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
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** The first Nature
Moncton meeting of the season is happening tomorrow night, Tuesday, September
15. All details below.
It's been an incredible
mushroom year. The second part of the meeting, after the presentation and
break, will be a round table on mushrooms. Folks are asked to gather fresh mushrooms
they find on Monday and Tuesday, place them in a paper bag or other non-plastic
container, put them in the fridge with a “do not eat” label, and bring them
along for a short mushroom roundtable discussion.
For Tuesday evening,
September 22, a nearby mushroom walk is in the planning stages.
**SEPTEMBER MEETING PRESENTATION
Stressful Cityscapes or Pockets of Paradise? How
Forest Retention May Buffer the Impact of Urbanization on Salamanders
Date: September 15, 2026
Place: Rotary Pavilion, Mapleton Park
Presenter: Joshua Christiansen
Urbanization is one of the greatest challenges
facing our world’s wildlife. As New Brunswick’s urban centers continue to grow,
it is important we understand how our growth impacts the wildlife we share our
backyards with. MSc graduate Joshua Christiansen investigated the influence of
urbanization on the behavioural and thermal ecology of the Eastern Red-backed
Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In
this talk, Joshua will discuss his findings on the influence, or lack thereof,
of urbanization on this species’ behaviour and thermoregulation and what this
means for amphibian conservation in our urban centers.
Joshua
Christiansen is a Research Associate in the RBG Labs at Mount Allison
University. He holds a BSc in Biology from the University of Regina and an MSc
degree in Biology from Mount Allison University. Joshua studied bats in his
undergrad years but made the big switch to herpetofauna for his master’s where
he studied the behaviour and thermal ecology of Eastern Red-backed Salamanders
in urban and non-urban forests. He is now working on a field guide to the
amphibians and reptiles of Atlantic Canada.
Don’t
miss the chance to learn more about these mysterious inhabitants of our urban
yards.
All are
welcome, Nature Moncton member or not.
**John Inman shares photos
of several observations he spotted around his Harvey yard on Saturday,
including a small mason wasp, an ichneumon wasp species,
a sharply dressed white-throated sparrow, a merlin, and a juvenile
Cooper's hawk checking the yard. Also, two ruby-throated hummingbirds showed up, which John hasn't seen in a few days, refueling to continue their
journey.
**Nelson
Poirier was pleasantly surprised to find the garden orpine, a.k.a. live
forever (which is what most of us call it), make its appearance in a grassy/bushy
area outside his door. They're commonly found in random sites this time of year
and make a beautiful addition to the asters and goldenrod. We do have some
native sedum species, but this one is likely an escaped cultivar in an
unexpected spot to brighten a good day!
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton