Wildlife advocates and the National Park Service are at odds over a spike in elk mortality.

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2021-4-fall/feature/curious-case-dead-elk-point-reyes-national-seashore?amp

One adaption a single one of my observations has that the rest of your observations do not:
Linaria vulgaris have a particular reproductive adaptation where their seedlings can produce daughter shoots only 3 weeks after the cotyledon is produced. This is to ensure that when the ground is between 5-10 degrees Celsius, it has the chance to reproduce to start producing a root system that will sustain them when the ideal blooming period occurs in mid-summer.

One adaptation all of my observations share:
All my plants have a blooming period of mid/late summer to late fall, hence their bloomed state in the pictures. This means that they have adapted to the climate if they were not native to the area, and if they were it shows that they are adapting to the hotter and longer summers due to climate change to survive those periods of time to stay in full bloom. Another adaptation would be that all flowering plants have long spreading roots because they are quite thin so in order to obtain nutrients from the ground, length is to their advantage.

Phylogenetic tree location of one of your observations using OneZoom:
The Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) is closely related to the poison milkweed where it has the same common ancestor with 3 other species. All of them related to 103 species with a common ancestor, all milkweeds.

European earwigs (also known as forficula auricularia) are common in North America and using by OneZoom, it can be determined that they are found in the the arthropoda phylum, its class is the Insecta Class, in the Dermaptera Order. Going further into its scientific classification, European earwigs are in the foriculidae family, its genus being forficula (which is part of its binomial name). After doing some reasearch, it can be determined that there are no specific adaptations that all of my obersved species display in my group project. This is most likely due to the fact that the species recorded are very unique and diverse, making their needs quite different from eachother, thus having very diverse adaptations as a result. When looking at one unique adaptation for one of my observations, European earwigs have a very interesting reproductive adaptation that allows them to survive in the harsh winters in Canada. European earwigs in North America comprise of two sibling species, which are reproductively isolated. Populations in cold continental climates (most of Canada) mostly have one clutch per year, forming species A, whereas those in warmer climates have two clutches per year, forming species B (Southern United States).

The observation I chose for my journal entry is the brown stone centipede. One unique adaptation that centipedes have is their forcipules. These are specific to only centipedes and are long legs located directly behind their head. These legs have the unique function of pinching, in which they use to grab their prey and inject it with venom. This adaption makes it easier for centipedes to catch and kill their prey.
One observation I made about all of the insects I found was their color. Through evolution, these insects have adapted to blend into their surroundings. I noticed this throughout the process of looking for the insects. It was hard to locate the bugs because of how well they blended into the environment.

Using OneZoom, I determined the phylogeny placement of the centipede. Centipedes lie within the myriapods species. Myriapods are arthropods with long bodies.

In correspondence to my observation of the St. John's Worts, it was discovered that one unique adaptation this plant has is its ability to grow in conditions of minimal sunlight and thus, survive in a low-vegetation and rocky sediment area at the corner of a sidewalk. One shared adaptation amongst my observations is that they are all perennials: these plants lose their foliage in the winter and "resurrect" back during the spring time. The phylogeny placement for one of my observations, Roses, is within the genus Rosa.

Foxtail Bristlegrass or Yellow Foxtail is a yellow-ish, bristled plant that belongs to the widespread genus of grass plants called Setaria. Plants in this genus are present all over Canada because of their ability to adapt to a variety of environments: well and poorly drained soil, high and low temperatures, etc. The bristles present on the grasses in this genus were adapted to protect the fruits contained inside predation as well as assist in the dispersal of seeds. As stated in "THE BIOLOGY OF CANADIAN WEEDS" by Marion G. Steel, plants in this genus are "well-adapted to dispersal by animals" as the "fruiting panicle" of the plant "attaches itself to the fur of passing animals" by means of the bristles, allowing the seeds to be distributed easily. (https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.4141/cjps83-088)

In general, it can be concluded that plants existing in the Greater Montreal Area have adapted to survive the temperate climate that contains both harsh winters and hot summers. As the Setaria genus has adapted to survive in a range of environments, most plants found in Montreal must do the same given the large range of temperatures and precipitation throughout the year.

