To start, I had issues with this logistically. My iNaturalist app allowed me to join the project, but would not let me add any observations to it. These were all logged, but weren’t added to the overall Greater Burlington BioBlitz. I think this is because they were not research grade observations.
During this BioBlitz, I explored the grassy area in front of my dorm that runs along the path to Redstone.
On this map, my area is the green on the very left. It is upkept by the University, but directly borders a residential area.
As I described earlier, I had issues with iNaturalist and definitely think it should be significantly more user-friendly. That being said, it is an excellent tool to have in my back pocket. I have found the identification suggestions very helpful and usually correct.
Shown above are my observations, excluding the pickerel frog and snowshoe hare. I identified six species. I did my best to only identify wild plants and natives and did not record obviously planted landscaping plants. I enjoyed identifying plants near my dorm because it makes me feel more connected with and in-the-know about the nature I reside in and around.
Following along with other cities’ BioBlitz pages was a great way to virtually travel! My favorite page is the Aotearoa, New Zealand page because of all of the biodiversity and unique species that I have never seen! I could have done without all the huge spiders, though. Here are a few of my favorite observations from Aotearoa:
After falling into the rabbit hole of New Zealand iNaturalist for far too long, I observed that I could find absolutely zero mammal observations. The page was mostly shells, birds, vegetation, and countless spiders. As a wildlife bio lover, I wonder why so few mammals were present in the BioBlitz.
