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.
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
**Gart Bishop has had a fungal
ring appear in his back lawn. It produced about 8 giant puffballs this
summer. He has another linear green line, also caused by giant puffballs, and
it produced about 10 giant puffballs.
Certainly, the fungus is
producing something that the lawn really likes and gives the grass that dark
green colour.
**Jane LeBlanc was wandering
through her garden on Sunday and scared up a monarch butterfly. Whether it
was one she recently released, she couldn't say, but it seemed to be enjoying
what was left of the garden after a hard frost Saturday night.
(Editor’s note: the
monarch butterfly must be a hardy species! November 10 is a very late date for
it to appear and maybe the last photograph to appear on Nature News this
season.)
**Maureen Girvan’s sister
Mary Sparks shares a few photos of wildlife we may see if we visit her home
area of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
She sends a photo of a silver
garden spider, which is about the size of a 25-cent piece, legs included.
She also sent a photo of a
spiny-tailed iguana that is approximately 12-15 inches long.
**Nelson Poirier
photographed a large grouping of mushrooms recycling a dead birch tree.
It may look to us like mushrooms are doing it, but it’s actually the
mycelium/hyphae from which the mushrooms have popped that do the work. There
are potentially many kilometres of mycelium within the tree, which will send up a mushroom only when conditions are right.
**Nelson Poirier recently
joined a New Brunswick Botany Club field day when Darren Derbowska gave a tour
of the National Tree Seed Centre which has over 14,000 unique seed
collections from over 267 tree and shrub species – this is the most diverse collection
of its kind in Canada, located at the Canadian Forest Service’s Atlantic
Forestry Centre in Fredericton.
It was an eye-opener, to
say the least, to realize the effort that goes into collecting, preparing for
storage, and retaining such an amazing collection.
Their mandate is to
collect a representative sample of seed from every tree and shrub species
across the country.
Because of the value of
this huge seed collection, security to enter the facility is very strict,
making it a very special visit for the large group of participants allowed in, and
a one-time opportunity to visit such a special place in New Brunswick.
Nelson Poirier
Nature Moncton
