We thought World Environment Day would be the perfect time to launch Backyard Species Discovery Weekly Challenges. Hopefully a little competition will encourage even more people to take a closer look at the biodiversity around them.

Challenges will be announced every Wednesday on our website and our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter channels. The first challenge will be announced on Wednesday 10 June and there will be 10 challenges in total - taking us right up to National Science Week.

Each challenge will be open for one week and we will announce a winner the Friday after entries close. The weekly prize will be a gift voucher and an official Bush Blitz cap - with extra prizes available if the winner was a group.

Check the Bush Blitz website after 6pm next Wednesday to find out what the first challenge will be and to see the competition terms and conditions.

Good luck!

In areas that have had good Autumn rain, fungi have been popping up everywhere - project members have already uploaded 226 fungi observed during the month of May.

Identifying fungi from photos can be tricky but you can help our curators by ensuring that your observations are as good as you can possibly make them. Here are some tips that will give our curators the best chance of identifying your fungi:

*Move debris away for a clear shot and get as close as you can while keeping the fungus in focus.
*Make a note of what the fungus is growing on (wood, soil, dung etc.). For species growing under trees, note the tree species in the description or take a photograph of the trees if you're not sure what they are.
*Photograph the underside as well as side and top views. @claudiarose nicely demonstrated how you can photograph the underside using a reflection from a phone case - you could also use a small mirror. (Image Copyright Claudia Schipp)

If you would like to enter this week's challenge and help others improve the quality of their observations, you will find all the details on the Bush Blitz website.

Our judging panel found it very difficult to pick a winner for the Week 1 challenge. Take a look at a couple of the entries on our website and you'll understand why - you'll also get some great advice on how to take better photos of invertebrates and fungi. Congratulations to @felix75 who will soon be receiving a $30 voucher to Snowgum Travel and Adventurewear and a Bush Blitz cap!

For Week 2, we're encouraging people to discover cryptogams. For those not familiar with cryptogams, they are plants and plant-like organisms that don't produce flowers or seed and instead reproduce by spores. The group includes some familiar organisms, like ferns, mosses and fungi, as well as less familiar ones like liverworts, lichens and algae.

If you'd like to take part in this week's challenge, you'll find all the details on the Bush Blitz website but be quick as the Week 2 challenge closes at midnight on Wednesday 24 June.

We are expecting to see many cryptogams added to our project over the next few days. Luckily we have expert curators on our project like @cgueidan and @ccargill to help with identification. @ccargill researches the taxonomy and systematics of Australian hornworts and liverworts and is a curator at the Cryptogam Collection at the Australian National Herbarium.

© Cecile

We've seen many wonderful images of cryptogams added to our project over the last week but don't forget to email bushblitz@awe.gov.au with your entry before midnight AEST tonight (Wednesday 24 June) to have a chance to win a $30 Snowgum gift voucher!

The Week 3 challenge has just been announced on the Bush Blitz website. This time we're asking you to focus on invertebrates so this is a great opportunity for everyone to have a go.

© Nick Lambert

Good luck!