Nature Moncton Information Line

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Posts by : Admin

Nature Moncton Information Line

April 29 2020

Posted: 29 Apr 2020 03:40 AM PDT

NATURE MONCTON INFORMATION LINE, April 29, 2020 (Wednesday)

To view the photos mentioned in this edition go to http://nminfoline.blogspot.ca .

To respond by e-mail, please address your message to the information line editor, nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com .

Please advise the editor at nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com if any errors are noted in wording or photo labelling. Note that corrections, deletions, or delayed additions may not always appear on the Info Line and email transcript but will always appear on the BlogSpot. For this reason, it is recommended that those wishing to look at historical records use the BlogSpot rather than the email transcript. The BlogSpot can always be accessed from the website.

For more information on Nature Moncton, check the website at www.naturemoncton.com .

Edited by: Nelson Poirier nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Transcript by: Brian Stone bjpstone@gmail.com

Info Line # 506-384-6397 (384-NEWS)

** The sudden cool day must have kept many people inside to make for a very short report today.

Judith Dewar spotted a BEE FLY in Fredericton on Tuesday. The two wings (Diptera) immediately give this bee mimic away as a fly, not the 4 wings of the bee family. That very pronounced long proboscis is another good clue. This is a parasitic fly and follows ground nesting bees back to their burrows where they will shoot their eggs into their nests. As their larvae hatch, they will both feed on the pollen the bees have gathered for their own young as well as can feed on the developing bee larvae. A very interesting life style for a fly.

Brian Stone got some excellent photos to compare PUSSY WILLOW female seed catkins and male pollen catkins. Take note of the green female parts, with each female part looking a bit like a vase with the ovary at the bottom, the slimmer style in the middle, and the sticky stigma at the top that will accept the male pollen to effect fertilization and become a seed. The whole female structure is called the pistil. The yellow male pollen catkin has the male stamens with a long, slender filament and anther at the top that will shed pollen and eventually drop off. A close look tells the whole story. Brian also includes an anthill photo that with its turned up soil often sports some of the first greenery.

nelsonpoirier435@gmail.com

Nelson Poirier,

Nature Moncton