Friends of Murphys Point Park

This week is dedicated to the Pearly Wood-Nymph! Like its close cousin, the Beautiful Wood-Nymph, these nocturnal moths are members of the genus Eudryas and can be seen in flight at Murphys Point between June and August. Curiously, both have evolved protective camouflage that gives adult specimens the appearance of bird droppings! Like the vast majority of winged insects, moths develop from their larval stage (in this case a caterpillar) into winged adults through metamorphosis. Murphys Point hosts a number of flowering plants for Pearly Wood-Nymph caterpillars to feed on, such as Virginia Creeper and Evening Primrose, to gain enough strength in order to go through metamorphosis. So, Murphys Point is a great place to start looking for moths. In fact, since 2015 almost 800 species- including the Pearly Wood-Nymph- have been added to the park’s moth list thanks to our Biologist, Mark Read.

This week’s species of the week is the Northern Map Turtle! These turtles get their name from the lines that make up a map-like pattern on their shell. If you’re in the park, you might get to see one basking on a log in Hogg Bay or bobbing along in the water. Once female Map Turtles reach the age of 10, they lay one clutch of 10-17 eggs each year. Since they are a species at risk, along with other Ontario turtles, the Friends protect any nest they see in the park until fall when the eggs are ready to hatch. It’s not an easy life for hatchlings. They are preyed on by raccoons, coyotes, and birds of prey and threatened by road mortality and habitat loss.