I was out on the pier when somebody pulled up a mackerel! they said i could take some photos and release it so that's what I did.

Bienvenid@s a tod@s al Reto Nativas de Cocha!!!

Ya tenemos unas 258 observaciones de especies nativas, excelente trabajo!!!

Les recordamos un par de TIPS para que los registros sean válidos:

1. Subir fotos de especies de árboles nativos de Cochabamba!
2. Para que tu registro tenga un aporte científico efectivo sube varias fotos de cada árbol: árbol entero, hojas, flores y frutos (si tiene).
3. No olvides comentar sobre el estado del poda del árbol en NOTAS.

Revisa nuestra pagina de facebook "Programa Jucumari" para saber mas!!

Con oltre il 18% della superficie terrestre dell'UE e più dell'8% del suo territorio marino, Natura 2000 è la più grande rete coordinata di aree protette al mondo. Offre un rifugio alle specie e agli habitat più preziosi e minacciati d'Europa.
Natura 2000 è una rete di siti di riproduzione e di riposo per specie rare e minacciate e alcuni tipi di habitat naturali rari che sono protetti di per sé. Si estende in tutti i 27 paesi dell'UE, sia a terra sia in mare. Lo scopo della rete è garantire la sopravvivenza a lungo termine delle specie e degli habitat più preziosi e minacciati d'Europa, elencati sia nella Direttiva Uccelli che nella Direttiva Habitat .
Natura 2000 non è un sistema di riserve naturali rigorose da cui sarebbero escluse tutte le attività umane. Sebbene includa riserve naturali rigorosamente protette, la maggior parte del terreno rimane di proprietà privata. L'approccio alla conservazione e all'uso sostenibile delle aree Natura 2000 è molto più ampio, in gran parte incentrato sulle persone che lavorano con la natura piuttosto che contro di essa. Tuttavia, gli Stati membri devono garantire che i siti siano gestiti in modo sostenibile, sia dal punto di vista ecologico sia economico.
il progetto LifeOrchids opera in aree protette piemontesi e liguri che fanno parte della Rete Natura 2000.

source
https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/rymcdaniel

"The most convenient way for observers to differentiate the two genera in north central Texas is by observation of the phyllaries."

False Foxgloves (Agalinis) produce attractive, purple blossoms in late summer through fall. The distribution of these species are poorly documented, so our observations can help with that. There are several species in Texas that are quite similar yet unique in subtle ways.

Here's a guide that I put together as an attempt to note distinguishing features: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jQ4yVFHhCZ2Yhy7v_Z3ngp-tZIvOKN3UtCBm0mOBbg4/edit?usp=sharing

Gutierrezia texana
G. texana is much more common in the area than either Amphiachyris species.

For reference:
https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/rymcdaniel/28366-differentiation-of-gutierrezia-texana-and-amphiachyris-species-in-north-central-texas

Проект создан 27 сентября 2020 года.

Статистика на момент создания:

425 наблюдений

182 подтверждённых вида

127 экспертов

19 наблюдателей

Статистика наблюдателей:

Для таблицы применён [конвертер](https://kildor.name/react/inat-converter/) из проекта [Флора России](https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/flora-of-russia).

PS Непонятно, как вставлять табличку из конвертера и сохранять нормальное форматирование остального текста

So far, among all of the observations we made in the group, the plants take the majority places, since insects are hard to see, not even to capture them in photos, thus only one insect is currently in the group, which is the bee.
To find the similarity from all observations, I exclude the only one insects, thus only comparing the difference between the variety of plants. By looking throughout the 36 observations, which are 34 species, the diversity is large, which includes trees, grasses, flowering plants and fruiting plants. Some are undoubtedly high, above 10m, some are around 10cm.
The resemblances are plenty, they are all multicellular and eukaryotic, they grow in the soil thus they can reach for the minerals, they all need plentiful water and carbon dioxide and sunlight energy to survive, to produce their own food, and to perform photosynthesis. For structural similarities, they have leaves, stem and roots.
The genus Pinus are very special, they are long-lived; they have needles instead of leaves, needles are generally green; they have cones, which is very unique, cones not only can open to release seeds when mature, but also can stores seed for many years until environmental trigger.

Happy Monday everyone. Hopefully you all had an enjoyable weekend! Did anybody celebrate National Public Lands Day this Saturday? I didn’t celebrate yet, BUT I will be celebrating all week with our week-long habitat restoration events! If you’re interested in participating, visit CVNP's website here: https://www.nps.gov/cuva/getinvolved/volunteer.htm Registration is required for ALL participants. If slots are full, keep an eye out for potential events later in October!

I’ve been noticing these dashes of blue on the ground on my runs, bike rides, and hikes through the park. I originally dismissed them as either ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) or blue bugle (Ajuga reptans) (both pictured below). However, I know those blooms came and went in late spring/early summer.

Credit: ground ivy by Thomas Kent and blue bugle byTim Chandler

Finally, I stopped to take a good look and lo’ and behold, our great blue lobelias are in full bloom! These blooms add a perfect bluish-purple contrast to all of the yellows, purples, and whites that make up Ohio’s fall fields of wildflowers. So, for this week, I just wanted to give some identification tips for this wonderful gem of a plant. As always, my identification tips are coming from Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide and John Hilty’s Illinois Wildflower Guide online.