Observations were collected on a plant with large leaves that had a wrinkly texture and wave-like edges, with no flowers present. The phylogenic placement for this plant is Genus Tussilago, given that leaves in this genus generally have wave-like edges, wrinkly texture, typically have flowers in the springtime, and are very common in the Greater Montreal Area.

1. White Snakeroot is in the Eudicots, amidst the flowering plants (Magnoliopsida) in the Plantae kingdom; more specifically, it is a Snakeroot (Ageratina) in the Daisy family (Asteraceae) in the Asterales order. White Snakeroot is phylogenetically very close to Stevia and Common Boneset.
2. All of the observed species in the group project are adapted to thrive in a cooler climate; for example, the trees in the area hibernate during the winter while the smaller plants, who are unable to do that, leave seeds and roots in the ground which hibernate in their own way and come alive in the spring. This makes sense because all of these organisms were found in and around Mount Royal where it gets cold in the winter; so to survive there, they had to adapt to the cold.
3. One unique adaptation that is specific to Goldenrods is that their fruit is a single-seeded cypsela which is covered in hairs so that the seeds can be spread by the wind. This is beneficial to them because it allows the seeds to be spread far from the original plant and without the help of another organism (i.e. a squirrel having to bring the fruit somewhere else).

The White Sweet-Clover is within the Melilot group. Some other kinds of Clovers in the Melilot group include Red Clover, Large head Clover, Hare's foot Clover, and Brown moor Clover. The scientific name for Clover is Trifolium. All of my observations have the same type of location and relatively the same stem. They are all located within a bush or grass and they all have stems within the range of 10 inches to 20 inches. Nitrogen fixation is unique to the White Sweet-Clover (relative to my other observations). The Clover takes Nitrogen from the air and converts it into ammonia in the soil to promote its growth and reproduction.

Out of my ten observations, I decided to locate Viburnum acerifolium on the phylogenic tree, and I discovered that it was placed as follows in descending order: Eukaryotes, Diphoda, Steptophyta, Euphyllophyta, Mesangiospermae, Eudicots, Gunneridae, Pentapetalae, Asterids, Campanulids, Dipsacales, Adoxas, Viburnum, Viburnum acerifolium. As I look at the placement of the species on the phylogenetic tree, it is under the genius Viburnum and species of acerifolium, which contains 18 different species within. One structural adaptation that could be observed throughout the group's observation was the colour traits of the plants, as the leaves and different plants were all green. A structural adaptation I found within my observations was that majority of the plants and leaves had wide-shaped leaves, possibly due to the plants trying to absorb for sunlight for energy.

One of the Burdock’s adaptations is that its phyllaries are hooked, so when an animal passes by, it catches on their fur and the seed follows the animal until it falls off of them. This is for seed dispersal, so that the Burdock can grow everywhere.
Height is an adaptation that applies to all my observations, and all plants in general. In order to receive enough sunlight and not be covered by other plants, they had to grow taller.
For my phylogeny placement, I chose the sugar maple tree (acer saccharum). It is in the genus acer (maple trees). The genus acer is in the family Sapindaceae (flowering plants), and that is in the order Sapindales, known as the soapberry family.

1. The Crisped Pincushion is contained in the Ulota Crispa species. It is housed under the Plantae kingdom, Bryopsida class, Orthotrichales order, and in the Ulota genus.
2. All the species I obeserved in the gynomsperm group, is that they have naked seeds - there are no ovarys to cover the ovules (what is used to reproduced) and instead the ovules are on leaflike structures. This leads to being able to survive dry land because seeds have less depences on water, and it also aids the reproduction and development of the embryo.
3. The Coniferous is shaped like a pear to withstand snow fall. The tree is shaped such that the top is skinner than the bottom, this is so that the snow doesn't cause too much weight on the top of the tree, and acess snow can fall to lower branches of the treee.

The sugar maple tree, “Acer saccharum”, is part of the soapberry family, among the Eudicots. It is a flowering and seed plant, in the group of the vascular plants which are part of the land plants. All our observed species are green plants, which means they are capable of photosynthesis; they convert light energy into chemical energy to fuel their organism’s activity. Moreover, the sugar maple has a unique adaptation; its seeds are shaped with paper-like wings, parallels to each other, that allow them to travel further away, with the help of the wind.

