A new project has been added to World Wildlife Watch! I bring you Birds of Virginia: A Log of Virginian Birds! If you live in Virginia or are simply just visiting, you can post observations of birds from all over Virginia. Simply click "join" on the top right corner of the project if you want to become a member, and please message me if you would like any special privileges or have any questions. Stay tuned for more information and good luck posting your observations!

Join us from November 2020 to November 2021 documenting all the species you see while visiting the county parks. Your participation will help the park staff better understand the biodiversity that occurs at our open space natural area parks.
What you need: a smartphone with a camera and the I-Naturalist app., an annual pass to the parks will also be helpful.
How to document species; while visiting the county parks take pictures of a any plant or wildlife species that you see. Try to get your pictures in focus pictures so that the I-naturalist experts can identify the species. To become a member of the Maricopa Parks ECO-Blitz project just select JOIN on top right corner of the projects home page.
Tips and tricks:
Plants: take a picture of the flowers, and other pictures of the leaf arrangement or even of the flowers and leaves. Use the focus on your camera (often taping where you want your phone camera to focus on)
Wildlife: I start taking pictures at a distance, zoom in and take a picture, then move in a bit closer to take another picture and it often takes s three steps in towards the lizards before I capture a good image. However, if your shadow covers the species, they will scurry off for fear of predation. Many animals have characteristic features that help identify them, you will learn many of these if you attempt to identify the species in the local botanical and wildlife books.
Rules:
Please Do NOT handle, touch, or pick up any wildlife species, or plants.
Do not remove flowers for identification, use your camera as your tool.
Stay on trails and trail edges.
Be aware of your surroundings for other trail users and for rattlesnakes or other venomous wildlife.
Stay safe, do not risk your safety to get a picture of an animal that can cause harm or injury if they feel threatened.
You will be responsible for entry fees into the parks. So an annual pass works best.

Hola a todes!!
Dejo tres proyectos en iNaturalist para fotografiar y documentar interacciones entre naturaleza y basura plástica de origen antropogénico.
Interacciones entre biodiversidad marina y plásticos: CL Marine Nature and Plastic
Proyecto enfocado al territorio marítimo y costas de Chile.

Interacciones entre biodiversidad terrestre y plástico: CL Terrestrial Nature and Plastic
Proyecto enfocado al territorio chileno continental, antártico e insular.

Y para interacciones entre Tiburones, rayas y quimeras con plástico y basura : Cartilaginous Fishes x Aquatic Debris
Proyecto sin limite geográfico! Enfocado a especies tanto marina, como de agua continental.

Deja tus consultas y otros en los comentarios abajo↓↓

Для оформления дипломов участников и тем более победителей по номинациям организаторам необходима будет более полная, чем логин iNaturalist информация.

Просим указать необходимые для итоговых документов сведения, заполнив прилагаемую форму. Она никаким образом не связана с платформой iNaturalist, а полученные сведения будут использоваться исключительно для целей подведения итогов.

Все участники, по итогам проекта в своём зачёте 10 и более видов (наблюдения исследовательского уровня) получат в электронном виде диплом участника.

Победители по номинациям получат соответствующие дипломы.

Прямая ссылка на форму регистрации - https://forms.gle/7cPRQkguXQ5WhyeN6

Hola!
¡Damos inicio al proyecto!
¡Recuerden que pueden tomar varias fotografías, y al menos subir dos!
Nos vamos interiorizando con esta plataforma.
Saludos!

I had a chance recently to visit Loda Lake Wildflower Sanctuary, just off the road to White Cloud, Mich. Here, pink lady's slipper and star flower dot the rolling terrain around the eponymous lake, a pothole left by the last glaciation. Ringed by federally owned forest, the property had been a retreat for a wealthy Chicago family and their son-in-law Albert Schmidt. Schmidt eventually joined with the Santa Fe Impressionists in New Mexico. Before that the land was the rightful land of the Council of the Three Fires and the Odawa, Ojibway and Potawatomi.

