Nature Moncton Nature News: October 6 2024

NATURE MONCTON NATURE NEWS

October 6, 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

**The Nature Moncton field trip to Prosser Brook Lookout for tomorrow, Sunday, has been cancelled due to weather.

**The Oak tree is possibly the plant that supports the greatest variety of galls.

Lynn Dube came across a grouping of the Fuzzy Oak gall a.k.a. Oak Gall wasp. She photographed the group and also photographed one of the galls opened to show the hatched larva. The galls are formed by the tree leaf in response to the feeding of the larva hatched from an egg deposited by a tiny gall wasp.

**The Western Conifer Seed Bug is very commonly seen this time of year and is a frequent home invader in the fall as they overwinter indoors.

Nelson Poirier includes a photo of one of several noted on the move Saturday. They are ¾ in and very distinctively marked with the enlarged area on the hind leg (tibia) being a clue.

This bug is native to Western North America but has spread eastward including to New Brunswick. They are herbaceous, feeding on several conifers but do not make a serious impact on the trees. They emit a very pungent odour if handled (alarmed).

Nelson also includes a photo taken Saturday of the Pigskin Poison Puffball mushroom. This is our only puffball mushroom that is not a suggested edible. It is easily identified by taking note of the thick brown pebbly surface and, when cut in cross-section, has a dark grey to black interior even when fresh. The occasional one is indeed white but the thick, rough skin readily identifies it.

**It's mushroom appreciation season. Lots of moisture and some cool nights will get them popping!

Barbara Smith spotted some side-plate-sized yellow mushrooms attempting to take over a churchyard in Riverview on Thursday.

She was able to see and photograph their undersides without having to uproot them.

(Editor’s note: this would appear to be an uncommon mushroom species as consultation could not pin it down. The pore structure on the underside suggests it to be a bolete. A spore print is always helpful when identifying mushrooms. With this species growing in a cluster, it is helpful to look at the top of the cap of one under the cluster, which in this case shows a brown spore print (arrowed).

A search in Myco Quebec showed similarities to the Golden Gilled Bolete to give a possibility.)

**Janet Hammock and her family were recently walking in Port Elgin, NB when they spied a fuzzy copper and black caterpillar! Janet Googled Almanac.com and discovered the following:

“Look for these fuzzy wuzzies in the fall. According to woolly worm watchers, there are two generations of worms each year. The first appear in June and July, and the second in September. The second-generation worms are the “weather prophets.”

To find a woolly bear, start looking under leaves and logs! Some are just crossing the road. Once you spot a woolly worm inching its way along the ground or a road, you’ll see them everywhere! The caterpillars are most active during the day. After filling up on food—including violets, lambs’ quarters, and clover—their goal is to find a place to hide for the winter. Interestingly, the woolly worm overwinters as a larva. Their entire body will enter a “frozen” state until May when it will emerge as the Isabella moth.”

Janet sends some photos of the Woolly Bear caterpillar they saw in Port Elgin on Thursday. It was slowly making its way across a grassy path. From time to time, it would stop and appear to be entering a hole, but it always emerged and continued its journey. Perhaps it was searching for just the right place to overwinter. According to legend, the bigger the two black areas are, the worse will be the winter we are in for.

The first photo shows him in the defensive position reacting, perhaps, to the sound of their approach. It is slightly curled into a ball.

The second photo shows it again, confidently elongated, and moving slowly across the path.

Janet sends a photo from the Almanac.com website which shows how this beautiful caterpillar will emerge in the spring as the Isabella Tiger Moth.