A cool little challenge you can take at any to test your knowledge on animals, plants & fungi.
https://www.1clickquiz.com/taxa-challenge/
If you are a iNat user you can even be tested on your own observations.
https://www.1clickquiz.com/my-observations
Developed by Jonny Kalambay
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/1744851
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/how-well-do-you-know-your-local-wildlife-now-you-can-test-yourself/10711
An oblong silken structure with bright green threads, attached to a leaf, a wall, or even a car window. What is this? You've probably found the egg case of a spinybacked orbweaver. Here's an example:
An egg case of spinybacked orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis), showing the characteristic lengthwise stripe of emerald green and neon green threads. Photographed by @casseljs in Georgia, USA.
In the southern United States, and throughout most of Latin America and the Caribbean, the colorful spinybacked orbweaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis) builds egg cases like this, often near or even upon human habitation. The female of species does not put her egg case in its web like certain other orbweavers; instead, she seeks out a leaf or -- for whatever reason -- hard human surfaces (here's one on a handrail for swimming pool steps: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27030562).
Here's a description of the process from the University of Florida: "After the eggs are laid on a white silken sheet, they are first covered with a loose, tangled mass of fine white or yellowish silk, then several strands of dark green silk are laid along the longitudinal axis of the egg mass, followed by a net-like canopy of coarse green and yellow threads."
Clear enough. But what if you find a similar structure without the central green stripe?
Well, orbweavers from several other genera make similar egg cases; for example:
I think this argues for caution when identifying egg cases that lack the emerald green longitudinal stripe, especially if these cases are white or yellow without any green color. Those could belong to another orbweaver species. Some egg cases are green but do not have a distinct central stripe -- those get identified as Gasteracantha cancriformis pretty frequently (example: https://bugguide.net/node/view/1027070/bgimage). Is Gasteracantha the only orbweaver that produces green silk in the Americas? I'm not sure, but that appears to be the conventional wisdom.
In Hawaii, the situation is unclear because both Gasteracantha cancriformis and Thelacantha brevispina have been introduced onto the islands (http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/urban/Site/spinespi.htm). Thelacantha is related to Gasteracantha, and I'm not sure how to distinguish the egg cases of the two species. Here are the current examples in iNaturalist (and I won't put much stock in the IDs, which seem to be made without much evidence): https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=11&project_id=spiny-orbweavers-gasteracantha-and-kin&subview=grid&term_id=1&term_value_id=7&verifiable=any. Perhaps those of you in Hawaii or within the native range of Thelacantha know how to tell the difference?
Similar egg cases are recorded in Asia, where multiple Gasteracantha species (plus Thelacantha and related genera) live in sympatry. I have no idea how to identify these to species; perhaps some of you who live there do know. Here's an example from @wallacechen in Taiwan:
How can you help advance our knowledge on these questions? Here are some ideas:
Tagging a few of you who may want to bookmark this to link in your future IDs: @jgw_atx @joemdo @chuuuuung @wildcarrot @botanicaltreasures @lisa_bennett @claggy @tiwane @michelotto @tigerbb
This is a crazy time. New Zealanders are all locked up in our self-isolation bubbles to slow the spread of the Covid19 virus and save lives. At iNaturalist NZ–Mātaki Taiao, we'd like to do our bit to help you get through. And we can, when you stay at home with iNat.
It's medically proven that spending time with nature is good for our health. It's a great way to dial down the stress, even for a short while. So grab the free iNat app or your camera and take a break to explore the nature in your garden and home. By using the iNat app, you can connect to our large community of nature enthusiasts to get pretty much any species identified.
How many wild species can you find? How many are native? What species that your neighbours have found in their gardens are missing from yours? If you're a regular iNat NZ user, what species can you find that you've not noticed before?
With the iNaturalist NZ–Mātaki Taiao website, you don't need to feel alone. Browse through the other observations being made in your neighbourhood on our Explore page. Share your enthusiasm by posting comments and questions on observations. Start conversations. You can also favourite observations and copy their web links to share them on social media (#StayiNatHome #iNaturalistNZ).
If you know some things about nature, you can also share your identification expertise on our Identify page. There are new people joning all the time. Whether you can identify a house sparrow, or a **Hoheria**, or a **Hormosira**, it's great to get your help identifying the observations as they come in. Share, and build, your knowledge of nature by making identifications and starting or joining in conversations on obseravtions.
With our #StayiNatHome project, we're pulling together all of the activity on iNaturalist NZ–Mātaki Taiao during New Zealand's Covid19 lockdown. Any NZ observations you make during this time will automatically pop up in the project. If you visit the project page, or join it, you'll get to see all of our project news posts. We'll be posting on our favourite observations, highlighting important discoveries, and providing tips for getting the most from iNaturalist NZ–Mātaki Taiao.
We'll also be sharing our favourite observations and stories on social media (Twitter and Facebook) under the hashtag #StayiNatHome. We encourage you to do the same.
If you need help, you can message us on the iNaturalist NZ–Mātaki Taiao website, reach us on Twitter and Facebook at iNaturalistNZ, or email us at help@inaturalist.nz.
By the mid-19th Century, cattle and other livestock had replaced the bison, and prairie grasses and forbs were vital forage for longhorns and other breeds being moved north along the ancient trace that came to be known as Preston Trail. This path was desirable partly because it traveled along the spine of the limestone ridge, or “cuesta” that separated the eastern and western zones of the Black Lands. Over-grazing eventually depleted the value of these lands for rearing hooved stock.
With the invention of plows capable of breaking through the “black waxy”, the prairie sods were turned and European-style farming came the area. As R. T. Hill pointed out in 1901, “Large quantities of cotton, corn, and minor crops are annually raised upon these fertile lands.” The chief limiting factor for farming was the availability of water. Dams and small tanks were soon constructed to retain surface flows, and as Hill noted “for domestic purposes its inhabitants depend largely upon cisterns or ponds, the water from both of which is unwholesome”. Land not plowed for crops was mowed for hay, and a few of these old hayfields still stand open to the North Texas sun. Similarly, a few farmhouses built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries can still be found at historic sites in Dallas and smaller cities across the area.
Let's see if we can document and identify some of our neighbors!
I don't mean people. That would be creepy.
I mean our plant, animal, insect, fungus, etc. neighbors.
Take photos and submit them. I think you need to use the green upload button at the top on the right.
Since January of 2019, users of iNaturalist have added over 7000 observations to the Riverside Citizen Science project. Despite all the forces working against biodiversity - climate change, wildfires, unceasing suburban development, resurgent air pollution - it’s still possible to have a varied and enriching experience observing nature within the Riverside city limits.
This expanding count of animal and plant occurrence is possible due to upwards of 1000 observers who have used the iNaturalist technology to record what they find. Yet well before the debut of such advanced methods, people came to Riverside to document natural happenings. The Inland region’s natural history was first observed by European immigrants - adelantados from Spain, mountain men and other trail blazers - well over two centuries ago.
Development of the city was due in no small part to the draw of nature study. One investor in Riverside, a man from upstate New York named F.T. Pember, began annual visits starting in the 1880s and continuing up through World War I. Pember borrowed horses from the Mission Inn, or used the early local railroads, to explore Riverside and neighboring counties in search of specimens of birds, mammals and plants. Pember became so attached to the place that he helped found a bank, and established citrus groves located in the area that eventually became the UC Riverside campus. Now, field work by UCR students appears among the main drivers of the expanding numbers we find at Riverside Citizen Science.
Дорогие друзья!
В связи с введением режима ограничений в передвижении проведение City Nature Challenge в Москве под вопросом.
Мы следим за развитием ситуации.
29 марта оказался очень "урожайным" на новые виды для наших участников из Кирово-Чепецкого района.
Именно там участником проекта @woodmen19 были встречены первые в этом году серебристая чайка, полевой жаворонок и чибис, а @elena-votinceva сфотографировала первых гоголей и цаплю. Кроме того обоим наблюдателям удалось запечатлеть первых сизых чаек.
| Позиция | Вид | Количество наблюдений |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Обыкновенный Клёст (Loxia curvirostra) | 59 |
| 2 | Большая Синица (Parus major) | 53 |
| 3 | Снегирь (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) | 49 |
| 4 | Серая Ворона (Corvus cornix) | 42 |
| 5 | Большой Пёстрый Дятел (Dendrocopos major) | 41 |
| 6 | Европейская Сорока (Pica pica) | 39 |
| 7 | Полевой Воробей (Passer montanus) | 29 |
| 8 | Чечётка Обыкновенная (Acanthis flammea) | 24 |
| 9 | Пухляк (Poecile montanus) | 18 |
| 10 | Сизый Голубь (Columba livia) | 16 |
| 11 | Обыкновенная Зеленушка (Chloris chloris) | 16 |
| Позиция | Вид | Количество наблюдений |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Чибис (Vanellus vanellus) | 1 |
| 2 | Серая Цапля (Ardea cinerea) | 1 |
| 3 | Обыкновенный Гоголь (Bucephala clangula) | 1 |
| 4 | Чернеть Хохлатая (Aythya fuligula) | 1 |
| 5 | Полевой Жаворонок (Alauda arvensis) | 1 |
| 6 | Трёхпалый Дятел (Picoides tridactylus) | 1 |
| 7 | Пепельная Чечетка (Acanthis hornemanni) | 1 |
| 8 | Обыкновенный Канюк (Buteo buteo) | 1 |
| 9 | Серебристая Чайка (Larus argentatus) | 1 |
| 10 | Рябчик (Tetrastes bonasia) | 1 |
| 11 | Коноплянка (Linaria cannabina) | 1 |
| 12 | Серый Сорокопут (Lanius excubitor) | 1 |
| Место | Наблюдатель | Наблюдений | Видов |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @elena-votinceva | 159 | 33 |
| 2 | @anisimov-43 | 114 | 33 |
| 3 | @vyatka | 31 | 28 |
| 4 | @woodmen19 | 33 | 24 |
| Позиция | Вид | Количество наблюдений |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Большая Синица (Parus major) | 28 |
| 2 | Обыкновенный Клёст (Loxia curvirostra) | 26 |
| 3 | Большой Пёстрый Дятел (Dendrocopos major) | 26 |
| 4 | Снегирь (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) | 24 |