The greater burdock has the unique adaptation of extended roots, it shoots deep into the soil. This is done so that it stays in place for a long time (so that it can flower in its second year) and is hard for animals (including humans!) to dig up. One adaptation of all of the observed plants in Mont Royal is that they are all short in growth height. This is done because of the climate in Mont Royal, including great snow and cold winds. The shorter growth provides protection from the climate by being closer to the ground (less wind and more shelter from snow). The greater burdock is in the genus Arctium L., family Asteraceae, and order Asterales. The phylogeny placement continues in the superorder Asteranae and class Magnoliopsida.

https://inaturalist.ca/projects/manitoba-nature/journal/56658-gall-week-october-2-10-2020

After spider week, Cal Coast week, and taco day, it is time for Gall Week! Let's start a new tradition, documenting galls on the first week of October.
https://inaturalist.ca/projects/gall-week-2021-9e58d299-60ec-4b10-af61-11ec0ab46974

We can see organisms shifting strategies as the days shorten and the temperatures drop. Many birds are moving steadily south. Amphibians are burying themselves in the mud. Plants are shifting into dormancy. Here's a new thing to try on your wanders out in nature.

Galls are plant deformities caused by other organisms. The plant host responds to chemical secretions from the organism to build uniquely shaped structures that always benefit the gall inducer and sometimes also benefit the host.

Gall inducers can frequently be identified just by the shape and placement of the gall and the identity of the plant hosting the gall. Gall inducers specialize in specific groups of plants or sometimes even a single species. Observers can use the 'Host Plant ID' observation field to add their identification of the plant host to their observation of the gall.

Many gall structure are quite small so you will need to get up close and personal to find them. Collect images of the general location and appearance of the plant deformity and then zoom in to show the specific shape and texture of the tiny structure. A single tree may have multiple different galls on its leaves and branches. Its neighbour may have still other species to find. Soon you will know where to look for species in our area and recognizing when you have discovered something new and exciting.

Gall-related projects generally are made as traditional projects so after you join them you will still have to add your gall observations manually. If you want to start observing galls immediately, you can add your gall observations to Galls of North America

More reading....

• Plants make galls to accommodate foreigners: some are friends, most are foes by Marion O. Harris, Andrea Pitzschke published in New Phytologist, 27 November 2019
• Confessions of a gall hunter by Ron Russo, published in Natural History, 2009/2010)
• Goldenrod Galls

SAVE THE DATE
October 8, 2021 at 6pm, A Virtual Event

https://travisaudubon.org/2021-vecal

2021 CONSERVATION HERO GREG LASLEY
AUSTIN, Texas– Travis Audubon announces the selection of the 2021 Victor Emanuel Conservation Award Hero.

Every year Travis Audubon honors an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to promoting environmental conservation, education, or advocacy. These heroes are recognized at our annual Conservation Award Celebration, named after legendary birder and conservationist Victor Emanuel. The honorees are influential leaders who have inspired us to greater community involvement and environmental awareness through their work.

The Board of Directors of Travis Audubon is honored to announce that the 2021 Conservation Hero is Greg Lasley of Dripping Springs, Texas. The Board unanimously agreed that no one is more qualified for this award than Lasley, who accepted the honor before his death on January 30, 2021. Lasley will be honored posthumously at the virtual 12th annual Victor Emanuel Conservation Award Celebration on October 8.

Greg Lasley was a force in birding and conservation for more than forty years, but he was a student of nature all his life. He began with snakes—venomous snakes—and as a teenager, worked in the herpetology collection at the Atlanta Zoo milking the snakes for antivenom. Lasley kept snakes until his mid-twenties. He was even a falconer for a time, but it wasn’t until he moved to Texas and saw Painted Buntings at his backyard feeder that Lasley became a birder.

