During this four-day urban bioblitz, I mostly explored the natural areas that are on the campus of UVM, with some explorations of the nearby neighborhoods. Using iNaturalist was especially fun during this event as I had not used it much before. I appreciated how the app gave suggestions on the species I observed, which usually confirmed my predictions. I also enjoy how it connects me with others in the Greater Burlington Area who are able to comment on my own observations. Personally, I encountered countless species over this four day period, but I only uploaded 7 of them. These 7 species included thornless honey locust, dandelions, paper birch, daffodils, American robin, ring-billed gull, and eastern cottontail. In looking through the observations of other cities, I was suprised at which cities were in the lead and which ones were not. I saw that some cities with great biodiversity were not as active in the challenge as other cities were. Additionally, I was just in awe of all of the different species I was seeing throughout the world, that people are able to encounter on an everyday basis. This challenge has definitely inspired me to use iNaturalist when I’m home as well as participate in the next BioBlitz!
