Nature Moncton Nature News: September 25 224

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

Sept 25, 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

**Brian Stone made a quick trip to Mapleton Park on Tuesday afternoon and noticed a group of kinglets foraging with a group of chickadees. Both Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Golden-crowned Kinglets were in the group foraging together. Winterberry Holly was on display showing its brightly coloured berries, and several strips of Woolly Alder Aphids were lining some of the Alder branches in a few areas.

(Editor’s note: it’s a great time of year to see Ruby-crowned kinglets. There are many of these small birds on the move in woodlands and thickets at the moment with the young-of-the-year added to the population. This species often stays with us well into October and November, being very active with wings flipping rapidly. The male's red crown crest is seldom seen unless agitated but a few of Brian’s photos show it muted.

Winterberry Holly berries are now very obvious, clinging for the winter to be enjoyed by bird fruit connoisseurs.

Woolly Alder aphid colonies are also now easily seen with leaf fall. The Harvester butterfly lays its eggs in these colonies earlier in the season with the hatched larvae feeding on the aphids. This can usually easily be seen by teasing the colony apart. Later in the season, we will see the aphids take wing, looking like snowflakes moving to their alternate host for the winter season.)

**Nelson Poirier attended a recent Botany Club field trip to Odell Park Botanical Garden in Fredericton. Much work has been put into this site and there is much to see but unfortunately, the pace of the visit was too fast to get detailed observations but I am sharing a few.

An area with the plant Liz Mills pointed out as Aztec tobacco is the original tobacco plant used for indigenous ceremonial purposes. The commercial tobacco plant of today was developed from this plant which was brought here with indigenous people sharing seed from elsewhere. It does contain nicotine just as the commercial product does.

There is an extensive fern garden at the site.

A birdhouse was noted with a large steel washer used to protect the 2 ½ in. opening from being expanded by squirrels and woodpeckers which looked like a great idea. The Nature Moncton boxes have an extended square block to help keep raccoon paws from getting in and slow up squirrel and woodpecker enlargement.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton