side of the river. Hope to see you here.

Fred Richards has attached a map from Dieppe to 31 Rockland No.1 Road for your convenience.

**Gart Bishop, Anita Haliburton, and Nelson Poirier visited Brian Branch in Moncton who has several Giant Hogweed plants growing on a steep embankment near his home. This plant can grow to giant proportions, as Gart’s photos show with Brian standing beside some.

Several years ago, there were a number of plants at that site, and at the time, Brian Branch took several great photos, which he shares at the attached link so we all can get up to speed on recognizing this plant that can cause unpleasant reactions on human skin.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/16252268@N00/sets/72157655890269502/

When human skin gets touched with the sap of this plant, significant reactions can result when exposed to UV light. At the moment, this non-native plant is uncommon in New Brunswick and hopefully, it stays that way.

While at Brian Branch’s home, we heard a bird call not familiar to the four of us. The 2 Merlin apps present did not recognize it either, but Gilles Belliveau and Stu Tingley recognized it as a Carolina Wren. This species was reported near that area earlier in the season. Brian Branch has heard it lately early morning and evening but he was not sure what it was. Now we know!

Brian said he has had brief glimpses of it running along branches in dense foliage squirrel fashion and was able to get a quick documentary cell phone photo that meets the profile appearance of a Carolina Wren. Brian strongly suspects there are two of them present.

**Lisa Morris almost ran over a Polyphemus Moth caterpillar on her bike. Lisa tried to turn it over for a belly check and photo, but it was uncooperative. It was safely moved off trail (on a stick as she didn’t want to risk a bite like Nelson got trying to photograph parts it was not impressed with!)

Lisa also got some excellent top and side views of the Two-lined Grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittalus). This is not an uncommon grasshopper but usually does not allow such cooperative photographs.

**Aldo Dorio photographed a Great Egret at Hay Island on Tuesday. The egret and a Great Blue Heron lined up in perfect synchrony for a second photograph.

Dave McLeod points out that the average length of the Great Egret is 14 in. less than the Great Blue Heron

There do seem to be a lot of Great Egrets visiting the Maritimes at the moment.

Aldo also photographed Black-bellied Plover at Hay Island still showing breeding plumage remnants.

**Louise Richard on the east side of Jones Lake in Moncton has found 3 Monarch Butterfly caterpillars on her Swamp Milkweed. Louise points out they have some milkweed in front and in back of their home, but the butterflies seem to like the front southerly exposure as there are no caterpillars in the back northerly exposure.

(Editor's note: possibly an interesting point to consider when planting milkweed.)

(Editor’s note: It obviously pays off to live on the chosen side of the lake. Nelson Poirier lives on the west side of the lake with 3 different types of milkweed and is yet to see a Monarch Butterfly or a caterpillar!)

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton