For the BioBlitz, I began my search in Centennial Woods on Friday, and found species that I was fairly confident in identifying. On Saturday, I visited the pond near Harris Millis on the Athletic campus, and managed to catch what I believe to be an aquatic beetle larva. On Sunday, I visited Intervale and found a few more species not present in Centennial Woods. On Monday I went down to rock point, where I found an incredible amount of plant species. I then went to Derway Island and was finally able to photograph some birds.
Because I had already used iNaturalist to document mammal signs in Burlington over the winter, it was easier for me to upload my observations this time. I liked getting feedback from other people on my observations. I was impressed that a few people were able to narrow down some of the trickier ones, such as the amphipod I found at Intervale. I encountered around 140 species, but was only able to identify around 100 of them.
Taking a look at other cities, I saw more species recorded farther south and in coastal areas. I think it is interesting how big of a difference a few degrees of latitude can make in phenologies. Burlington seems to be at a place for many of its woody plants where they are in between their winter and summer appearances, making them hard to identify. I imagine being on the other side of this transition is partly what gives cities a bit further south their edge.
I found this amphipod with a blue tinge in the pond at the Intervale Center. There were an enormous amount of invertebrate species present in a relatively small area.
