Nature Moncton Nature News: July 3 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

July 3, 2024

Nature Moncton members, as well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond, are invited to share their photos and descriptions of recent nature sightings to build a fresh (almost) daily edition of Nature News

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise both the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com and the proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Proofreading courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca

**The write up for tonight's Wednesday evening Nature Moncton walk is below:

JULY 3^rd WEDNESDAY NIGHT WALK

This week’s Wednesday night walk will be in Hillsborough on July 3, starting at 6:30

Host: Gordon Rattray

We will meet in the large parking lot on Steeves Street in Hillsborough, left turn just after the Post Office. We will group by the plane display at end of the parking area. (There will be a Nature Moncton sign at the parking lot.)

The walk will be on fine gravel dry paths and a very flat terrain; this will be classified as easy. The distance is 2 km through treed areas and open areas, and much is along ponds.

This is a summer walk so water should be taken, as well as any bug repellent that you need.

See you on Wednesday. All are welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.

**Louise Nichols visited the Tintamarre Wildlife Area on Tuesday morning with butterflies on her mind, particularly the Two-spotted Skipper which she saw in that area nine years ago, but never there since (or anywhere else). Within about 10 minutes of her arrival, Louise was lucky to spot one. In her photo of the underwing, you can see the white line between the base of the wing and the body, which is characteristic of this species.

(Editor’s note: the Two Spotted Skipper can be difficult to locate and get photographs. Take close note of Louise’s photos to be ready!)

A comparison photo of a European Skipper (also seen Tuesday morning) shows a similar orange underwing, but no white line. Louise also attaches a photo of a Bronze Copper which was in the same area. Other butterflies seen but with not included were Least Skipper, Canadian Tiger Swallowtail, White Admiral, Northern Crescent, and Viceroy.

**Samuel LeGresley shares some finds from the Moosehorn / Laverty trail in Fundy National Park.

The Purple Fringed Orchid (Platanrhtera psycodes) is in prime bloom and beautiful.

The beetle is the Flower Chafer Beetle (Cetonia sp.) a bee mimic scarab beetle and, as you can see from Samuel’s photo, it is doing a very good job at looking like a bee!

**The egg deposits of the Lady Beetles are now starting to hatch into feeding larvae. Lisa Morris got photos of what appears to be two different species of Lady Beetle larvae.

**Brian Stone and Nelson Poirier continued their mission of exploring Northumberland County on Tuesday to include a visit to Hay Island. The number of Short-tailed Swallowtail butterflies observed was surprising -- assuming it must be a very good year for them.

Brian captured his first photo of the year of a male Bronze Copper butterfly while on a Tuesday evening walk with the Nature Miramichi group.

The Red-bellied snake showing that it really does have a red belly was a bonus.

Many more photos will be shared over the next few days of the Northumberland County mission.

**Norbert Dupuis photographed a spread-winged White Admiral butterfly on Tuesday, a species that seems to be doing quite well this year

He also captured a nice photo of a family of Tree Swallow teenagers being stuffed with groceries.

**Cow Parsnip is a very common plant at Hay Island and one of the food plants of the Short-tailed Swallowtail butterfly. Aldo Dorio photographed the multiple seedpods a head of it can produce.

**Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins has fledgling birds coming to her St. Martins feeder and sampling all the berries in her yard. A young American Robin was after Red-berried Elder. She will shortly be wrapping her other berries with mesh to try to guarantee a harvest.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nature Moncton