Nature Moncton Nature News: October 24 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

October 24, 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

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**Tony Thomas notes that those tiny ‘white snowflakes’ that fly in the sunshine this time of the year are Woolly Aphids.

Note the white wax covering the abdomen which looks like wool.

**Brian and Annette Stone walked a trail up to a large pond in the White Rock Recreational Area in Hillsborough on Tuesday afternoon. Fall colours were still all around and enough leaves were falling to cover the trails while still leaving enough on the branches to make beautiful views. Not many birds were seen but a Hairy Woodpecker was located by the sound of its tapping while searching for food, and a small flock of Pine Siskins appeared at the end of their walk. In the Gray Brook Pond alongside the road leaving the park, there were many ducks present and Brian stopped to get some photos of some of the many Northern Pintail ducks that were dabbling close to the road.

The scenery was exceptional at the large pond, and at a smaller pond, a Muskrat created a pleasant image as it glided over the still water. The trees in this area host large amounts of Old Man's Beard lichen and one dead trunk was home to a large display of Red Belted Polypore fungus. Later that evening Brian stepped out on his back deck to get a last photo of the fading comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) to celebrate its amazing display that thrilled all comet watchers over such a great length of time.

Nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier

Nature Moncton