The City Nature Challenge is an annual global community science competition to document biodiversity in cities. To take part in this holiday, some friends and I went to the Gillbrook natural area in Winooski. This area has many trails which diverge and take you through wetlands and hilly forests. While we were there, I showed my friends how to use the iNaturalist app and document species that they saw. I have been using this app since high school, and have used it to help me identify lots of buds and plants in centennial woods for my phenology spot. It is really helpful, especially the feature that lets you compare your documentation with similar ones in the same area to help you get the most accurate reading.
The link is not able to be embedded, but this is a screenshot of where it is along with the URL you can click on to visit.
While on our walk, we focused on documenting species near the pond. We found a garter snake, but it got away before we could capture a real good picture of it. We also saw some bulrushes and cattails, which kind of looks like corn dogs.
It was really interesting to see the different species being reported all over the world, and to think that really common plants in this part of the world do not exist in other parts and may seem exotic and exciting. It was especially fun to look at all the different types of animals people find right in their backyards!
After we were done in Winooski, we went back to downtown Burlington, got some food, and enjoyed a charcuterie board by the lakefront. It was quite a fun little day and I am excited to go on similar trips with my friends back home! It will be interesting to compare the native species of New York and Vermont and see if they differ or are pretty much the same.