It was a relatively warm fall day, the sun shining brightly and the landscape mostly yellows and reds, including the many blueberry bushes that were changing colors. I didn't detect much bird life, though, and was ready to call it a day. That's when I heard a black-capped chickadee call. Interesting, I thought, chickadees often attract other species during migration, forming little mixed flocks as they move through the woods.

I strained to see the chickadees, they weren’t making it easy, before I heard a repetitive high-pitched call. Bingo. Brown creeper, working its way high up in a tree. Again, these birds weren’t making it easy to see though. A couple minutes later, a bird smaller than a chickadee flits out for an insect, high up still. I’m thinking kinglet, and make out that it doesn’t have a mask like a chickadee and has a greenish-gray tone. Then it’s on to whether it’s a golden-crowned or ruby-crowned kinglet, and I note a black crown stripe and just barely detect a dash of yellow, almost more of a feeling of yellow or an expectation of yellow than an actual ID of yellow more than anything else. Soon enough, a white-breasted-nuthatch calls and just barely comes into view. I didn’t see much else—I heard a red-bellied woodpecker—but it was a pleasant experience to say the least.

As of today, 10,000 observations have been contributed our iNaturalist project. Thank you Bruce Trail Conservancy Citizen Science volunteers! And special thanks to our newest volunteers joining us through the #BruceTrailPledge. Our understanding of the biodiversity of the Niagara Escarpment is growing daily thanks your participation. Keep sharing those sightings and enjoy your late fall hikes.

a few obs after work

The standard reference for Muraltia is here:

https://archive.org/details/botanysupplement02unse/page/n245/mode/2up?q=acicularis

Levyns 1954 The genus Muraltia. J S Afr Bot: Supp 2.

Some quotes before you get involved (make sure that you are ready):

"Every botanist who tries the experiment will, we are sure, declare the determination of the species of this genus a very difficult, and often an almost desperate task. owing not only to their great uniformity of habit ..."

"The leaves in Muraltia are highly variable and show marked changes in response to changes of habitat ... are useless as a primary means of separating species."
"the changes taking place in the flower between the time the corolla emerges from the calyx and the moment of pollination ... rapid and very unequal development of the parts of each organ during this time makes it clear that when describing species comparative measurements of the floral parts must be made at the same developmental stage if such measurements are to have any significance. Measurements given in most previous works on Muraltia are almost meaningless because the stage of floral development is not stated"

The genus has two subgenera, but no sections are recognized. (although there are alliances, clear groups are not obvious),

Subgenus Psiloclada Leaves solitary: flowers with distinct, often long pedicels; inner sepals much longer than the outer: attachment of the crest long, almost vertical: capsule often cernuous, with or without 4 short horn-like processes at the apex, the horns never long and_slender.
Psiloclada

Subgenus Muraltia Leaves usually fascicled, sometimes solitary: flowers sessile or with short pedicels; inner sepals usually slightly longer than the outer: crest attached in various ways: capsule never cernuous, often with long horn-like processes at the apex, occasionally without horns.
Muraltia

And from then on it is the shape and size and hairiness of the calyx, and the corolla and the carina, and surprizingly enough - the leaves.

Note:
stamens are always 7: nothing useful there.
The corolla has 3 petals, the remaining two forming the carina (keel) with its crest. The carina and crest are what you need to photograph most carefully (but dont forget the sepals).

I hadn't looked at the project stats for several weeks, but today I did, and it just happens to be we're at exactly 1000 observations and exactly 500 species. Wow! Things will be slowing down now for a few months, but don't stop enjoying our urban nature.

Many thanks to @diegoalmendras for creating the CL Terrestrial Nature and Plastic project for Chile.
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/cl-terrestrial-nature-and-plastic

Diego created the CL Marine Nature and Plastic project in May which already has 63 observations of plastic affecting marine nature along Chile's coastline. View the obs here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/cl-marine-nature-and-plastic

Sadly, wildlife entangled in fishing line, and nests lined with plastic is a common theme.

thought i would note that amongst ~all~ the yellow-rumps

Hello again (mostly) local iNat and environmental enthusiasts!

I am using this journal as a way to communicate with other locals in the area for two reasons:

• Next year's BioBlitz
• The possibility of starting a new project in partnership with the NSW government as part of their 'Forest Monitoring and Improvement Program'.

