Nature Moncton Nature
News
Clicking
on the photos enlarges them for closer observation. Please note that clicking
on any photo enlarges it full screen and then clicking on the black area on
either side of the photo brings one right back to the main page.
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.
If you would like to share
observations/photos with Nature News, contact the editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com
Please advise the editor
at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com, as well as proofreader nicholsl@eastlink.ca, if any errors are noted in wording or photo
labelling.
Proofreading courtesy of
Louise Nichols at nicholsl@eastlink.ca
** The first Nature
Moncton meeting of the season is happening tonight, Tuesday, September 15.
All details below.
It is such 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.
On 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.
**While picking
blackberries in an undisclosed location (hmmm!) in St. Martins, Jane LeBlanc
found several red-eyed vireos and a black-and-white warbler.
Jane had a lovely male
monarch butterfly emerge from his chrysalis on Monday, so she set him on her
asters before he flew away. She also found one or more dragonflies and a
blue damselfly in her yard.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
