Diario del proyecto CNC 2022: S/M OLD

viernes, 13 de mayo de 2022

2022 City Nature Challenge Final Results and Winners!

Thank you to the 156 observers and 359 people who participated in this year's City Nature Challenge!

We are pleased to announce the top 10 volunteer observers of the Sarasota-Manatee City Nature Challenge (CNC). Overall, we had 5,934 observations of 1,494 species. This beat out last year's 4,373 observations of 1,184 species by over 1,000 observations and 300 species! The top five most observed species were brown anoles (64), American alligators (39), cabbage palms (37), and a three-way tie for fourth with 36 Virginia creepers, 36 lubber grasshoppers, and 36 white beggar ticks.

The Brown Anole Anolis sagrei was the most observed species in this year's CNC, photo by elprofer.

Our Top Ten list for observations in the Sarasota-Manatee CNC for 2022 are as follows:

  1. crowleymuseumandnaturecenter with an astounding 832 observations of 486 species!
  2. lazynaturalist came in second with 629 observations of 270 species.
  3. elprofer was new to this year's challenge and came in third with 541 observations of 249 species.
  4. ceherzog with 434 observations of 353 species.
  5. joe_cripe with 370 observations of 166 species.
  6. yukonfl with 364 observations of 252 species.
  7. phaynes with 224 observations of 172 species.
  8. miriinthewild with 211 observations of 137 species.
  9. Carol418 with 204 observations of 125 species.
  10. sandrae34242 with 161 observations of 137 species.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens the sponsors of our local Sarasota Manatee EcoFlora Project and of our CNC 2022 entry specialize in orchids, bromeliads, gesneriads, and epiphytes. Pictured here by this years winner crowleymuseumandnaturecenter is an uncommon ground orchid native to Florida, Spring Ladies' Tresses Spiranthes vernalis.

A special thanks to our top identifiers with over 1,000 ID's, including Jayhorn, hunter196, and coolcrittersyt as our top three.

The rarest plant found during CNC 2022 was Xyris stenotera flowering here, photo by Damonmoore.

We also noted 284 observations of 58 species of federally or state listed threatened plants and animals, with the American alligator being the most common animal at 39 observations and the giant airplant the most common plant with 19. Some of the rarest observations include Xyris stenotera, the West Indian manatee or Trichechus manatus, and the piping plover or Charadrius melodus and more all at one observation. Some threatened species seen in larger numbers include the less common cardinal airplant Tillandsia fasciculata with 11 observations and the gopher tortoise Gopherus polyphemus at 17 observations! Other fun facts include great blue herons as the most observed bird at 27 observations, Caesar weed the most spotted invasive at 26 observations, and the most popular post was of a group of baby Io moths hatching on a white mangrove leaf. The 2022 CNC also helped support our year-round Sarasota-Manatee EcoFlora Project with 3,783 plant observations of 904 species.

An amazing shot of the adorable Piping Plover Charadrius melodus by gloriamarkiewicz during CNC 2022.

Thank you all for participating this year. We will reach out to the winners about how to collect their prizes, and we hope to see you out regularly at our Sarasota-Manatee EcoFlora Project hikes year-round!

Publicado el viernes, 13 de mayo de 2022 a las 08:16 PM por sean_patton sean_patton | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

martes, 10 de mayo de 2022

May 10th Bioblitz Rescheduled

Hello EcoFlora Participants,

Due to a quick turnaround and lack of signups for tomorrow's bioblitz for Rocky Ford May 10th at 9AM Bioblitz is rescheduled we are rescheduling it to May 23rd to allow for more time for everyone to get there. Below is the updated bioblitzes for the May and June time period.

Upcoming Bioblitzes UPDATED
May 23rd - 9am - 12pm Rocky Ford 4000 Knight’s Trail Rd. Nokomis, FL 34275
May 27th - 9am - 12pm Robinson Preserve 1704 99th St NW, Bradenton, FL 34209
June 3rd - 9am - 12pm Lazy Dollar 4000 Knight’s Trail Rd. Nokomis, FL 34275
June 15th - 9am - 12pm Anna Maria Island 316 N Bay Blvd, Anna Maria, FL 34216

Please email or call if you need anything or have any questions and thank you for your patience!

