Diario del proyecto North Carolina Summer Biodiversity

“I wanna make a jigsaw puzzle that's 40,000 pieces. And when you finish it, it says, 'go outside'.” - Demetri Martin

Thank you to everyone who participated in NCWF’s Summer iNaturalist Bioblitz. From June 21st to September 23rd, participants across the state opened their doors, embraced the heat and searched for wonders of nature! With curious minds and playful hearts, we reached our goal of 200 thousand observations and 10 thousand total species. This summer was one to remember! Congratulations to the Piedmont who took 1st place in both observations (94,181) and species recorded (5,950).

The project aimed to inspire North Carolinians to get out outside and connect with nature. At the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, we recognize the importance of that connection. The importance of enjoying the abundance of rich outdoor experiences that are unique to this state. Those who have memorable experiences outside are far more likely to engage in efforts to protect those wild places.

In addition to inspiring people to get outside, the bioblitz highlighted the significance of citizen science. It served as a platform to create and gather data for scientists who are working to better understand and protect wildlife and habitat.

We hope that by participating in this project, you learned something new about North Carolina wildlife! North Carolina is a biodiversity hotspot and that’s worth our attention.

What next? Volunteer! The North Carolina Wildlife Federation (ncwf.org) and many other environmental non-profits across the state are constantly hosting opportunities to get involved. Whether it's planting trees, picking up trash, removing invasive plants... you name it! We would love to work with you. Together we can protect, conserve and restore the wild places in North Carolina that we are lucky to call home.

“One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?” - Rachel Carson

10 more days! Let's all channel our inner Eastern racer and race to the finish line!

9,815 species have been observed. We're so close to 10 thousand!

BIOBLITZ STATS:

Total - 183,425 observations, 9,815 species WOW
Species with the most observations - Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (1270), Common Box Turtle (832), Eastern Bumblebee (717), Green June Beetle (476), Silver-Spotted Skipper (475), Yellow Garden Spider (420), Green Anole (418), Common Jewelweed (416), Webworm Moth (414), Eastern Carpenter Bee (395).

1st Place: NC Piedmont - 82,634 observations, 5,620 species
2nd Place: NC Mountains - 70,174 observations, 5,498 species
3rd Place: NC Coastal Plain - 30,617 observations, 3,634 species

Most Observations for Each Region:
NC Coastal Plain: harrier (965 observations)
NC Piedmont: davidgeorge (1,989 observations)
NC Mountains: denisewill (1,129 observations)

Most Species for Each Region
NC Coastal Plain: steven307 (345 species)
NC Piedmont: davidgeorge (677 species)
NC Mountains: denisewill (522 species)

Head on over to NCWF’s social media pages @NCWildlifeFederation on Facebook and @ncwildlifefed on Instagram. New features will be posted soon!

“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees.” - Henry David Thoreau

Neck and neck! NCWF's Summer Bioblitz is close to the finish line! Will the Mountains observe more species than the Piedmont?! The gap is less than 50!

We're also closing in on 10 thousand species observed! Thank you everyone who has been getting outside and participating.

BIOBLITZ STATS:

Total - 153,813 observations, 9,226 species WOW
Species with the most observations - Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (1048), Common Box Turtle (698), Eastern Bumblebee (603), Green June Beetle (435), Silver-Spotted Skipper (405), Webworm Moth (365), Ghost Pipe (343), Eastern Carpenter Bee (337), Luna Moth (325), Common Selfheal (324)

1st Place: NC Piedmont - 68,547 observations, 5,260 species
2nd Place: NC Mountains - 59,976 observations, 5,215 species
3rd Place: NC Coastal Plain - 25,265 observations, 3,321 species

Most Observations for Each Region:
NC Coastal Plain: harrier (953 observations)
NC Piedmont: davidgeorge (1,679 observations)
NC Mountains: denisewill (1,014 observations)

Most Species for Each Region
NC Coastal Plain: steven307 (325 species)
NC Piedmont: davidgeorge (588 species)
NC Mountains: denisewill (429 species)

Head on over to NCWF’s social media pages @NCWildlifeFederation on Facebook and @ncwildlifefed on Instagram. New features will be posted next week. And while you're at it, check out NCWF's recent blog on citizen science!

"The world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting - over and over announcing your place in the family of things." - Mary Oliver

The NCWF iNaturalist Bioblitz has crushed 100 thousand observations and continues to skyrocket! Thank you to everyone who has been participating. The observation map is nearly filled!