| 5 | Полевой Воробей (Passer montanus) | 23 |
| 6 | Серая Ворона (Corvus cornix) | 23 |
| 7 | Европейская Сорока (Pica pica) | 22 |
| 8 | Обыкновенная Зеленушка (Chloris chloris) | 13 |
| 9 | Чечётка Обыкновенная (Acanthis flammea) | 12 |
| 10 | Грач (Corvus frugilegus) | 11 |
| 11 | Галка (Corvus monedula) | 10 |
| 12 | Пухляк (Poecile montanus) | 9 |
| 13 | Сизый Голубь (Columba livia) | 8 |
| 14 | Обыкновенный Поползень (Sitta europaea) | 8 |
| 15 | Ворон (Corvus corax) | 7 |
| 16 | Московка (Periparus ater) | 7 |
| 17 | Обыкновенная Пищуха (Certhia familiaris) | 6 |
| 18 | Сойка (Garrulus glandarius) | 6 |
| 19 | Черноголовый Щегол (Carduelis carduelis) | 6 |
| 20 | Лазоревка (Cyanistes caeruleus) | 6 |
| 21 | Кряква (Anas platyrhynchos) | 5 |
| 22 | Свиристель (Bombycilla garrulus) | 5 |
| 23 | Домовый Воробей (Passer domesticus) | 5 |
| 24 | Длиннохвостая Синица (Aegithalos caudatus) | 4 |
| 25 | Дрозд-Рябинник (Turdus pilaris) | 4 |
| 26 | Обыкновенный Скворец (Sturnus vulgaris) | 4 |
| 27 | Седой Дятел (Picus canus) | 4 |
| 28 | Тетерев (Tetrao tetrix) | 4 |
| 29 | Ястреб-Тетеревятник (Accipiter gentilis) | 3 |
| 30 | Обыкновенный Дубонос (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) | 3 |
| 31 | Чиж (Spinus spinus) | 3 |
| 32 | Желтоголовый Королёк (Regulus regulus) | 3 |
| 33 | Сизая Чайка (Larus canus) | 2 |
| 34 | Озёрная Чайка (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) | 2 |
| 35 | Чибис (Vanellus vanellus) | 1 |
| 36 | Серая Цапля (Ardea cinerea) | 1 |
| 37 | Обыкновенный Гоголь (Bucephala clangula) | 1 |
| 38 | Полевой Жаворонок (Alauda arvensis) | 1 |
| 39 | Обыкновенная Овсянка (Emberiza citrinella) | 1 |
| 40 | Белокрылый Клест (Loxia leucoptera) | 1 |
| 41 | Белоспинный Дятел (Dendrocopos leucotos) | 1 |
| 42 | Пепельная Чечетка (Acanthis hornemanni) | 1 |
| 43 | Обыкновенный Канюк (Buteo buteo) | 1 |
| 44 | Серебристая Чайка (Larus argentatus) | 1 |
| 45 | Рябчик (Tetrastes bonasia) | 1 |
| 46 | Коноплянка (Linaria cannabina) | 1 |
Ханты-Мансийск (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-khanty-mansiysk-russia) стал пятнадцатым участником мероприятия!
City Nature Challenge - это глобальное четырехдневное мероприятие, которое проводится в конце апреля. Ему пять лет. Его задача простая - с помощью участников задокументировать весеннее биоразнообразие городов мира.
В 2020 г. впервые в City Nature Challenge будут участвовать города России - Москва, Севастополь и Курск. В категории "вне зачёта" к ним уже присоединились Екатеринбург, Железногорск, Орехово-Зуево, Петропавловск-Камчатский, Пермь, Ижевск, Нижнекамск, Новосибирск, Тверь, Томск, Тольятти и Ханты-Мансийск. В России для участия в CNC используются приложения iNaturalist и Seek или сайт inaturalist.org. В прошлом году в CNC участвовало примерно 150 городов и свыше 30 тыс. человек.
Все подробности тут:
https://lomonosov-msu.ru/rus/event/6114/
Даты проведения челленджа:
Внимание! Челлендж проводится среди участников-одиночек на открытом воздухе вдали от скопления людей и не является массовым мероприятием. Отмены мероприятия в связи с эпидемиологической обстановкой не планируется. Соблюдайте правила личной гигиены, следуйте указаниям местных властей и не нарушайте законодательство. Безопасность участников - наш безусловный приоритет.
Официальный мировой зачёт в этом году отменён - "соревнование" переформатировано в "акцию", поскольку разные города мира находятся в различных условиях карантинных мероприятий. Тем не менее, неофициальные табло будут функционировать:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020 (мир)
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-russia (Россия)
В качестве личного приглашения в команду Ханты-Мансийска отметим всех, у кого есть хотя бы одна фотография отсюда:
| Место | Наблюдатель | Наблюдений | Видов |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | @urmansky | 719 | 396 |
| 2 | @viktoriabilous | 51 | 30 |
| 3 | @alexey25 | 49 | 14 |
| 4 | @ovo | 29 | 25 |
| 5 | @naturalist15224 | 24 | 14 |
| 6 | @owl_khm | 23 | 23 |
| 7 | @ludmila2 | 16 | 8 |
| 8 | @marasmius | 16 | 7 |
| 9 | @antonina6 | 12 | 2 |
| 10 | @bolotoved | 11 | 10 |
| 11 | @apseregin | 9 | 8 |
| 12 | @nikolai_nakonechnyi | 8 | 5 |
| 13 | @ninacourlee | 8 | 6 |
| 14 | @valentin-b | 8 | 6 |
| 15 | @dryomys | 5 | 5 |
| 16 | @ivanovdg19 | 3 | 3 |
| 17 | @naturalist16307 | 3 | 2 |
| 18 | @nikitaserebrennikov | 3 | 2 |
| 19 | @annagaruda | 2 | 2 |
| 20 | @entomokot | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | @marina282 | 1 | 0 |
| 22 | @naturalist20302 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | @nellysemenova | 1 | 1 |
| 24 | @starodumov_andrey | 1 | 1 |
Пятнадцатым участником мероприятия стал Ханты-Мансийск (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-khanty-mansiysk-russia). Это первый город, которому предстоит выступать в "лыжном" зачёте. Кто составит пару?
City Nature Challenge - это глобальное четырехдневное мероприятие, которое проводится в конце апреля. Ему пять лет. Его задача простая - с помощью участников задокументировать весеннее биоразнообразие городов мира.
В 2020 г. впервые в City Nature Challenge будут участвовать города России - Москва, Севастополь и Курск. В категории "вне зачёта" к ним уже присоединились Екатеринбург, Железногорск, Орехово-Зуево, Петропавловск-Камчатский, Пермь, Ижевск, Нижнекамск, Новосибирск, Тверь, Томск, Тольятти и Ханты-Мансийск. В России для участия в CNC используются приложения iNaturalist и Seek или сайт inaturalist.org. В прошлом году в CNC участвовало примерно 150 городов и свыше 30 тыс. человек.
Любой населенный пункт России может присоединиться к нам в категории "вне зачёта" и приобрести бесценный опыт. Участие в неофициальном российском зачёте в ваших руках! Для этого нужно три вещи: 1) адекватный kml-файл границ города, загруженный вручную в категорию "Места" (должен совпадать с общепринятыми муниципальными границами); 2) проект со стандартным названием (например, "City Nature Challenge 2020: Tula, Russia (вне зачёта)") с теми же настройками, что у городов участников; 3) желание за 96 часов сделать и загрузить как можно больше наблюдений! Но не забывайте, что челлендж пройдёт довольно рано (с 24 по 27 апреля) в условиях карантинных ограничений.
Все подробности тут:
https://lomonosov-msu.ru/rus/event/6114/
Даты проведения челленджа:
Внимание! Челлендж проводится среди участников-одиночек на открытом воздухе вдали от скопления людей и не является массовым мероприятием. Отмены мероприятия в связи с эпидемиологической обстановкой не планируется. Соблюдайте правила личной гигиены, следуйте указаниям местных властей и не нарушайте законодательство. Безопасность участников - наш безусловный приоритет.
Официальный мировой зачёт в этом году отменён - "соревнование" переформатировано в "акцию", поскольку разные города мира находятся в различных условиях карантинных мероприятий. Тем не менее, неофициальные табло будут функционировать:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020 (мир)
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-russia (Россия)
Пятнадцатым участником мероприятия стал Ханты-Мансийск (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-khanty-mansiysk-russia). Это первый город, которому предстоит выступать в "лыжном" зачёте. Кто составит пару?
City Nature Challenge - это глобальное четырехдневное мероприятие, которое проводится в конце апреля. Ему пять лет. Его задача простая - с помощью участников задокументировать весеннее биоразнообразие городов мира.
В 2020 г. впервые в City Nature Challenge будут участвовать города России - Москва, Севастополь и Курск. В категории "вне зачёта" к ним уже присоединились Екатеринбург, Железногорск, Орехово-Зуево, Петропавловск-Камчатский, Пермь, Ижевск, Нижнекамск, Новосибирск, Тверь, Томск, Тольятти и Ханты-Мансийск. В России для участия в CNC используются приложения iNaturalist и Seek или сайт inaturalist.org. В прошлом году в CNC участвовало примерно 150 городов и свыше 30 тыс. человек.
Любой населенный пункт России может присоединиться к нам в категории "вне зачёта" и приобрести бесценный опыт. Участие в неофициальном российском зачёте в ваших руках! Для этого нужно три вещи: 1) адекватный kml-файл границ города, загруженный вручную в категорию "Места" (должен совпадать с общепринятыми муниципальными границами); 2) проект со стандартным названием (например, "City Nature Challenge 2020: Tula, Russia (вне зачёта)") с теми же настройками, что у городов участников; 3) желание за 96 часов сделать и загрузить как можно больше наблюдений! Но не забывайте, что челлендж пройдёт довольно рано (с 24 по 27 апреля) в условиях карантинных ограничений.
Все подробности тут:
https://lomonosov-msu.ru/rus/event/6114/
Даты проведения челленджа:
Внимание! Челлендж проводится среди участников-одиночек на открытом воздухе вдали от скопления людей и не является массовым мероприятием. Отмены мероприятия в связи с эпидемиологической обстановкой не планируется. Соблюдайте правила личной гигиены, следуйте указаниям местных властей и не нарушайте законодательство. Безопасность участников - наш безусловный приоритет.
Официальный мировой зачёт в этом году отменён - "соревнование" переформатировано в "акцию", поскольку разные города мира находятся в различных условиях карантинных мероприятий. Тем не менее, неофициальные табло будут функционировать:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020 (мир)
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-russia (Россия)
Пятнадцатым участником мероприятия стал Ханты-Мансийск (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-khanty-mansiysk-russia). Это первый город, которому предстоит выступать в "лыжном" зачёте. Кто составит пару?
City Nature Challenge - это глобальное четырехдневное мероприятие, которое проводится в конце апреля. Ему пять лет. Его задача простая - с помощью участников задокументировать весеннее биоразнообразие городов мира.
В 2020 г. впервые в City Nature Challenge будут участвовать города России - Москва, Севастополь и Курск. В категории "вне зачёта" к ним уже присоединились Екатеринбург, Железногорск, Орехово-Зуево, Петропавловск-Камчатский, Пермь, Ижевск, Нижнекамск, Новосибирск, Тверь, Томск, Тольятти и Ханты-Мансийск. В России для участия в CNC используются приложения iNaturalist и Seek или сайт inaturalist.org. В прошлом году в CNC участвовало примерно 150 городов и свыше 30 тыс. человек.
Любой населенный пункт России может присоединиться к нам в категории "вне зачёта" и приобрести бесценный опыт. Участие в неофициальном российском зачёте в ваших руках! Для этого нужно три вещи: 1) адекватный kml-файл границ города, загруженный вручную в категорию "Места" (должен совпадать с общепринятыми муниципальными границами); 2) проект со стандартным названием (например, "City Nature Challenge 2020: Tula, Russia (вне зачёта)") с теми же настройками, что у городов участников; 3) желание за 96 часов сделать и загрузить как можно больше наблюдений! Но не забывайте, что челлендж пройдёт довольно рано (с 24 по 27 апреля) в условиях карантинных ограничений.
Все подробности тут:
https://lomonosov-msu.ru/rus/event/6114/
Даты проведения челленджа:
Внимание! Челлендж проводится среди участников-одиночек на открытом воздухе вдали от скопления людей и не является массовым мероприятием. Отмены мероприятия в связи с эпидемиологической обстановкой не планируется. Соблюдайте правила личной гигиены, следуйте указаниям местных властей и не нарушайте законодательство. Безопасность участников - наш безусловный приоритет.
Официальный мировой зачёт в этом году отменён - "соревнование" переформатировано в "акцию", поскольку разные города мира находятся в различных условиях карантинных мероприятий. Тем не менее, неофициальные табло будут функционировать:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020 (мир)
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-russia (Россия)
Spring is here and with that comes courtships and pairing off with others. Nest building should be coming soon as well. For some people, you might have already seen young great horned owls or other owlets peeping out of their nests. So whether it is your local red tailed hawk on a pole, or an osprey returning to their fishing grounds, or an owl perched in a tree, keep the observations coming.
Date: March 2020, dates vary
Time: between 12pm and 4pm usually
Temperature: Varying between 70's and 80's, damp and dry
Times are rough and so critter hunt so too has become a bit difficult. With the virus situation on-going, I haven't had much freedom or time to go anywhere to try and locate the necessary specimens for this module. As such, my observations are limited to my encounters on my daily walks with my dog or watching what visitors come by in my backyard. Admittedly the dog walking may not be the best, as I missed an opportunity to capture a picture of a rather quick long-tailed lizard because she got excited and chased after it.
The squirrels are always showing up, despite the numerous cats I have who lounge lazily in the yard. (Perhaps this is what gives them a sense of safety, the fact that my cats are too fat to care). Gardening yields the usual snails, though I did find a couple of different shells in different areas and it was nice to see variety.
And while I was rummaging in the shed to grab another gardening tool I had unknowingly disturbed a few geckos who were hiding out from the heat of the sun. I was lucky to snap a picture before they scurried off into the clover patch.
And finally, when I had returned home from a walk with my dog, I found a caterpillar stuck onto my sweater. It is that time of year that they start to dangle from trees and as I continue my walks I'm much more mindful of who's hanging out by my shoulders when I pass under them.
Here's hoping next time around I'll meet a few new critters.
Вдохновленный примером других городов, друзей и коллег-натуралистов, Ханты-Мансийск также присоединяется и будет участвовать в 2020-ом Марафоне Городской Природы! Для этого создан отдельный проект на платформе iНатуралист.
В конце апреля в Ханты-Мансийске еще лежит снег, но эта весна обещает быть теплой. В любом случае, природа жива в любое время года, а апрель - это уже активный прилет птиц, первые снежные насекомые, лишайники, растения и мхи на первых проталинах, трутовые грибы на деревьях, и много другого. Обо всех этих тайнах апрельской природы в границах города Ханты-Мансийск мы и узнаем в ходе Челленджа.
По условиям Челленджа, участники в течение 4 дней наблюдают и фотографируют объекты живой природы в черте городов-участников. Для Ханты-Мансийска мы создали свой проект, куда была загружена граница официальной территории города. Обратите внимание на эту границу, чтобы определить границы доступных вам участков природы. После дней наблюдений у участников есть еще 6 дней в запасе на загрузку и определение фотографий.
Вскоре мы также запустим акцию в соцсетях и медиа-ресурсах, чтобы привлечь в наши ряды больше участников. Следите за новостями проекта в этом блоге.
И на сайте проекта: https://nwsbios.org/cnc-khanty-mansiysk/
Присоединяйтесь к акции и сообществу iНатуралист!
Hi! Looking for an indoor activity? I thought it would be cool to look at flowering phenology trends on iNaturalist observations in Illinois over time, but to do that, we need to annotate those observations as to whether they have flowers budding, flowering, or fruiting.
You can head to the Identify page, click on one of the cards, and select the Annotations tab at the top of the page.
From there, use keyboard shortcuts to make annotation go quicker!
p then u to mark it as flowers budding
p then l to mark it as flowering
p then r to mark it as fruiting
Wait a moment for it to save, then press → the right arrow key to move on to the next one.
Dicentra cucullaria by @sedge
A few points:
As of 29 March 2020, there are:
Happy annotating!
—cassi
Hi Class,
Sheltering in place does not mean staying indoors. You can absolutely document photos pf plants while taking neighborhood walks and hiking, all while keeping a safe distance from other people.
In the next week, I would like you to document at least 20 plants for this project. Using the PDF I posted on B Courses, try to identify plants that may be edible. No need to taste plants - in fact, I prefer if you spend some time identifying before being adventurous. No need to try to identify the plant either. You can upload it and look for community suggestions.
See you soon on Zoom!
Jill
Snout looks too short to be coyote. It was raining out so animals looks a littler rougher than is probably normal as did the other animals that were caught on cam that night.
The link to the short video clip can be found here.
Happy first day of Spring Break everyone! Today is opening day for the Spring Break Nature Challenge and we encourage you to take advantage of the 57 degree weather we are supposed to be getting today to be able to log some observations. Have fun out in nature!
As a kid, I always had my trusty microscope at my desk (a tiny department store model). And I used it regularly.
Since my camera does a poor job of capturing the tiny things--and because I really want to see the tiny things--I bought a dissecting scope. It was on sale 50% off.
The scope has a port for mounting a DSLR camera body, but those cost more money. So I'm using my smartphone with an adapter. A DSLR camera body would be better though.
Then I needed a camera app with the right controls (an infinite focus depth setting is critical), so I'm using Open Camera. Be sure to turn off the flash and auto exposure setting so the brightness stays consistent across focus levels.
When taking pics for focus stacking, I start taking pics focused at the upper plane and then focus downward in small increments taking a photo at each depth. The specimen CANNOT move or twitch at all during this process otherwise the images won't align.
And then, for the focus stacking, I'm currently using PICOLAY software. Before each focus stacking session, be sure to set the option to "Add original name to py file", otherwise it gives the resulting file a generic name. And set stacking parameters to "Align images 2x". From there, it's automagical.
Lastly, I use the Windows Photos app for cropping and enhancement. The "Clarity" adjustment, in particular, really makes them pop.
Hemiptera-Heteroptera de la Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur (Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires)
Diego Leonardo CARPINTERO, Sebastián DE BIASE & Susana A. KONOPKO
En el presente trabajo se brinda un listado de las156 especies que los autores, como resultado de un proyecto propio, más el aporte de datos de otros proyectos y de la bibliografía, han encontrado en la Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur. Se ofrecen además los datos de los sitios, fechas y métodos de colecta como así también, en algunos casos, la planta huésped. Se han hallado cinco nuevas especies para la ciencia, una nueva especie para la fauna Argentina y tres nuevos registros para la provincia de Buenos Aires.
Descarga Directa: https://mega.nz/#!ygNl3QYA!pnbEc7EqEXPd8hwJXVqzrBJiAD3DI3x40SUrZ7ciRpE
With March drawing to a close, a tiny violet caught my attention in a concrete Hudson River Park flower bed. I didn't recognize it, which reminded me that I'd been meaning to learn more about the violets of Manhattan. I've always loved violets -- they're so familiar, and yet challenging. (And they can be very surprising.)
You can read about New York City's violets in @danielatha's 2018 State of New York City's Plants, but Manhattan doesn't have the wetlands, forests, and beaches of the outer boroughs. Which species thrive, or at least hang on, here in this densest borough?
After analyzing about 1,000 observations in iNaturalist, I've written up 10 species below (one is a twofer). This seems to capture the reported diversity on iNaturalist to date, not counting a couple of isolated cultivated species. There may be more diversity than is reported so far, and I probably haven't got everything quite right, so please weigh in with your comments.
As you observe violets this season, please try to photograph four things:
All photos in this post are clickable -- the links will take you to the original observations. Thanks to the photographers for making their pictures available with a Creative Commons license.
Oh, and that violet I found the other day is #3 below.
Common Blue Violet is an extremely successful and abundant native violet in Manhattan, growing jubilantly in lawns, parks, beds, borders, and between cobblestones and in pavement cracks. It blooms profusely in April and early May. It is the default purple violet anywhere in the borough. It can form dense, thick carpets, and while it may be small in mowed or thin-soiled areas, it can grow several inches tall in favorable locations.
Flowers rise individually from the rhizomes; they are not on arranged on stems with leaves. Leaves are coarse and broad, heart-shaped with a pointed tip and sharp teeth on the margin; they ascend from creeping rhizomes. The purple form has rich, vibrant purple flowers with a touch of bright blue at the base of the petals. There are long, dense hairs on the inside of the two lateral petals, tending to visually obscure the reproductive organs inside the flower. The spur is quite short and blunt, barely protruding behind the flower.
Confederate Violet, or V. s. forma priceana, is a variation of Common Blue Violet with striking white, purple-veined flowers. In all other respects, it resembles the blue form. It is also abundant in the city, and it is frequently misidentified as many other species from all over the world.
The introduced Eurasian Sweet Violet is very fragrant -- the quintessential violet scent -- which is a good clue to its identity. Working from photographs can be a bit harder, particularly since most people shoot violets from above. The leaves, which are kidney-shaped with scalloped margins, form a basal rosette; the flowers grow individually from the base of the plant. The flowers are purple, or sometimes white or pink, and have minimal hair on the lateral petals so that the reproductive organs are clearly visible (unlike V. sororia in which the hairs are much longer): https://www.labunix.uqam.ca/~fg/MyFlora/Violaceae/Odorata/odorata.e.shtml.
This species is said to be naturalized in New York. However, having gone through all the records in iNaturalist, I can't find a lot of evidence for it. Most plants are either clearly V. sororia or are ambiguous at best (especially since the first leaves of V. sororia early in the season can appear smaller and more rounded, more like those of V. odorata).
