Nature Moncton Nature News: September 13 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Sept 13, 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 the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com 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

**Fred Richards photographed a Northeastern Pine Sawyer Beetle on the handrail of his home steps. It was on a 6" wide piece of wood and its antenna went from side to side.

(Editor’s note: this large beetle is out on its mating mission. As an adult, it does feed on the needles and tender living bark of living coniferous trees but does insignificant damage to the tree. The adult will lay eggs on the dead or dying wood of coniferous trees and it is the larvae that will create extensive tunnel systems under the bark and leave exit holes and sometimes extensive sawdust at the tree base. It is not unusual to hear a creaking or grinding noise, especially in evenings, when the larvae are burrowing into the wood.)

**John Inman seems to be having new and interesting patrons dropping by his Harvey yard almost on a daily basis at the moment. Today’s pleasant surprise was a Warbling vireo.

**Barbara Smith and her sister spied a handsome Two-lined Grasshopper near the Riverview library.

Barbara comments “When they looked closer, they noticed the pattern on his back legs looked like a green wheat stalk.”

(Editor’s note: the two distinct pale yellowish stripes extending from the eyes to the tips of the forewings make this an easy one to identify. They are more readily seen at this time of year as they have gone through 5-6 nymph instars at this point. The hind tibia is often poppy red, but not always.)

**Nelson Poirier put up a birdfeeder in his Moncton yard to see what may be in the area. He was surprised to notice how quickly the regularly expected birds arrived to check out the menu but was especially pleased to have a female Northern Cardinal come by for a dusk fuel-up.

**This Week’s Sky at a Glance, 2024 September 14 – September 21
Salamanders aren’t the most noticeable of critters; you usually have to make an effort to find one. This is a good time to locate the obscure constellation of Lacerta the Lizard, but it will take some effort and a dark sky.

Camouflaged partly by the Milky Way, Lacerta is surrounded by Cepheus, Cassiopeia, Pegasus and Cygnus. A good pointer to it is the base of the Summer Triangle. Running a line from bright Vega to Deneb at the tail of Cygnus and extending it about the same distance puts you near the zigzag shape of the lizard. It is one of those dim constellations created in the late 17th century by Johannes Hevelius to fill in an “empty” section of the sky. At first he named it Stellio; a stellion being a newt with star-like spots found near the Mediterranean Sea. If you manage to catch Lacerta, give yourself a pat on the back and let it go.

This Week in the Solar System
Saturday’s sunrise in Moncton is at 6:56 and sunset will occur at 7:31, giving 12 hours, 35 minutes of daylight (7:02 and 7:36 in Saint John). Next Saturday the Sun will rise at 7:05 and set at 7:17, giving 12 hours, 12 minutes of daylight (7:10 and 7:22 in Saint John).

The Moon is near Saturn on Monday, and Tuesday evening brings a special full moon treat. Not only is it the Harvest Moon, but it is near perigee and a small portion of its northern section passes through the earth’s shadow. This partial lunar eclipse begins at 11:13 pm and lasts for 63 minutes. Early risers with telescopes might want to catch the Moon occulting Neptune Wednesday morning, with the planet disappearing behind the Moon around 5:13 am and reappearing at 5:43. The Moon sets shortly after 6 am so this will be a challenging observation. With the Moon at perigee we will also see extreme tides throughout the midweek. Venus sets an hour after sunset, so catch it in early twilight when it is ten degrees above the horizon. Saturn is now visible all night, being joined by Jupiter after 11 pm and Mars about an hour later. Mercury continues to brighten as it moves toward the Sun, rising 55 minutes before sunrise midweek.

The Sunday Night Astronomy Show resumes this Sunday at 8 pm on the YouTube channel and Facebook page of Astronomy by the Bay.

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