thebark's Journal
Before this bioblitz/project there have been 10 others at Lubbock Lake Landmark, some continuing. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=lubbock+lake+landmark
The inaugural survey lasted two days and was in 2016. https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lubbock-lake-landmark-inaugural-survey
Observations MADE within the LLL boundaries qualify. This means that if the plant or animal is seen or heard from within the boundaries then it qualifies; thus birds you observe while you are inside the LLL boundary qualify, as well as a plant growing in the right-of-way just outside the fenceline. BUT for location you must use your own observer's location inside LLL boundaries.
When you post your observations please be sure the location including margin of error is entirely inside the boundary; if any part of the circle of location error lies outside the boundary, the observation will not be included. Thus obscuring the exact location will exclude it from this bioblitz.
2021 was the inaugral year for Lubbock's participation in the City Nature Challenge (Amarillo began their CNC in 2018) and everyone was champing at the bit to give Lubbock a good 2021 showing. 2023 was down by 776 total observations from the 2021 record -- 5502 observations in 2023 versus 6278 in 2021 -- but posted other records, 894 species in 2023 versus 875 in 2021, and 110 observers versus 97 for 2021.
2021: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-lubbock
2022: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2022-lubbock-area
2023: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2023-lubbock-area
My regional superproject, Llano Estacado+ Spring Bioblitz, running at the same time as the CNC and incorporating results from Amarillo and Lubbock and the much bigger surrounding area including Midland-Odessa, San Angelo, and Eastern New Mexico to the Pecos River, plus the Western part of the Texas Rolling plains, gave these results:
2023: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/2023-llano-estacado-spring-bioblitz-april-28-may-1-2
2022: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/2022-llano-estacado-spring-bioblitz-april-29-may-2
2021: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/llano-estacado-spring-bioblitz-april-30-may-3-2021
2020: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/llano-estacado-spring-bioblitz-april-24-27-2020
To my surprise cactus expert Wolfgangb identified an Echinocereus reichenbachii cactus I observed at Lubbock Lake Landmark on May 27 as a subspecies I had not known about, White Lace Cactus of Texas, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/164055979.
The variety seems to be characterized by a longer and denser thicket of white spines on the crown of the plant. Be on the lookout for these. E. reichenbachii are plentiful at LLL and a variant is easily missed.
This appears to be the first iNat report of this subspecies west of Big Spring. Of course, the identification may be mistaken.
It occurs to me that I found Lace Hedgehog Cacti at LLL in past years that looked different and that I wanted to ID as something else but were still confirmed as the usual subspecies, perbellus. I need to comb through my 135 other observations of E. reichenbachii to see if any are this new subspecies.