This beautiful pink-flowered plant below, posted by @aberkov does indeed appear to be V. odorata (again, most V. odorata flowers are purple); it's not clear whether it's wild or cultivated. (Update 03/29/20: aberkov confirmed that the plant pictured below is cultivated. I now believe that V. odorata is extirpated in our region, except where reintroduced in cultivation. Here's a map of Research Grade observations in the Northeast -- the species is effectively absent away from western New York and southern Ontario, which is amazing: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=44.722601203578094&nelng=-65.8714934438467&place_id=any&quality_grade=research&swlat=40.2703715944484&swlng=-81.5270110219717&taxon_id=55845. What accounts for this I wonder?)
The European Dog Violet has a purple-leaved form that is used in the horticultural trade and is sometimes sold as V. labradorica, which is an incorrect name for this plant because V. labradorica is a different violet native to northeastern North America.
Apparently this plant can self-seed and become weedy under some conditions. There is some evidence from iNaturalist observations that it occurs in and around cultivated areas in Manhattan (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?ident_taxon_id=61481&place_id=1264&subview=grid), though it is not listed as an established species in NYBG's 2018 State of the City's Plants report. This is a small plant with purple-tinged, somewhat fleshy-looking foliage, leaves on the flower stalk, pointed sepals, and slender, violet-purple blooms with long spurs and only short hairs in the flower's throat, revealing the round-tipped style.
See discussion of this plant here: https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2209751/viola-labradorica-purpurea-v-riviniana-what-s-the-story and here: https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1415/#b.
I believe the few observations of the rare and beautiful Bird's Foot Violet in Manhattan are plants growing in native plant gardens: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?locale=en-US&place_id=1264&preferred_place_id=1&subview=grid&taxon_id=82536. The flower and leaf shape together are distinctive.
Aptly named, the Downy Yellow Violet bears bright yellow flowers on hairy stems. The plant sends up a long stem, and flowers grow from the leaf axils along the stem. Basal leaves are usually absent.
This species is loosely cultivated in Central Park and a few other parks in Manhattan; it's used in restoration plantings and can be found in the Ramble and Hallett Nature Sanctuary. It's been cultivated in the park since at least 1865, but appears to depend on human intervention for survival in this heavily altered landscape. It seems that iNatters have different opinions on whether this and the following two species should be marked "cultivated" or "wild." Here's a photo shot from @lisabrundage:
The tall and striking Canada Violet, like Downy Yellow Violet above, depends on human intervention to thrive in Central Park, but thrive it seems to do. Because the species appears to spread on its own in areas where it has been planted, some iNatters believe it should be considered wild for the purposes of iNaturalist. This is a leggy plant, with leaves and flowers sprouting off the stem. Flowers are white with a yellow center and purple backs on the top two petals, setting this species apart from the following species. Here's a nice shot from @ansel_oommen:
Cream Violet is another restoration species in Central Park, present because people brought it there in the last few decades to restore wooded areas. It could be confused with Canada Violet (above), but it lacks yellow color in the mouth of the flower and the back of the petals is all white.
The small, pale European Field Pansy is, as its name suggests, introduced from Europe. It typically has flowers a half-inch or so in size that are cream-colored with some yellow on the bottom petal and a few guide marks for pollinators. Its sepals tend to be longer than its petals, making the flower look partially enclosed (http://www.luontoportti.com/suomi/en/kukkakasvit/field-pansy). Some individual plants can look intermediate between this and V. tricolor, which is described next (I'm pondering these, for example: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/22464945).
There is an American field pansy species, V. bicolor, but it differs in appearance (https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/field_pansy.htm) and apparently has not been recorded from Manhattan.
Here's a V. arvensis example from @jholmes; note the long sepals and bicolored flower:
Wild Pansy, also known as Johnny-Jump-Up and Heartsease, is a Eurasian plant that has been introduced into North America. It appears to be uncommon around Manhattan. It is also an ancestor of many cultivated pansy plants as you can see in the section below, and those should be identified appropriately in iNaturalist. Naturalized V. tricolor generally show tricolored purple, white, and yellow flowers with purple rays. They tend to be larger and more colorful than the previous species, with sepals that are not longer than the petals (http://www.luontoportti.com/suomi/en/kukkakasvit/wild-pansy). This is naturally a very variable species, and I also wonder whether some of these plants are coming from self-seeding ornamentals that slowly revert to a more ancestral form (e.g., this observation of @susanhewitt's https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/23495579).
Here's a photo from me:
Is there anything as cheerful as the big, colorful, ruffled face of a Garden Pansy? These large-flowered garden plants are horticultural hybrids going back hundreds of years. They have been bred in colors from white to nearly black, with a wide range of colors in between, and they often have a dark blotch in the middle of a lighter-colored flower, such as burgundy on yellow.
Garden Pansies are a very common sight during cooler months in Manhattan in pots, window boxes, and planters; around street trees; and in flower beds. They should be marked "cultivated" in iNaturalist; they do not naturalize. See discussion about their taxonomic history under a recent taxonomic swap: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxon_changes/73692. Here's a recent observation from @susanhewitt:
But not all pansy-like ornamentals that you encounter in Manhattan are true Viola wittrockiana. A range of smaller, sometimes striped, and variously colored plants commercially known as "violas" are prevalent as well. They often take over in summer after Garden Pansies fade. These ornamental plants are derived from European V. cornuta and V. tricolor (see https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/IR/00/00/17/73/00001/EP32700.pdf and https://www.americanvioletsociety.org/Registry/Cultivar_Registry_Classification.htm section B2).