I've just got off the phone with Cassie Thompson from the Natural Resources Commission , who has identified our Coffs and Bellingen area Great Southern BioBlitz project as something we could build into a citizen science partnership for this area. They are trying to link with citizen science organisations and projects already in place to gather data on local forests.

Here are some of the main points we covered:

• They are interested in obtaining accurate and curated data directly from a local project
• Data will focus on all species present in forests including state forests, national parks, private native forests and crown forested land
• Particular focus on threatened species in conjunction with common species
• Possibility of being provided with remote monitoring systems ie remote video and recording devices to enable monitoring of local forests for difficult to find species (sound recorders, camera traps etc)
• Workshops and training

This could possibly be an opportunity for locals (such as ourselves) to provide data directly to a government organisation, in order to (hopefully) protect our local forests and ensure they are managed correctly.

I know there are other local environmental and citizen science projects in our area aimed at protecting the ecosystems we have left and hope to link with them if something comes of this. I am envisioning a local community of naturalists helping and learning from each other, contributing something meaningful and usable. We all know the potential iNaturalist has for citizen science and it would be nice to expand it locally and possibly have a real impact.

If you have any thoughts, questions, ideas, comments or people that may be interested (including yourself of course!) in contributing to such a local project/partnership, please comment below or get in touch.

More information on the project can be found here: https://nrc.nsw.gov.au/forest-monitoring

October 28th, 2020 (Wednesday) 9:00-10:30 am: no newts today!
Weather was cold. AQI was ok.
No roadkills.
Coverage: north part - the county park parking lot till the second stop sign.
Traffic: 13 trucks, 15 cars, 6 bikes, 12 pedestrians, and 31 cars parked by the road and in the parking lots.Most of the trucks today were County Roads trucks, driving past the quarry on their way to the road work site.
County roads are still repaving the road just south of the stop sign. Again, there were many trucks, pickups, and other large vehicles along the road.
The population study team wasn't there, but they added pitfall traps near the fences. The traps were closed.
The rowing club was open. All county park parking lots were open.
There were very few hikers and fishermen on the road.

Amigos participantes en el proyecto de Aves endémicas de México (y semi y cuasi-endémicas), al día de hoy contamos con 1414 observaciones, totalizando 135 especies, por parte de 62 naturalistas.

En cuanto a especies, esto representa un incremento de 25 por ciento desde el último recuento, que fue en septiembre de 2018.

Gracias por su apoyo y esfuerzo!

Did you know the Bay Area is home to more than 16 species of bats? That makes our slice of Northern California one of the most diverse areas in the country for bat watching.

https://www.7x7.com/amp/where-to-go-bat-watching-in-the-bay-area-2096256783

10/25/20 (once again from notes)
Lots of bees flying around in the air but not going in any direction because the wind was probably messing with their ability to fly straight. Was kind of scary walking outside and having bees fly into me.

10/27/20 (I am uploading these from my notes)
Only saw three bees but was unable to take a clear picture. They were flying around a lavender bush.

10/28/20, not many bees flying around but I did find this one on this tree, seemed to be taking its time flying from each flowering bud to the next.

ARACHNIDS other than spiders!
You MUST pre-resgister to get a link to the webinar!!

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Oct 30, 2020 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0ucu2srD8tEtdxL6nYrYxxbqzjbiSw8Fyx

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

What is the City Nature Challenge?

The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is an annual, friendly, bioblitz-style competition between urban areas all around the world. It began in 2016 between just Los Angeles and San Francisco and has since expanded worldwide, with hundreds of cites expected to participate in 2021. The Challenge aims to engage city residents and visitors in learning about their local nature and to help all of us better understand urban biodiversity. Anyone can take part. Just upload observations of animals, plants, fungi, and other creatures to iNaturalist using the mobile app or website. It’s a fun and easy way to learn about nature in your neighborhood while simultaneously adding your observations of nature to iNaturalist's global biodiversity database. The official website is citynaturechallenge.org.

When?