Everyone who knew Greg Lasley felt he was one of the most caring and generous people they had ever met. Those characteristics were evident in his work as a policeman and as a naturalist. Even before retiring as a Lieutenant with the Austin Police Department in 1997, Lasley had dedicated himself to wildlife photography. Lasley first pointed a camera at a bird in 1971 (a Horned Lark at Great Salt Lake, Utah) while he was in the U.S. Air Force. Since then, several thousand of his images have been published in hundreds of books, magazines, and websites. In 2000, he and photography partner Larry Ditto won the prestigious Valley Land Fund South Texas Shootout contest. His legendary photographic skills served as a model of technical craftsmanship and opened a window to the complexity of bird behavior and the natural world. A self-described “birder gone bad,” Lasley’s expertise as a naturalist, photographer, and mentor extended far beyond ornithology and into the world of dragonflies, damselflies, moths, and many other creatures.

Over the last decade, Lasley was a prodigious contributor to iNaturalist, the online citizen-science database, and he recognized the immense value of such efforts to understand the natural world. Lasley verified more than 450,000 observations from around the world, gaining a reputation as not only a knowledgeable naturalist but also as a skilled and patient teacher. Over the last forty years, few people have promoted birding and conservation in Texas—and the world—more than Greg Lasley.

Lasley gathered and shared data on birds in many other ways as well. If he came across a dead bird, he took it to Texas A&M to be part of their collection. He participated in various Audubon Christmas bird counts, a birding tradition that, over the last hundred years, has gathered more data on birds than any other effort in the world. His long editorship of the Texas column for American Birds magazine (and its various incarnations, 1970s-1990s) added keen insight into the data collected by Texas birders. In the late 1970s, he almost singlehandedly re-invigorated the Texas Bird Records Committee of the Texas Ornithological Society, elevating that committee and its work. Throughout his life, Lasley kept a list of every bird he saw and the numbers of each species and submitted this huge amount of data to Cornell’s eBird project. This data helps raise awareness of conservation needs, and Lasley devoted his life to sharing such data about the natural world.

Perhaps Lasley’s greatest conservation legacy is the countless people he inspired and encouraged to learn about the natural world. Lasley was a role model and inspiration to many—especially those just getting started in birding, wildlife identification, and photography. A true ambassador for birding in Texas, he was a kind and welcoming teacher, always willing to share his knowledge and skills. As a long-time birding-tour leader with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours, he had a direct role in introducing birders to the beauty and diversity of birds both in Texas and around the world. Greg Lasley is a model for us all when considering the impact that just one life can have on so many.

Lasley’s accomplishments will be celebrated virtually at the 2021 Victor Emanuel Conservation Award Celebration on October 8. We hope you will join us for this wonderful celebration of Lasley’s passion and dedication. Sponsorships will be available soon.

Placement on a phylogeny
I chose to describe Brochymena arborea on the phylogeny. It is found under insects, situated with many
stinkbug species. It is a "true bug" and associated with tree bugs and aphids. Many in it's local branch
express colorings similar to the bark of a tree.
A unique adaptation
The adaptation I had chosen was the camouflage of Brochymena arborea. Owing to their common
habitat being trees, this camouflage protects them from predators and allows them to ambush and soft
A common adaptation
One observed was multiple limbs. Evolutionarily, the presence of this allows for multiple
tasks to be completed simultaneously. The first arthropods seen with multiple legs were present around
540 million years ago.
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/animal/arthropod/Evolution-and-paleontology
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-31_rough_stink_bug.htm

Juniperus has adapted to its environment of hills and dry, rocky soil that is somewhat sterile in a couple of ways. One for example is the adaptation of thick bark and a thick cuticle around its scale-like leaves.
An adaptation that all observations have in common is that they are all low-rising plants. This adaptation occurs likely due to their tolerance to low light conditions, their photosynthesis functions optimally under low-light conditions.
The phylogeny placement for Juniperus is all life —> Archaea and Eukaryotes —> Eukaryotes —> Plants —> Plants, Alveolates, Brown Algae, and more —> Plants —> Green Plants —> Land Plants —> Vascular Plants —> Seed plants —> Cypress —> Junipers. Plants with the most recent common ancestry as Juniperus are Saharan cypress and Juniperus Deltoids.

