During the BioBlitz, I visited Red Rocks park. I took the Lake Trail and stopped along the beach access and a few lookout points. While walking, I stopped to identify as many plant species as I could, as well as a few other organisms amphibians, birds, and fungi.
My experience using iNaturalist went really well, and I enjoyed the simplicity of the app. I also really liked how I could use Seek to identify something and upload it directly from Seek to iNaturalist.
I was able to identify and upload 18 species to iNaturalist, including some that I was able to identify without using Seek or iNaturalist. This included red berried elder, eastern white pine, northern cedar, red oak, ostrich fern, lesser burdock, orange day-lily, purple crownvetch, eastern hemlock, cedar rusts, eastern red-back salamanders, rock polypody, dutchman’s breeches, black cherry, early meadow-rue, buffleheads, common earthworms, and yellow trout lily. I was not able to upload some bird species to iNaturalist, but I also encountered Black-capped Chickadees, American Crows, Song Sparrows, and Tufted Titmice.
One thing I found interesting in reports from other cities around the world is that because it’s a city nature challenge, the observations are often everyday sightings for people and can be found in their own back yard or in their neighborhood. Oftentimes, I myself feel like I have to go somewhere thats designated as a “natural area” to feel like I am “in nature,” but this challenge is a kind of a nice reminder that nature is all around us.