Everyone makes their nature observations between Friday, April 30th and Monday, May 3rd, 2021 (midnight to midnight). Then, everyone has until day's end on May 9th to upload those observations and add IDs to each other's observations. Results are announced on Monday, May 10th.

Since April 2021 is eons away, join this project and you'll get dashboard notifications on iNat when there are project updates.

Where?

The following counties are included:

• Illinois: Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will
• Indiana: Jasper, Lake, Newton, Porter
• Wisconsin: Kenosha

In previous years we've used the boundary of just Cook County, or just Cook + a few collar counties, or the entire Chicago Wilderness region. We do like the idea of not using political boundaries and following the hydrologic regions defined in the Chicago Wilderness boundary, but it's far easier to understand if your area falls within the project if we use county boundaries, and calculating some stats like observations made per capita are easier too. So we've gone with a slight modification of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area.

How can I participate?

There are a lot of ways!

• log observations on iNaturalist using the app or website between April 30th-May 1st, 2021
• help other folks identify their observations
• attend an event during the CNC
• organize an event before, during, or after the CNC - we'll have a big list of events that are planned all around the region
• incorporate the use of iNaturalist into your existing activities, whether as an educator, during a habitat restoration workday, or when your aunt tells you about the flying squirrels visiting her bird feeder
• promote the CNC/iNaturalist among your audiences
• ?

Would you like to join our regional organizing team, promote your Chicago area CNC events, or just learn more about the City Nature Challenge 2021: Chicago Metro? Contact cassi.saari [at] chicagoparkdistrict.com for more information.

Have you ever taken a picture of wildlife in Oregon and wondered if anyone might want to know where you saw it? We do!

The Oregon Wildlife Conservation project is an iNaturalist project that allows you to share your wildlife observation data directly with biologists. Participation in this project helps to enhance our understanding of wildlife in our state, and your data can help improve wildlife conservation efforts in Oregon.

There are 109 wildlife Strategy Species included in the Oregon Conservation Strategy, including 17 amphibians, 58 birds, 29 mammals, and 5 reptiles. There are an additional 27 wildlife species identified as Strategy Data Gap Species that we are missing key information for that is needed to accurately determine their conservation status. It isn’t possible for ODFW to survey all of these species, so we need your help documenting where they occur throughout the state. If you see wildlife in Oregon, take a picture and share it with us! Even if you can’t identify what species you are looking at, odds are that someone in the iNaturalist community may be able to help narrow it down.

Thank you for joining the Oregon Wildlife Conservation iNaturalist project! We appreciate your contribution to understanding the presence and distribution of wildlife species across Oregon, and we look forward to seeing your pictures. For more information on this project, please refer to the “About” Section.

It won't be too long before it's winter again!
I definitely see very different moths this time of year. Lots and LOTS of Bicolor Sallow this year!
I hope to keep seeing them for a couple more weeks before it starts snowing!
Was super excited to see a Giant Water Scavenger Beetle that had flown in to Walmart's lights as well. It was a cool first for me!
Hope everyone is well.
Ash

С момента регистрации проекта прошло две недели и уже появились первые значимые обновления.

Мы решили запустить дополнительный проект для отслеживания других видов рода Heracleum, а также просто интересных (и спорных) находок - "Разнообразие борщевиков в России": https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/raznoobrazie-borschevikov-v-rossii

Зачем такой подпроект нужен? Приведу несколько примеров.
Во-первых, отличительные признаки борщевика сибирского и отличия от борщевика Сосновского - один из самых распространенных вопросов в соцсетях. У нас подготовлены подробные статьи на эту тему, записи вебинаров и т.д. Но такие запросы было бы удобно иллюстрировать и наблюдениями в iNaturalist. Тем более, возможность вести и отслеживать наблюдения борщевика сибирского может являться дополнительным стимулом для аудитории "борщеборцев".

Во-вторых, каждое лето появляется множество панических сообщений о находках "якобы борщевика Сосновского" на территории Дальнего Востока и Сибири. Чаще всего, такие странные экземпляры оказываются местными и вполне безобидными видами (борщевик шерстистый и прочие). Летом 2020 наблюдались почти анекдотичные случаи с крымским борщевиком Стевена (хотя вид полностью безопасен, более того, эндемичный и подлежит охране). Подобные примеры можно продолжать, т.е. обычные пользователи не всегда учитывают многообразие рода и географический фактор!