During the BioBlitz assignment, many different plant species were observed. This journal entry will specifically focus on the Silver Maple, otherwise known as the Acer saccharinum. With the application OneZoom, a phylogeny placement was presented where it was discovered that the most recent ancestors of the Silver Maple included the Red Maple, Acer pycnanthum, and the Acer rubrum, which has no common name. Furthermore, it was observed that the genus name was linked to many tree species, specifically, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, those with winged fruit. In addition, an interesting adaptation of the Silver Maple was discovered: the roots of this species are extremely branched out. This is because some Silver Maples have endured harsh seasons where nutrients and water were hard to come by. This adaptation allows for an enhanced and optimal collection of required nutrients and water to help said species survive. Finally, a key adaptation was observed throughout all observations of the plants in this project: the green colour of the plants. This colour is a by-product of photosynthesis where plants will absorb photons of sunlight to produce energy and sugar and will reflect the unused energy which usually lies in the wavelength of green visible light, hence their colour.

During a bioblitz 'competition' the objective is to post as many observations as possible - of different species from different locations observed at different times and dates by different people.

It is possible to upload observations of species such as squirrels in your backyard once a day for every day of the two week blitz but this might get a bit boring not just for you but for the person helping review/identify observations. I would recommend sharing observations where the squirrel is behaving differently or in different locations in your yard - on a tree, on your deck, on your roof, taunting your cat, eating cones, etc.

When sharing observations of mallards and other birds upload separate observations for the different genders - the male bird would be one observation and the female another. Upload a third observation for juveniles. Can you tell male/female/juvenile robins apart?

Perhaps find a group of seagulls and upload one example of all the various life/molt stages. Don't go too crazy tho as not every gull in Southwest Nova needs is own individual iNat post! Consider including a note to indicate counts - example there were 25 herring gulls at the location versus 2 great black-backed gulls.

What would make the blitz more interesting is to think about your area and try to post observations of species that you believe represent the municipality. Perhaps share observations of various species of Christmas trees - Combine in one observation closeups of needles, of the bark, as well as a shot showing the entire tree from further away. Take a photo of a lobster - take a couple of photos and include one that shows if the lobster is male or female. What about photos of clams or seaweed or whales or apples? Don't forget bear scat and deer tracks.

What ecosystems are in your area? What are the dominant species?

Consider including a ruler or a coin or your hand to provide size/length info. This is one opportunity where you could include a photo of your dog - have then stand/sit next to a tree for scale! Don't use people for scale.

Use your imagination. In addition to posting observations of common species try to make the content being shared from your municipality 'interesting'. Challenge other areas to follow your lead. If you see that another participant has posted a species then try and find this in your area as well and then in addition post another new species and watch if others then go off in search of 'your' species.

Have fun - stay safe.

Дорогие друзья!

Если вам не надоели биоблицы и конкурсы, то самое время принять участие в мероприятии "European BIOBLITZ 2021" (EUROBIOBLITZ 2021). По мнению организаторов, это "the worlds’ first 48-hour continental BioBlitz!"

Положение о биоблице или какие-то правила по времени наблюдений/загрузки не опубликованы. Даты в настройках проекта - 24 и 25 сентября (пятница и суббота). Организатор - @festofnature (Бристольский музей естественной истории, Великобритания).

Проект: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/eurobioblitz-2021

Границы Европы: https://www.inaturalist.org/places/97391 (европейская часть России, в т.ч. весь Северный Кавказ, а вот Свердловская и Челябинская области целиком исключены)

At one second after midnight last night the competition started. As of 10am this morning only a few observations have been posted but this doesn't mean that people aren't out recording observations!

Remember that although observations must be recorded within the 2-week time frame but they don't need to be uploaded in the field. It is possible to upload when your return home at the end of the day when you have your feet up. It is also possible to batch upload if you go online to iNaturalist.ca

If you are feeling competitive then go outdoors and find a good spot and then stand still and look all around. How many species of wildflowers, trees, shrubs, insects, birds do you see? If you see mushrooms do you also see slugs? Are there ants and/or bees on plants? If you see a spider what is its web attached to? If you are bitten by a mosquito then after you swat it take its photo.

