On Sunday, September 10, we celebrated California’s Biodiversity Week by participating in an iNaturalist bioblitz challenge. A bioblitz is essentially a nature mapping activity that aids scientific research by documenting species in a particular area. Our observations went into the Find 30 Species for CA 30×30 project in tribute to California’s initiative to conserve 30% of our lands and coastal waters by 2030.
Led by recently certified California Naturalists Juliet Malik and Linda Carter, our group of 14 headed down the Sacramento River Trail from the South Diestelhorst Bridge Trailhead to find and identify as many species as we could using the iNaturalist app on our phones. It was a fun and informative collaborative trip with knowledgeable Shasta Chapter CNPS members, Shasta Environmental Alliance members, iNaturalist users, and others who were curious about using technology to learn about the flora and fauna around them.
Of the dozens of species recorded, there were the expected ones like western redbud (Cercis occidentalis), California buckeye (Aesculus californica), maidenhair fern (Adiantum jordanii), and American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)—yes, non-native, invasive species are important to document as well! We also found some species not previously included on our plant list, like hoptree (Ptelea crenulata).
Additionally, some members of the group recorded the songs of a Bewick’s wren and a white-breasted nuthatch and uploaded them to the iNaturalist project as well. Other fun fauna finds included a great egret, Canada geese, wood ducks, a southern alligator lizard, an Arizona mantis, California gall wasps, and a western spotted orbweaver.
We look forward to more outings like this in the future and hope you can join us! ~Juliet Malik