Во-третьих, есть и научный запрос в рамках планирующейся в ГБС программы с рабочим названием "ГЕНО" (по крайней мере, мне бы хотелось реализации этих планов) Так, Мариной Шайкиной в ГБС этим летом был найден гербарный лист, который был определен как гибрид борщевика Сосновского и борщевика сибирского, опять же, хотелось бы увидеть "живые экземпляры". Еще один пример: в РЖБИ публиковалась работа о находке популяции борщевика понтийского в Ленинградской области: http://www.sevin.ru/invasjour/issues/2019_2/Tkachenko_19_2.pdf
Словом, причин более чем достаточно! Про самые интересные и необычные находки мы будем сообщать.

Хотелось бы упомянуть некоторые из уже существующих региональных проектов по борщевику в iNaturalist:

"Курская область против борщевика" - очень крутой проект, осуществляемый в 2020 году по гранту РГО: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/kurskaya-oblast-protiv-borschevika

Борщевик Сосновского упоминается в "Чёрная книга Курской области" https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/chyornaya-kniga-kurskoy-oblasti

"Борщевик Сосновского в Железногорском районе" - районный проект тоже в Курской области: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/borschevik-sosnovskogo-v-zheleznogorskom-rayone

Пара проектов в Татарстане. "Борщевик Сосновского в Татарстане": https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/giant-hogweed-in-tatarstan
"Черная книга Татарстана": https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/47c376c9-610f-49cc-b05d-ce42e2ae3287

"Черная книга Чувашии. Борщевик": https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/chernaya-kniga-chuvashii-borschevik

Надеемся, что в будущем подобных проектов появится больше!

В ближайшее время мы переключимся на разбор и загрузку наших обширных архивов наблюдений, поэтому ожидайте изменения в их количестве ;) Тем не менее, приведем подробную статистику лидеров по количеству загрузок на текущий момент - с числом наблюдений более 10. Спасибо @ev_sklyar за советы по ведению журнала!

На данный момент (28 октября) в проекте 3133 наблюдения. За две недели было добавлено 81 наблюдение.

Место	Наблюдатель	Наблюдений	Видов
1	@apseregin	347	1
2	@arepieva	243	1
3	@denis_tishin	232	1
4	@vadim_prokhorov	215	1
5	@max_carabus	78	1
6	@panasenkonn	75	1
7	@dni_catipo	68	1
8	@melodi_96	63	1
9	@a-lapin	61	1
10	@dryomys	59	1
11	@eduard_garin	39	1
12	@maximova2020	36	1
13	@pushai	28	1
14	@npz	27	1
15	@naturalist16000	26	1
16	@svetlanakutueva	25	1
17	@velibortravoved	25	1
18	@fedascheva	24	1
19	@maxim_ismaylov	22	1
20	@alzov	20	1
21	@kosienkov_konstantin	20	1
22	@phlomis_2019	20	1
23	@sokolkov2002	20	1
24	@zbsgroup1	19	1
25	@convallaria1128	18	1
26	@roman_romanov	18	1
27	@borisbolshakov	17	1
28	@julia_shner	17	1
29	@ikskyrskobl	16	1
30	@prokhozhyj	16	1
31	@taimyr	16	1
32	@tatiana_moscow	15	1
33	@alina_kondratieva	13	1
34	@ledum	13	1
35	@sansan_94	13	1
36	@vladimir_korotkov	13	1
37	@borovicheveugene	12	1
38	@lilia_rakitianskaia	12	1
39	@marinashaykina	12	1
40	@ninacourlee	12	1
41	@mashat	11	1
42	@plrays	11	1
43	@tatyanazarubo	11	1
44	@v199rus	11	1
45	@antennaria	10	1

This is to find this weeks vote.
You are bookmark this to get to is weeks vote faster and more easy to get to

This weeks voting link is:
There is not a voting link right now, check back seen to see if it has been added :)

Join the November EcoQuest: Broom Bloom.
Find and map as many desert broom (Baccharis sarothroides) as possible. As a bonus, see if you can also find great purple hairstreak butterflies (Atlides halesus).

It’s that time of year, when desert broom starts to bloom, followed by the fuzzy fluff of seeds in the air. Often met with contempt and considered invasive, desert broom is a native plant with a variety of benefits.

---

Join the EcoQuest here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/broom-bloom
See this plant on SEINet:
https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=1364&clid=3116

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This EcoQuest is focused on desert broom (Baccharis sarothroides)
Desert broom often attracts attention for its abundance of fluffy seeds that float through the air around this time of year and coat the ground like a dusting of snow. The masses of floating fluff are often blamed for allergy problems, but the seeds do not actually carry pollen. There is also debate if desert broom pollen triggers allergies at all. Some sources state the pollen is “sticky” and relies on pollinators to transfer pollen. Others say the plant relies on wind pollination, with airborne pollen. This airborne pollen could trigger allergies while the plants are blooming, before the onset of seed fluff.
This plant is also known for its ability to multiply efficiently, thanks to the multitude of those floating seeds and is often labeled a “weed” or invasive. It is these characteristics that also make it beneficial. Desert broom is a pioneer plant, meaning it is one of the first plants to move in after a disturbance to the land. It can help stabilize soil, control erosion and help other plants get started. When established, their deep taproot helps break up hard soils and brings nutrients closer to the surface. It is extremely tolerant to heat, drought and poor soil. This plant can also be a great privacy hedge and wind screen.
Desert broom is a very important plant for pollinators, wildlife and people. The blooming time provides many pollinators with a much-needed nectar source in the fall, to survive into the next season or for migration fuel. A notable nectar seeker is the great purple hairstreak butterfly (Atlides halesus), which there are very few observations of in metro Phoenix. This plant attracts so many different species of insects that entomologists are said to look to desert broom to find what insects may be in the area. It isn’t just entomologists that are attracted to these insects, but birds and predatory insects like praying mantis as well. Birds and small mammals have also been reported to use this plant for nesting materials and eat the seeds. Many Indigenous peoples of the Southwest use desert broom for making infusions, teas, arrows and brooms.
To get the best of this plant without the seed fluff and unwanted volunteers (plants that grow on their own), you can plant male plants. The female plants produce the masses of airborne seeds. To control what plants may pop up in unwanted areas, pull plants (roots and all) while young before the taproot develops.

Fun Fact:
The specific epithet, “sarothoides,” means broom-like, referring to the branching structure that resembles a broom.

Desert broom is a beneficial plant for both people and wildlife. Data for these plants is lacking in metro Phoenix, especially in dense urban areas (Please see maps in the “Where to Observe” section).

Great Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus) observed by iNaturalist user @tomhorton.
Observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/38874123

Observing and mapping desert broom in metro Phoenix can provide information about occurrences, population size and density. This observation data can help explore possible wildlife and pollinator corridors. Bonus if you can find great purple hairstreak butterflies.

WHAT TO OBSERVE:
Scientific Name: (Baccharis sarothroides)
Common Names: Desert broom, rosin bush, broom baccharis
Spanish: Romerillo, hierba del pasmo, escoba amarga
Seri: Cascol caaco
O’oodham: Ṣu:ṣk Wakck
Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

DESCRIPTION:
Duration: Perennial
Nativity: Native
Lifeform: Shrub
General: 3-12 feet tall and up to 6 feet wide, upright rounded broomlike habit, moderate to fast growth, evergreen, winter flowering, narrow, sharply angular, nearly leafless, green stems
Leaves: Alternate, sessile, few, and quickly deciduous; blades linear to linear-lanceolate, up to 2 cm long; larger leaves often minutely toothed, but most leaves are much smaller or reduced to scales
Flowers: Flower heads discoid and solitary on branch tips or arranged in dense panicles; male and female flowers on separate plants; pistillate florets white, and staminate flowers yellowish
Fruits: Achenes 10-ribbed, 2 mm long, with a pappus of bristles, 1 cm long, attached to the top
Ecology: Found in sandy-gravelly washes, watercourses, shallow drainages, flats, low hills, and roadsides, sometimes in saline soil from 1,000-5,500 ft (305-1676 m); flowers September-December
Distribution: s CA, s NV, AZ, s NM, sw TX; south to c MEX
Ethnobotany: Infusions used for coughs and stomach aches; stems were used to make arrows or tied together in bundles to make brooms
Uses: Erosion control, hedge and butterfly, bee and bird gardens

WHERE TO OBSERVE:
Anywhere within the project boundary, with a preference for dense urban areas where data is lacking. The dots on these maps are existing observations of desert broom. Observations made anywhere there is not currently a group of observations are the most helpful!

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Sources:SEINet: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/taxa/index.php?taxon=1364&clid=3116
California Native Plant Society: Calscape
https://calscape.org/Baccharis-sarothroides-()
Southwest Desert Flora
http://southwestdesertflora.com/WebsiteFolders/All_Species/Asteraceae/Baccharis%20sarothroides,%20Desertbroom.html
Spadefoot Nursery
https://www.spadefootnursery.com/blog/2018/12/12/pull-this-plant-that-fountain-grass-vs-desert-broom
Arizonensis
http://www.arizonensis.org/news/sonorandesertedition/news10_18.html
Cochise County Master Gardeners
https://cals.arizona.edu/cochise/mg/plant-profile-weed-or-beneficial
North American Butterfly Association
http://www.nababutterfly.com/NABA%20Butterfly%20Garden%20and%20Habitat%20Program/Garden%20brochure%20pdfs/az_southeastern.pdf
Felger, R. S. and M. B. Moser, 1985, People of the Desert and Sea. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ

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EcoQuests are month-long challenges that are part of the larger Metro Phoenix EcoFlora project.
You can learn more and join the Metro Phoenix EcoFlora here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/metro-phoenix-ecoflora

Sign up for the newsletter at ecofloraphx@dbg.org.
Let's be social @ecofloraphx

PLEASE observe COVID-19 guidelines/recommendations.
This a great opportunity to get outdoors close to home as we all navigate the complications of COVID-19. However, it is imperative that you follow the guidelines/recommendations of your local governments and institutions (wear a mask, practice physical distancing and wash your hands). Do what’s best for you and your community.

Arizona Office of Tourism: Responsible Recreation in AZ
https://tourism.az.gov/responsible-recreation-across-arizona

Please do not observe indoor houseplants or pets.
For your own safety and the protection of plants and wildlife, do not trespass when making observations. Please follow all posted rules and guidelines in parks/preserves and do not enter private property.
Do not remove or move natural materials (plants, animals, rocks).
Respect wildlife (do not touch, feed, or disturb animals and keep a safe distance).

Post your suggestions on the comments :)
You can only comment on the website on the website great :)
Need to get to the web? Vist https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/the-weekly/journal/43374-suggestions

El día de hoy (28-10-2020) el Consejo Municipal de la Ilustre Municipalidad de San Antonio votó de forma unánime comprometerse con la protección del Humedal de Llolleo (Ojos de Mar).
¡Es una gran noticia!
Reporte:
El proyecto Biodiversidad del humedal desembocadura río Maipo cuenta, al día de hoy con 795 observaciones con 232 especies (163 en el Humedal Ojos de Mar y 132 en la ribera sur del río Maipo).

El día de hoy (28-10-2020) el Consejo Municipal de la Ilustre Municipalidad de San Antonio votó de forma unánime comprometerse con la protección del Humedal de Llolleo (Ojos de Mar).
¡Es una gran noticia!
Reporte:
El proyecto Biodiversidad del humedal desembocadura río Maipo cuenta, al día de hoy con 795 observaciones con 232 especies (163 en el Humedal Ojos de Mar y 132 en la ribera sur del río Maipo).

It's VA Bat Week and #nvctbioblitz is looking for bat observations!

Knowing this might be tough, we are open to other spooky creatures like spiders, moths, & critters that go bump in the night. Staff will judge & winner will be announced 11/2!

Check out these bat resources to learn more about bats and to support local bat populations:
https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/bats/
https://batweek.org/
https://www.batcon.org/

🦇