Sean Patton

EcoFlora Coordinator

Publicado el martes, 10 de mayo de 2022 a las 12:36 AM por sean_patton sean_patton | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

viernes, 06 de mayo de 2022

Reminder to Upload Photos and New Ecoquest/Upcoming Bioblitzes

If you have not already please upload your photos for CNC 2022 by May 8th with winners being announced by May 9th. We have already gotten over 20% more observations and double the participation as last year!

Most of us are familiar with the sight and taste of cabbage, broccoli, kale, radishes, turnips, and mustards on our dinner plates, but did you know that these vegetables–collectively known as cruciferous vegetables–are all related? These plants are members of the Brassicaceae family, which is comprised of approximately 4,060 different species. Many of them have been cultivated for agricultural purposes and are staple foods in diets across the world. All members of the Brassicaceae family are characterized by cruciform (“cross shaped”) flowers that are usually yellow or white. Hence the name cruciferous!

Spotted by Chaseyb this Jointed Charlock exemplifies the cruciform or cross shaped flowers.

This month’s EcoQuest will focus on members of the mustard family that grow in our own backyards, some of which are also edible! There are six native mustard species that have been documented via preserved specimen collections in Sarasota and Manatee counties:

Coastal searocket (Cakile lanceolata)

Pennsylvania bittercress (Cardamine pensylvanica)

Western tansymustard (Descurainia pinnata)

Virginia pepperweed (Lepidium virginicum)

Florida watercress (Nasturtium floridanum)

Southern marsh yellowcress (Rorippa teres)

These species inhabit a variety of habitats. Coastal searocket can be found in coastal dunes while Florida watercress grows in springs and swamps. Florida watercress is our only endemic mustard species, meaning that it is both native and only found in Florida!

Our native mustards inhabit a variety of habitats. Coastal searocket, for example, grows in coastal dune ecosystems, while Florida watercress grows in spring and swamp ecosystems. Florida watercress is also our only endemic mustard species, meaning that it is not only native to Florida but is only found in Florida.

The Coastal Searocket is a beautiful albeit uncommon native to many of our barrier islands in Sarasota and Manatee counties spied by Chaseyb.

One of the most common Florida native Brassicaceae species, Virginia pepperweed, is likely growing in your neighborhood or a disturbed site nearby. Not only is Lepidium virginicum edible to humans, it is also a host plant for both the checkered white butterfly (Pontia protodice) and the great southern white butterfly (Ascia monuste).

There are five non-native species that have been documented in the two counties as well:

India mustard (Brassica juncea)

Lesser swinecress (Lepidium didymum)

European watercress (Nasturtium officinale)

Wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum)

Charlock mustard (Sinapsis arvensis)

All non-native species that have been introduced to Florida ecosystems are edible! Most have been grown as agricultural crops, so it is likely that they originally spread by escaping from cultivation. European watercress is specifically grown as a crop in Florida to supplement the supply for other states who cannot grow it during the winter months.

Please join us for the bioblitzes listed below as we forage for our local mustard species! Have your weeds and eat them too!

Upcoming Bioblitzes
May 10th - 9am - 12pm Rocky Ford 4000 Knight’s Trail Rd. Nokomis, FL 34275
June 3rd - 9am - 12pm Lazy Dollar 4000 Knight’s Trail Rd. Nokomis, FL 34275
June 15th - 9am - 12pm Anna Maria Island 316 N Bay Blvd, Anna Maria, FL 34216
May 27th - 9am - 12pm Robinson Preserve 1704 99th St NW, Bradenton, FL 34209

Also if you have not uploaded your City Nature Challenge observations of anything during April 29th to May 2nd please do so before May 9th where the final numbers will be submitted and winners announced!

You can learn more by going to selby.org or emailing us at ecoflora@selby.org or asking below!

Publicado el viernes, 06 de mayo de 2022 a las 07:45 PM por sean_patton sean_patton | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

lunes, 02 de mayo de 2022

CNC 2022 Observation Period Ends Tonight at Midnight!