When you share an observation remember that you can include/combine multiple photos and/or sound recordings. Make the first photo in the group the best photo as this is the one that the iNat software will use to suggest names.

Remember to only agree to a suggested name if you recognize it - not all suggestions are correct!

Also review the names suggested by others and learn over time - you may initially post an observation and call it plant but you should soon be able to recognize species such as Rosa rugosa and differentiate it from multiflora and wild rose. Example.

The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer, and the leaves are starting to change. That means all our warm-weather breeding birds with be heading south for the colder months, and will not return until next spring!

So, go out there and photograph your favorite confusing fall warbler, blazing Baltimore oriole, or whatever makes your mouth fall open in awe. If migrator’s aren’t your type, try finding a grouse or flock of turkeys hiding in the brush, or perhaps an owl! There’s lots to see here in Maine, and barely anything can compete with the beauty of our autumn forests.

Happy birding,
Bay

Taking pictures in my wildlife friendly garden

Europeans first exploring Australia found the largest non-human predator on this continent-size island to be the dingo (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dingo and https://www.taxonomyaustralia.org.au/post/the-trouble-with-dingoes) - a species shared with Thailand (https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-native-thai-dog-image21021823 and https://www.flickr.com/photos/markborinelli/8340679212), Sulawesi, New Guinea and other peninsular/insular parts of southeast Asia and Indonesia (e.g. see https://news.griffith.edu.au/2016/03/24/archaeologists-find-key-to-dingo-mystery/).

The dingo is puzzling for various reasons. For example:

• it fails the criteria for domestic, feral or wild. Instead it can be described as 'domensal' (see my latest Post, about the Maasai donkey).
• it differs from both the wolf (Canis lupus) and the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) without being intermediate between them.
• it was uniquely small for the largest carnivore in a continental fauna.
• it seems to have been brought to Australia only 5,000 years ago, despite the human species having arrived 60,000 years ago and the dog having been domesticated in Eurasia 15,000 years ago.

Can we integrate these observations into a coherent interpretation of the true nature of the dingo?

The aboriginal people of Australia, in general, neither kept the dingo captive, nor controlled its reproduction, nor used it to perform services such as hunting. Instead, the essential relationship was that people removed infants (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZB_1ZfWmhQ and https://www.portstephensexaminer.com.au/story/7332302/pups-join-oakvale-dingo-pack-photos/ and https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/606734/stray-puppy-australia-endangered-alpine-dingo) from dens and hand-raised them as pets (mainly for children). Once adult, the dingo was free to leave human company in order to breed with mates of its own choice.

For its part, the dingo was attracted to human camps mainly for edible refuse and consumable human faeces.

Spelling out how this compares with the Maasai donkey:

• the equid carried burdens in return for being allowed to use protection from wild predators in corrals built for domestic ruminants, whereas
• the canid afforded a supply of pets in return for being allowed to use food-waste at human camps.
• in parallel with the wild-type colouration of the Maasai donkey, the dingo differs from the domestic dog in generally lacking irregular and asymmetrical colouration (partly contradicted by https://newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/dogs-not-gone-wild-dna-tests-show-most-wild-dogs-australia-are-pure-dingoes).

The dingo differs from the domestic dog in several ways. For example, it is adept at climbing fences; its infants and juveniles differ in facial colouration from adults; and it is disobedient, remaining unwilling to take orders from even those human individuals whom it treats as kin and to whom it is loyal.

At the same time it differs from the wolf, for example in the melodiousness of its voice when it howls, and in showing colour-polymorphism including a common black-and-tan morph never recorded in the wolf.

Throughout its range except for the seasonally cold southeast of Australia, the dingo has average adult body mass of only 10-15 kg, i.e. terrier-size. This means that, although the dingo has for several thousand years been the only non-human predator capable of hunting adult kangaroos, it has not compensated genotypically or phenotypically to modify its predatory niche by means of any increase in body size towards that of the wolf.

The recent arrival of the dingo in Australia (and, probably, New Guinea) is consistent with the fact that the dingo is not unique to Australia, but present in a wider region of island-like situations where the local people do not, for cultural reasons, consider canids to have utilitarian value. In Asia/Indonesia the dingo is essentially a street-dog, owned by nobody but tolerated in certain villages.

