NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS
August 10, 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
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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
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Proofreading
courtesy of Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Aldo Dorio’s three photographs of Short-tailed Swallowtail butterflies at Hay Island on Thursday were accidentally not added to the Friday photo lineup. They are attached today. Scroll back to yesterday’s edition for the commentary as well as the photos added there as well.
**Tony Thomas
was attacked by a Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar when it
dropped off the roof of his deck in Fredericton, and landed on his arm.
A
recent CBC news story warned of these venomous caterpillars:
Tony placed
it on a maple leaf to photograph.
(Editor’s
note: this is very much a photo to commit to memory. This caterpillar can
sometimes appear in surprising numbers and initial contact with the hairs
(setae) can cause a very irritating skin rash with sensitivity varying from person to person.)
**A group
of Wednesday walkers clustered around a tree that was being turned into sawdust
by a suspected sawyer beetle with a big appetite for decaying wood. As David Budd so
eloquently put it: "That's a LOT of chewing!"
(Editor’s
note: this was a large tree and a surprisingly large mound of sawdust at the
base as the beetles performed their valuable service of recycling it. No
beetles were seen but if the tree was cut in cross-section, it probably would have shown an
army of beetle larvae.)
**Barbara
Smith was fascinated by the Lung Lichen that
had taken up residence on a tree on Trevor and Elaine Clancy's property. It was
explained that even though the leaves looked crisp and brown, they would green
up with the slightest bit of rain. This lichen once was used -- unsuccessfully
-- as a traditional remedy for lung ailments because of its resemblance to
lung tissue. To the right of Barbara’s photo can be seen the underside of the
lichen.
(Editor's
note: this was used as a medicine a very long time ago when the Doctrine of
Signatures was the medical wisdom of the day and it was believed that plants
that resembled a body part were meant to treat ailments of that body type.)
**In a few weeks, the Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance will be building its largest ever rain garden, and they are looking for volunteers. Executive Director Kelsey Wilson asks if any interested Nature Moncton members could participate with the invitation sent out to their volunteer list below. Information can also be found on their website if any Nature Moncton members and/or their contacts are interested in signing up to hear about future events:
”Thank you
all for signing up to volunteer with Petitcodiac Watershed Alliance! We are
excited to invite you to participate in our upcoming Rain Garden Project
installation at St-Anselme Rotary Park. Rain gardens are shallow depressions
filled with native plants that help soak up stormwater runoff, filter
pollutants, and support local wildlife, all while requiring less maintenance
due to their adaptation to local conditions. Your support and enthusiasm will
be crucial in making this event a success. Below are the details of the
volunteer activities scheduled for the project:
Saturday,
September 7th
Activity: Planting
Time: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Monday, September 9th
Activity: Planting
Shifts Available: You can either choose to attend both shifts or only
one.
Morning Shift: 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Afternoon Shift: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tentative
September 10th
Activity: Planting
Shifts Available: You can either choose to attend both shifts or only
one. Morning Shift: 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Afternoon Shift: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Please reply to this email at office.manager@petitcodiacwatershed.org
indicating which dates and shifts you
are available for. This will help us organize the volunteer schedule and ensure
a smooth operation. We greatly appreciate your time and effort in supporting
this project. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need further
information.
Thank you for your dedication and commitment!
Nature
Moncton
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