It is the last day of City Nature Challenge! We are well on our way to beat last year's numbers but let's get a final big push in to see how high we can get. All observations taken today up to midnight will count. You can upload them tomorrow but all observations must be in before May 8th to be counted for CNC 2022. We would like to thank all our partners who were out with us and everyone who participated whether it was in a group or on their own. Let's finish CNC Strong!

Photo by Sandra of a Jamaican Caper tree during our Leffis Key Bioblitz. A big thank you and shoutout to our volunteers and supporters during CNC 2022!

Publicado el lunes, 02 de mayo de 2022 a las 07:36 PM por sean_patton sean_patton | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

sábado, 30 de abril de 2022

CNC So Far!

Hello Everyone,

Day one ended with over 1,200 observations of over 400 species! The top spotted organisms included Brown Anoles, Lubber Grasshoppers, Eastern Gray Squirrels, Saw Palmetto, and Herbwilliam. Our top three observers were Crowleymuseumandnaturecenter, elprofer, and cherzog each with over 150 observations! This challenge is far from over, let's keep it up and check out the previous journal post below for all sorts of fun events!

I'm in LUB with City Nature Challenge! Keep on hopping these next three days!

Publicado el sábado, 30 de abril de 2022 a las 07:09 PM por sean_patton sean_patton | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

viernes, 29 de abril de 2022

CNC Local Events List in Sarasota and Manatee Counties

You can find event signups on the Selby Gardens Website as well. If you have not read the previous journal post on City Nature Challenge please do so as this list is also connected through there!

APRIL 29 – MAY 1 at 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
CROWLEY MUSEUM & NATURE CENTER BIOBLITZ
16405 Myakka Road, Sarasota
Hosted By: Crowley Museum & Nature Center
No registration required. Show Welcome Center staff your iNaturalist
app and join the City Nature Challenge 2022: Sarasota and Manatee Counties project for free admission!

FRIDAY, APRIL 29 at 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
CITY NATURE CHALLENGE BIOBLITZ
JOHNSON PRESERVE AT BRADEN RIVER
583910104 Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202
Hosted by: Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast and Manatee
County Parks & Natural Resources
Registration: https://www.conservationfoundation.com/events/

SATURDAY, APRIL 30 at 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
2022 SEAGRASS SURVEY AND FESTIVAL
SARASOTA SAILING SQUADRON
1717 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota
Hosted by: Sarasota Bay Estuary Program and Sarasota County
Registration: https://2022seagrasssurvey.eventbrite.com/

SUNDAY, MAY 1 at 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
ECOFLORA BIOBLITZ
FELTS AUDUBON PRESERVE
4600 24th Avenue East, Palmetto
Hosted by: Marie Selby Botanical Gardens and Manatee County Audubon Society
Registration: https://bit.ly/ecoflora-project

MONDAY, MAY 2 at 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
CITY NATURE CHALLENGE BIOBLITZ
LEFFIS KEY PRESERVE
1427 Gulf Drive South, Bradenton Beach
Hosted by: Manatee County Parks & Natural Resources and Sarasota Bay
Estuary Program
Registration: https://bit.ly/ecoflora-project

If you have trouble getting into any events feel free to call Sean Patton the Ecoflora Coordinator at 719-439-9755 or email ecoflora@selby.org.

Publicado el viernes, 29 de abril de 2022 a las 02:00 AM por sean_patton sean_patton | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

miércoles, 27 de abril de 2022

City Nature Challenge 2022 Begins this Friday!

Hello Everyone,

If you want local events for City Nature Challenge, are completely new to iNaturalist or never heard about the City Nature Challenge learn more about it through our in depth writeup CLICK HERE! Otherwise read below for reminders, recommendations, and a review of the rules.

If you are looking for our Year Round Sarasota Manatee EcoFlora Project CLICK HERE!

What is City Nature Challenge 2022?
City nature Challenge 2022 is the biggest event on iNaturalist. This is a yearly event spanning the first weekend between April and May, this year it is April 29th to May 2nd where the goal is to observe as many plants and animals as possible! Participants are cities or metro areas worldwide with over 400 cities for 2022 and 8 in Florida. If you are not near any participating group you can join the other category or find your closest area on the CNC website. This post is to serve as a reminder, with tips, tricks, and recommendations based around iNaturalist. Also after the four day observation period there is a short period May 3 - May 8th where you will have time to upload any leftover observations, help identify plants and animals if you are sure you know what they are, and on May 9th we will announce local winners who will receive from a selection of small prizes supplied by Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. If you want to track your personal score locally check our CNC 2022 page here!