I would suggest that we identify them on iNaturalist as Melanium, which is the pansy section of the genus Viola, and they should be marked as cultivated. Here's an example from @olibr_:
That's all for now. I'll probably update this post periodically as we learn more. Let me know what you think, and if you want to try your hand at IDing some violets, click here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?taxon_id=50829&place_id=148950.
Tagging some more of you that I think will be interested: @srall @elevine @sadawolk @mertensia @oxalismtp @tsn @zihaowang @klodonnell @wayne_fidler @elizajsyh @nycnatureobserver @craghorne @spritelink @irag @andrew_garn @kai_schablewski @ballardh
The following are a list of animals I do not always see when I go out, but I certainly love to see them when I do. They are not rare, but because I see them only on occasion, I want to review my harddrive inventory of these animals and make sure I get every single one I have photographed or have trail camera footage, posted on to iNaturalist. When I am in nature and see one of these animals, I can say I am in a good location; it is a good sign. For those other animals I might only ever see but once, of course those I should not sit on and for sure get posted on iNaturalist right away. But, again these on this list, I know some have sat, I don't want any I have not be posted. Once I get caught up on these, I can move on to others I have.
……………………………………………# so far posted.....Date
Bird...…….....American Kestrel...……………….00.....00
Bird...…….....Loggerhead Shrike...……………..00.....00
Bird...………..Northern Harrier...………………..00.....00
Bird...…….....Owls...…………………………………..00.....00
Bird...…….....Sandhill Crane...…………………...00.....00
Bird...…….....Swallow Tailed Kite...…………...00.....00
Bird...…….....Wild Turkeys...……………………..00.....00
Bird...…….....Woodpeckers...…………………….00.....00
Mammal.....Coyote...……………………………….00.....00
Mammal.....Eastern Bobcat...………………….00.....00
Mammal.....North American River Otter...00.....00
Mammal.....White Tailed Deer...……………...00.....00
Reptile...…...Gopher Tortoise...………………...00.....00
Reptile...…...Snakes...……………………………….00.....00
For me there will always be a disconnect from the amount of observations I have on my harddrive (which is in the many 1000s) and how many I have actually done the desk work of narrowing down from the many to the best shot(s), and having those become an actual iNaturalist observation. I wish it were my paying job. I try to get out in nature often and when I see something out there that catches my eye, I most times am manually focusing, I like to take many shots if the opportunity is there; knowing most will be moved to a garbage folder.
I believe it is my responsibility to ensure I tap evenly from the years and months I have accumulated on my harddrive. I keep a simple spreadsheet of the number of observations I have posted by year and by month. If you are like me and use the Flickr website to upload your photos prior to uploading on iNaturalist, then assigning your Flickr photo to a Flick album like July, is an easy way to keep the tally. Currently my lowest observations are in May and my highest number of observations are in December (maybe because May is hotter than December here in South Florida?). Therefore, if I can purposely tap more from May, then a different month could become the new lowest and new attention would be directed to that one. This way I can evenly broaden my offerings and be a more conscientious contributor. So many things I love about this iNaturalist site, and one is, at every level of the taxonomic rank, there is a web page showing details and information about that living thing, and one of those details is a 12 month linear graph displaying the accumulative dates, reflected by months to easily see when this animal or plant is at its height of visibility. I like to think I am very good at seeing things when I go out; more so than the average person. Therefore, I might see things when they are not at their "peak" and from a contribution standpoint, this is good information to add.
Kia ora koutou!
As we all settle into our new normal of staying home to reduce the spread of COVID-19, we've been thinking about what it means for the City Nature Challenge in Dunedin.
The health and wellbeing of New Zealanders is our main priority. As such, we will be following the Government’s guidelines and regulations at all times.
Being at home is the perfect opportunity to explore nature in your backyard — you'll just have to check every nook and cranny for species to include in the City Nature Challenge! You may be quite surprised by how much you find when you look close.
The City Nature Challenge has always been about connecting people and communities with nature. It allows us to celebrate the healing power of nature — by coping with stress and improving the health of both ourselves and nature. It means we can come together, unite and share the nature in our backyards from across the world. In such uncertain times, this sense of connection is more important than ever!
Even when you're around home, the key is to be sensible and take every precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Stay at least 2 metres away from people from outside your bubble at all times, avoid touching your face, wash your hands thoroughly, wash your phone with hot soapy water and a rag (being careful not to get water into any openings).
— Kimberley, John and David (your Dunedin organisers)
En vista de la situación actual del coronavirus, el Reto Naturalista Urbano (City Nature Challenge) ya no será una competencia si no un momento de conexión con la naturaleza de nuestros jardines, patios y áreas naturales en nuestras casas o lotes baldíos cercanos.
Por el bienestar de todos, las actividades planeadas para este Rato Naturalista deberán de manejarse en grupos pequeños o simplemente quedarse en casa y realizar el mayor numero de observaciones de plantas y animales durante el día y también de noche.
Mas adelante te daremos mas ideas de como participar de mera prudente y sin riesgo de afectarnos por esta situación de salud.
Este próximo 24 al 27 de abril súmate y participa tomando fotos de flora y fauna, desde tu casa, y ¡Demostremos que en Ensenada hay naturaleza! :)