BIOBLITZ STATS:

Total - 121,458 observations, 8,448 species WOW
Species with the most observations - Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (717), Common Box Turtle (592), Eastern Bumblebee (482), Green June Beetle (374), Silver-Spotted Skipper (306), Webworm Moth (298), Ghost Pipe (296), Imperial Moth (283), Common Selfheal (281), Eastern Carpenter Bee (271)

1st Place: NC Piedmont - 55,435 observations, 4,861 species
2nd Place: NC Mountains - 46,372 observations, 4,701 species
3rd Place: NC Coastal Plain - 19,651 observations, 3,053 species

Most Observations for Each Region:
NC Coastal Plain: harrier (749 observations)
NC Piedmont: caterpillarscount (1,496 observations)
NC Mountains: logpark (810 observations)

Most Species for Each Region
NC Coastal Plain: steven307 (319 species)
NC Piedmont: davidgeorge (494 species)
NC Mountains: denisewill (428 species)

The NC Piedmont leads the way but the NC Mountains continue to close the gap on species observed! It's a tight race getting tighter each week! Who will win?!

Head on over to NCWF’s social media pages @NCWildlifeFederation on Facebook and @ncwildlifefed on Instagram. New features will be posted next week. And while you're at it, check out NCWF's recent blog on citizen science!

Legendary cartoonist who authored the timeless Calvin and Hobbes comic strip once said, "a playful mind is is inquisitive, and learning is fun. If you indulge your natural curiosity and retain a sense of fun in new experience, I think you'll find it functions as a shock absorber for the bumpy road ahead."

We hope everyone is letting out their childlike curiosity and enjoying new experiences in the outdoors this summer!

The NCWF iNaturalist Bioblitz nears 100 thousand observations! Thank you to everyone who has been participating. Can you believe summer is almost halfway over?! Let's make the most of it while it's still here!

BIOBLITZ STATS:

Total - 98,300 observations, 7,814 species
Species with the most observations - Common Box Turtle (509), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (482), Eastern Bumblebee (379), Green June Beetle (323) Rhododendron (233), Eastern Carpenter Bee (225), Ghost Pipe (222), Common Selfheal (220), Ailanthus Webworm Moth (220), Silver-Spotted Skipper (215)
1st Place: NC Piedmont - 45,418 observations, 4,453 species
2nd Place: NC Mountains - 36,999 observations, 4,249 species
3rd Place: NC Coastal Plain - 15,872 observations, 2,789 species

The NC Piedmont leads the way but the NC Mountains continue to close the gap on species observed! It's a tight race!

Head on over to NCWF’s social media pages to see who’s observations were featured! @NCWildlifeFederation on Facebook and @ncwildlifefed on Instagram. And while you're at it, check out NCWF's recent blog on ethical nature photography!

The North Carolina Wildlife Federation iNaturalist bioblitz continues it's hot streak with thousands of observations pouring in!

North Carolina wildlife and habitat is a treasure. A treasure that is worth our undaunted effort to protect, conserve, restore and of course... celebrate! Thank you all for getting outside and appreciating our wonderfully biodiverse state!

BIOBLITZ STATS:

Total - 54,812 observations, 6,269 species
Species with the most observations - Common Box Turtle (367), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (210), Eastern Bumblebee (177), Rhododendron (172), Green June Beetle (150), Carolina Ruellia (150), Ghost Pipe (139)
1st Place: NC Piedmont - 26,296 observations, 3,550 species
2nd Place: NC Mountains - 19,490 observations, 3,194 species
3rd Place: NC Coastal Plain - 9,026 observations, 2,047 species

The NC Piedmont leads the way but the NC Mountains are catching up on species observed! To the NC Coastal Plain folks, the bioblitz will continue until September 23rd so there's still plenty of time for a come from behind victory!

Head on over to NCWF’s social media pages to see who’s observations were featured! @NCWildlifeFederation on Facebook and @ncwildlifefed on Instagram. Thank you for participating and remember that time outdoors is time well spent.

The NCWF iNaturalist summer BioBlitz is off to a hot start! Observations are coming in from all across the state. Over 16 thousand observations so far… wow!

BIOBLITZ STATS:

Total - 16,128 observations, 3,703 species
Species with most observations - Common box turtle (102)
1st Place: NC Piedmont - 7,589 observations, 1,943 species
2nd Place: NC Mountains - 5,423 observations, 1,630 species
3rd Place: NC Coastal Plain - 3,116 observations, 1,143 species

Congratulations to our NC Piedmont folks! Keep participating in the BioBlitz to see who will reign supreme by the end of the summer!

Head on over to NCWF’s social media pages to see who’s observations were featured! @NCWildlifeFederation on Facebook and @ncwildlifefed on Instagram. Thank you for participating and stay curious!

From the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks, North Carolina is a beautiful state with countless natural wonders to explore. We encourage anyone and everyone to get outside and see what they can find during the hot summer season! The competition will be between North Carolina's three regions: mountains, piedmont, coastal plain. Updates will be posted on both iNaturalist and the North Carolina Wildlife Federation's social media pages @NCWildlifeFederation on Facebook and @ncwildlifefed on Instagram.