A big thanks to the many partners who helped us set up our local events! They include Crowley Museum and Nature Center, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, both Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources, Manatee Audubon, Sarasota Counties, and Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast. Also thank you to anyone who shares, spreads the word, or supports this monumental event!

Any rules on Observations?
Any observation taken during the April 29- May 2nd period and inside Sarasota or Manatee Counties, just like our year round Sarasota Manatee Ecoflora project will be counted towards our total, be it plant, animal, fungus, or otherwise! That said we do not want to flood iNaturalist with pointless observations of every blade of grass or unidentifiable photos. The first time you visit an area, and say there is a lot of Spanish moss record it once for that area. An area is usually described as a park, neighborhood, preserve or other geographically bound area. Extremely rare or spread out species are fair game for multiple observations but use your best judgement.
If you are in a group each animal or plant found should only be uploaded once we want diversity! Feel free to keep pictures for your own use though if someone else uploads a particularly cool plant or animal. Also while we want many photos, we need to make sure they are good quality as well. For plants take photos of the top and bottom of leaves, stems, flowers, fruits, trunks, and habit or how/where the plant is growing in. For animals do not harm them, be careful around venomous or dangerous animals and take clear photos usually a top and side view is best especially for insects like butterflies.
Cultivated or wild organisms are fair game though we place emphasis on wild plants and animals as that is more useful for science and in the spirit of the competition. Finally include all photos of each organism in one post, identify it as closely as possible (even just plant or animal is fine) otherwise they will not be counted with blank identification lines. Otherwise some people regularly hit over 300 observations so go hog wild!

Fast moving species like butterflies, birds, and fish may be difficult to identify so if you don't get a good photo don't worry! Patience can help you get the perfect photo, or if you're more of a slow speed like this gopher tortoise there are many plants that need observing and they don't run away! Usually. Just remember to get clear photos, multiple angles, and upload them together.

Any rules on Identification?
May 3rd through May 8th is identification of the uploaded posts. If you are an expert in your field, very experienced with certain groups of organisms, or are certain on some identifications feel free to identify away! While uploading observations be sure photos are clear, all photos for each organism are together, and you identify it as closely as you know how to help others identify it too. Keep your GPS on so we know where they are as that helps the app ID species too! The app is often accurate or close but may not always be right so don't rely on it entirely. You can also help ID plants or animals from anywhere so even if you are not local in Sarasota or Manatee counties you can still help us ID our observations.

Many plants such as the above Yellow Eyed Grass Xyris stenotera can be difficult to identify without flowers, the bud of the flower, and leaves. Ferns, oaks, butterflies, and grasses almost always need multiple clear photos for positive ID's. You can also add Annotations like flowering for plants or adult or larvae for animals in the right hand side of observations.

How do we know how we are doing?
Feel free to join the City Nature Challenge 2022 for Sarasota and Manatee Counties HERE! This will help track your progress as you upload observations. Remember only observations between Apr 29 and May 2 count but you can upload between May 3 - May 8 if needed with final results announced May 9th. This is also the day we will announce local winners on Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Blog, through the journal, and through individual messages.

Do we have any local goals?
Last year we hit 4,737 observations of 1,185 species over the four day period in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Our goal this year is 10,000 observations and 1,500 species! The top score for observations last year was crowleymuseumandnaturecenter with 598 observations of 321 species.
Can you beat that?

Any local events participating?
Yes see the full events list by clicking HERE!

Are you ready for City Nature Challenge 2022?
OH YA!
See you all out there, let's be the best in Florida!

We'll see you out there! Just like this osprey we'll be looking around as much as possible, grab your friends, your iNaturalist camera or phone and let's get observing!

Publicado el miércoles, 27 de abril de 2022 a las 11:06 PM por sean_patton sean_patton | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

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