Nature Moncton Nature
News
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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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observations/photos with Nature News, contact the editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Please advise the editor
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labelling.
Proofreading courtesy of
Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
**Brian Coyle’s mystery
mushroom of yesterday morning (photo repeated today) now has a name and an
interesting description taken off-line. Thanks to Louise, Deanna, Brian, and
Shannon, who all nailed it spot on! I think we will all remember this one. I
have never seen it before, like many other mushrooms this year.
The distinctive jelly
ear mushroom grows mainly through winter and spring, mostly on the dead
trunks and branches of elder trees. It occurs worldwide and is often
cooked into dishes in Asian countries. This ear-shaped jelly mushroom is
often available in stores both fresh and dried.
The jelly ear grows in
woods and is closely associated with broadleaf deciduous trees. It
thrives on deadwood or decaying wood, on stumps, fallen logs, branches, and
twigs.
Shannon Inman photographed a fawn white-tailed
deer laying in a field.
Shannon also photographed
a darling underwing moth, which may look drab from the top but is a
beautiful flash of red and black on its underwing when it flies.
Shannon also got an excellent flight photo of 1 of 5 red-tailed hawks in migration.
**Many of us develop
special bonds with certain individuals in Mother Nature’s world. Suzanne
Rousseau in Sussex shares a special one, sure to bring a smile to the day.
“I have this black-capped
chickadee that I call Chicki that comes to my hands every time I take my walk
on the trail in Sussex. He’s been coming since the spring even though there’s
more than enough food in the woods. He or she had babies that came around for a
while, but they stayed away; now they are gone except for Chicki. I call him,
and he just appears in my hand. It’s such a blessing... sometimes he sits on a
branch and just watches me for a while. I truly enjoy his visit. One day, while
he was in my hand for a seed, a young girl walking by asked me if I was Snow
White; it was her first time seeing that!”
**Another interesting
mushroom species suddenly appeared in a small patch but numerous in Nelson
Poirier’s yard.
The bird's nest fungus
is well named, with the spore cases looking like eggs in a bird’s nest once the
cap has come off and is released when hit by raindrops.
This mushroom can easily
go unnoticed as it is about the same size as a pencil eraser.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton