Diario del proyecto LPZ Digital BioBlitz- Summer 2020

Hi Naturalists,

Chicago is joining the City Nature Challenge (CNC) on April 30. Thousands of people worldwide will be sharing their photos of urban flora and fauna. Join participants from over 350 cities around the world by using iNaturalist to share your observations of wild plants and animals in the Chicago Metro area. Your observations become data that helps scientists better understand and protect nature for all of us.

Join LPZ's project here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lpz-virtual-city-nature-challenge-bioblitz

And join the overall Chicago CNC project here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-chicago-metro

Once you've joined the project, all observations you make between April 30-May 3 will automatically be uploaded. If you'd like a refresher training from LPZ scientists, register for our kickoff on Zoom here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lpz-virtual-bioblitz-city-nature-challenge-2021-registration-148834972409

Thanks for reading, and happy spring!

~ the LPZ bioblitz team

Hi naturalists-
We are having a new BioBlitz this weekend! Get outside, enjoy the sunshine, and record some observations. You can join the new project here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lpz-virtual-bioblitz-winter-2021

It's a new season, so it's time for a new BioBlitz! We have started a new iNaturalist project called "LPZ Digital BioBlitz- Fall 2020". Please join the project if you'd like to contribute observations this weekend! The observation window is Nov 6-9. The weather in the Chicago Wilderness region looks beautiful, and a walk outside is always a great way to escape from daily stressors. Join the project to help us contribute observations!

Great job, naturalists! After 26 hours of collecting, we're up to 133 observations of 89 species. Can we top 100 species before the end of the day? Can we top 200 (dare I say 300) before the end of the weekend?!? I believe we can!

Remember to always be on the lookout for new species to add, even if you're just walking down your block. I just spotted a woodpecker in a neighbor's yard! For plants, be sure to mark "cultivated" if you're in a garden or a park.

Having a goal to collect as many species as possible has really made me slow down and take a closer look, especially hunting for insects in gardens. Even if the flowers are cultivated, the insects visiting them are wild! I've also been noticing insect behavior a lot more (ie, running around after a butterfly trying to take its picture helped me notice how much time pollinators spend at each specific plant).

Looking forward to seeing more observations roll in over the weekend, and hearing your reflections on Tuesday!

Welcome to our first Digital BioBlitz! From August 7-10 we will collect as many photos of species as possible. Use this weekend to safely explore some green space near you (maintaining social distance and wearing masks, of course!). On Tuesday, August 11 we will regroup to identify and celebrate what we found.