NATURE
MONCTON NATURE NEWS
July 13, 2025
Nature Moncton members, as
well as any naturalist in New Brunswick or beyond, are invited to share
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** Isiae Comeau in Tracadie was able to photograph a rare albanistic Dark-eyed Junco with the complete plumage, legs, and bill lacking any pigment. The iris does seem to be pigmented which, if it were pink, would make it a very rare complete albino.
**Jane LeBlanc in St. Martins continues to find monarch butterfly caterpillars of varying sizes on her yard's milkweed. She also spotted a northern pearly-eye butterfly on Saturday, as well as a white admiral. She also noticed several cedar waxwings enjoying her serviceberries.
Wayne Fairchild has been seeing monarch butterflies checking out the swamp milkweed plants in his yard twice now this season. The most recent one on Friday appeared to be ovipositing in the blooms of the plants to cooperate for a pleasant photograph.
**The cattle egret that had been visiting a farm on Covedell Road in Tabusintac a few weeks ago had left for a time; however, Aldo Dorio found it had returned to exactly the same spot on July 11.
**Lynda LeClerc noted some very colourful blooming
flowers in a wild area on Branch Road off Shediac Road. They turned out to be debtford
pink which is a non-native cultivar that has escaped to wild areas and
becoming naturalized. It has showy blooms that appear very attractive to
pollinators.
**Nelson Poirier had his first visit of the season
from a great spangled fritillary butterfly on Friday, showing interest
in common milkweed and creeping dogbane.
Nelson also
had a visit from a papaw sphinx moth which is not a common visitor to
New Brunswick. It is a medium-sized+ moth found in the southeastern US and into
some parts of southeastern Canada. One has to wonder about the warming climate,
seeing species like this moth.
Nelson Poirier.
Nature Moncton
