NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
September
8, 2023
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Edited by
Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
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courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Maureen Girvan recently photographed a very intact colourful feather. It is suspected to be a dropped feather from a Northern Flicker.
**Recently,
Lisa Morris was able to capture photos of a Northeastern Pine Sawyer Beetle
on its mission on a yard pine tree. Lisa had an opportunity to watch several of
them and got a video that included a disagreement at the very end, which
was assumed to be a male suitor chasing away another male. Check it out at the link
below:
Lisa also
got a photo of one of those ground wasp nests that we all want to watch
for very closely at this time of year, as accidentally stepping on them could
result in some anxious moments contesting with angry wasps! Check out that
action at the link below:
Lisa also
captured a photo of the American Dagger Moth caterpillar with an
appearance similar to some of the tussock moth caterpillars.
(Editor’s
note: editor stands to be corrected on the identification of this variable
caterpillar.)
Lisa’s day
of insect sleuthing also included a nice photo of the Dogday Cicada whose loud circular saw vocalization we have been
hearing lately on warm days.
Lisa’s day
also included a duo of American Toads, one of which is dust-covered or
possibly less mature than the other. Lisa rescued them from an area of car
tires to her garden, which I'm sure was appreciated!
**One of the very popular Nature Moncton outings this past summer was to Gagetown Island.
On that visit, one of the very interesting observations there was the Mount House that was built in the 1800’s but it was assumed records had been destroyed and little was known about its builders and occupants.
Ruth Rogers was able to track down a little-known 1951 photo of Mount House on Gagetown Island. There was obviously quite a change in the structure 72 years before many of us visited it this summer, 2023.
The woman is Virginia Bliss Bjerkland, author of Meadowlands, a historical novel about her mother’s family growing up on the Jemseg side of Lower Gagetown ferry landing.
Nice sleuthing, Ruth! The only information we were able to find last summer is at the link below:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/0pwspbenpundlli1ygf36/The-Mystery-Of-Mount-House.docx?rlkey=dipnr57i2f5b0tiabjom2xrs0&dl=0
And yes, we are entering the second week of September.
Where has our summer gone???
This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2023 September 9 –
September 16
Two stellar crowns are included among the 88 official constellations. Both are
above our horizon around 9 pm but one requires an unobstructed and
near-pristine sky to the south. Both crowns arise from mythological tales of
the popular demigod Dionysus (Bacchus in Roman mythology), the god of wine.
Corona Borealis, the Northern Crown, is a pretty semicircle of stars situated
high in the west, one third of the way from Arcturus to Vega. In mythology,
Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos of Crete. She helped Theseus slay the
bull-headed Minotaur and escape from the Labyrinth, and she accompanied him and
his crew on a voyage home to Athens where they were to wed. Along the way they
stopped at the island home of Dionysus, who was a great and wily host. After a
night of revelry Theseus was forced into leaving without Ariadne, and Dionysus
presented her with a beautiful crown if she would be his bride. The crown was
placed in the sky to commemorate their wedding.
The Sagittarius teapot asterism is low in the south at 9 p.m. this week, and
Corona Australis, the Southern Crown, rides the horizon below. This semicircle
of stars is sometimes called the lemon wedge asterism, to go with the teapot
and the teaspoon above the teapot’s handle. Dionysus was the result of an
affair between Zeus and a mortal woman. The gods had to be careful in such
affairs as mortals could not withstand the full passionate heat of their
embrace. Vengeful Hera, the wife of Zeus, tricked the now-pregnant woman into
requesting Zeus hold her as he would a goddess, and as expected, she did not
survive. The unborn child was sewn into the thigh of Zeus and raised by his
aunt after birth. Later, Dionysus honoured his mother by placing a wreath in
the sky. Such a start in life would drive anyone to drink.
This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:49 am, and sunset will occur at 7:42 pm,
giving 12 hours 53 minutes of daylight (6:55 am and 7:47 pm in Saint John).
Next Saturday, the Sun will rise at 6:58 am and set at 7:29 pm, giving 12 hours
31 minutes of daylight (7:02 am and 7:33 pm in Saint John).
On Sunday morning the waning crescent Moon is below Gemini’s bright star
Pollux and above Venus. It reaches the new phase on Thursday. Saturn is
well-placed for evening observing, and at its best around midnight. Jupiter is
rising by 10 pm, so if you are observing Saturn at midnight then Jupiter will
be high enough for good views. Mars is lost in evening twilight but on
September 16 it will be occulted in daylight by the Moon, offering a difficult
challenge for skilled observers. Venus dominates the morning sky, rising around
4 a.m. Mercury rises at 6:30 am this weekend and on Wednesday, it forms the
lower point of a triangle with the Moon and Regulus.
The RASC NB star party in Fundy National Park has been postponed to a
one-evening event later this month or in October.
Questions? Contact Curt Nason at nasonc@nbnet.nb.ca.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
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