Does all of this not add up to the following characterisation? The dingo is the canid most adapted to a domensal niche, which it occupies over a wide range of climates, human population densities, and human economic systems.

1/ Considering the phylogeny placement, the plant that I identified to be part of the group "Hypochaeridinae", is located at the end of a branch, with 232 species following. It is also a member of larger groups which are (from smallest to largest) : cichoirioideae, asterids, eudicotyledons, plants, and finally eucaryotes.

2/ Because of the wide range of diversity between the different organisms that we observed, I can find one adaptation common to all of our observations, which is the presence of leaves.

3/ One unique adaptation for one of my obsevations, is the toxicity of the "bittersweet nightshade", which permits for the plant to protect itself.

This week I walked around my neighborhood (Baywood Park area in San Mateo) to find some interesting looking plants. I've walked down the streets of my neighborhood before many times on my leisure time or for exercise and have seen many fascinating looking plants so I wanted to keep my eye out for unique looking plants this time, and that is exactly what I did! I went for a walk from 4 to 5 pm and observed many different plants. It was a little warm outside and a few of the plants I saw were damp from being watered. I did not see any birds at all the vicinity or any that were flying as I expect that they would be more active during the morning hours. I did in fact see many salamanders, however, they are so quick it's hard to take a picture of them up close without them running away. I hope to visit a city park next week, possibly Leo J. Ryan Park in Foster City as I have seen a variety of birds, specifically ducks, during the afternoon hours.

@song-dog @kestrel @stephen169 @tonyrebelo @geekays

I wonder if the organisers of the Great Southern Bioblitz (GSB) and City Nature Challenge (CNC) have an opinion about the inclusion of drawings and other representations of animals and plants in these competitions.

Are drawings by adults or children ( instead of photos) considered to be valid observations ?
Are such observations removed, encouraged, frowned-upon or discouraged ?

Please look at this project.
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/nature-drawing-and-journaling

If a Charles Darwin or a Leonardo Da Vinci had submitted some pencil drawings of animals to CNC or GSB, would they be accepted or rejected ?

Could the encouragement of the submission of children's art work by parents or teachers or children themselves be an evangelistic way of spreading the gospel of iNaturalist into schools ?
Is it a way of reaching more teachers with the good news of CNC and GSB ?
Is children's artwork a stepping stone to children's ( and parent's/teacher's) photography?

Perhaps there is a need for another category on iNat for children's artwork apart from casual, to keep the perhaps scientifically valid photos separate from the less valid artwork.

Can iNat be better used in someway to promote the artistic representationa of Biodiversity.

In a nutshell do CNC an GSB accept children's artwok as observations if they have a time and place.

looking forward to a response.

During the bioblitz activity, I found a species of moss - Fissidens cristatus, which doesn't have a common name. With OneZoom, I found its phylogenetic placement under division (a taxonomic rank equivalent to phylum in botany) Bryophyta, which includes 16860 species of mosses. This specific species belongs to the family Fissidentaceae that only has one genus, Fissidens.

One common adaptation for my observed species, except Fissidens cristatus, is the flower. Fissidens cristatus is excluded because it is a bryophyte while all the rest are angiosperms, these two types of plants exhibit very distinct differences in structures. The bright petals on flowers and nectar produced help with reproduction. These features attract insects that will spread pollen to other flowers so seeds can grow.

Fissidens cristatus have a very unique adaptation, which is the peristome. The peristome is a structure within the sporangium that regulates spore dispersal. Gradually releasing spores can increase the chances of survival, without it, there is a risk of releasing them all at once under certain unfavourable conditions, which limits survival.

• Yuhao

I was hiking in the Rockaway beach, near the old rock query. This plat species was located on the cliffside of the big hill, surrounded by clay and sand deposits, and grassy vegetation mostly consisting of succulents. Alkali Heliotrope is a species of a flowering plant commonly called salt heliotrope. This species has small white flowers and is blooming as visible, the inside of the white flower is yellow color which turn purple thought the time.