Great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica):

In addition to the great blue lobelia plant, CVNP is home to three other members of the Lobelia genus: cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis, we should be nearing the end of this flower’s bloom time), Indian tobacco (Lobelia inflata, which should be blooming for another month or so here!), and pale-spiked lobelia (*Lobelia spicata*which should have finished its blooming period about a month ago).

Most great blue lobelias are around 1’ tall, but some can reach about 4’. They are unbranched and have alternately attached leaves with serrate leaf margins. The plant’s bluish-purple flowers are found toward the tip of the plant. These blooms have two lips: the upper one is split into 2 lobes, while the lower one is split into 3. You’ll likely find these beauties in lower-lying, wet habitats. Some good examples are wet prairies, thickets, swamps, and floodplains.

Credit: Eric Hunt and John HIlty (for second and third photos)

Hopefully this feature is helpful during your next visit to CVNP! For more detailed information, here is the link to John Hilty’s page on great blue lobelia: https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/gb_lobeliax.htm

Enjoy your week out there, iNatters! Can’t wait to see your cool finds!

I hesitate posting this to avoid the competition for a permit, but I can't keep back the good news! William

© Photographer: William Wise

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/okefenokee/
September 21 at 5:32 PM ·
Who's ready??? The refuge will resume issuing overnight camping permits on Tuesday September 29th! We are excited to have a plan in place to allow for our visitors to have a safe, physically distanced trip into the Okefenokee this fall. Guests MUST call to obtain a permit - the phone line (912-496-3331) is open Tues - Thurs from 7AM - 10AM ONLY. Guests must have a profile in Recreation.gov to obtain a permit.

Depuis le village des Contamines-Montjoie (1100m) jusqu’à l’Aiguille Nord de Tré-la-Tête (3892 m) la réserve naturelle des Contamines-Montjoie présente une forte amplitude altitudinale. C’est d’ailleurs la réserve naturelle la plus haute de France. Elle décline tous les étages de végétation : des forêts de conifères aux prairies d’altitude et aux tourbières, jusqu’aux zones d’éboulis et aux glaciers accrochés aux sommets.

Bom Dia pesso@l!
Ontem praticamente igualamos o número de observações e de espécies do CNC, com mais de 6 mil observações, 1.500 espécies e 350 participantes. Como temos o dia de hoje e MUITAS imagens ainda estão nas câmeras ou nos celulares, para serem editadas e postadas, podemos dizer que batemos todos os resultados do CNC com folga. Isto já era esperado com a grande adesão de cidades e regiões, mas precisava ser confirmado.

PARA HOJE:
Aquela árvore, planta, animal (aranha) que você já observou antes do Bioblitz, você lembra onde está e foi classificado até espécie, e que você ainda não fotografou no Bioblitz, deve ser buscado hoje.

• Isto eleva a quantidade de organismos identificados por você, na sua região, no Brasil e no hemisfério Sul. - Se necessário coloque em anotações o link da antiga postagem, quando a planta tinha flores ou frutos.

É a reta final, de modo que qualquer bichinho ou plantinha novos valem muito.

Celular no bolso ou na bolsa, olhos e ouvidos atentos e muitas observações de organismos.

DICA:
Deixe para organizar as imagens na câmera e/ou no celular para depois, pois as imagens feita de 25 a 28 de setembro ainda podem ser inseridas no Inaturalist até o próximo fim de semana.

FOQUE NA OBTENÇÃO DE NOVAS OBSERVAÇÕES!

Abraços e BORA observar a nossa biodiversidade!
Equipe organizadora!

Bom Dia pesso@l!
Ontem praticamente igualamos o número de observações e de espécies do CNC, com mais de 6 mil observações,1.500 espécies e 350 participantes. Como temos o dia de hoje e MUITAS imagens ainda estão nas câmeras ou nos celulares, para serem editadas e postadas, podemos dizer que batemos todos os resultados do CNC com folga. Isto já era esperado com a grande adesão de cidades e regiões, mas precisava ser confirmado.

PARA HOJE:
Aquela árvore, planta, animal (aranha) que você já observou antes do Bioblitz, você lembra onde está e foi classificado até espécie, e que você ainda não fotografou no Bioblitz, deve ser buscado hoje.

• Isto eleva a quantidade de organismos identificados por você, na sua região, no Brasil e no hemisfério Sul. - Se necessário coloque em anotações o link da antiga postagem, quando a planta tinha flores ou frutos.

É a reta final, de modo que qualquer bichinho ou plantinha novos valem muito.

Celular no bolso ou na bolsa, olhos e ouvidos atentos e muitas observações de organismos.

DICA:
Deixe para organizar as imagens na câmera e/ou no celular para depois, pois as imagens feita de 25 a 28 de setembro ainda podem ser inseridas no Inaturalist até o próximo fim de semana.

FOQUE NA OBTENÇÃO DE NOVAS OBSERVAÇÕES!

Abraços e BORA observar a nossa biodiversidade!
Equipe organizadora!

Observation #2,000 was submitted by @awsalas, Tribe Chichorieae from Lima, Perú. As this 8th SDBioblitz is closing, we're at 2,066 observations and 1,149 species. In the coming days we expect this number to rise as we all continue processing photos and audios and reporting our sightings!

Het Westpark is samen met de Eelderbaan (Kinderboerderij) en Roege Bos een ecologisch kerngebied van de Stedelijke Ecologische Structuur (SES). De Eelderbaan is bij de wijkvernieuwing van Vinkhuizen in 2000 opnieuw ingericht waarbij het doelstoortenbeleid is toegepast. Door dit beleid zijn boszomen, poelen en aangepaste kruidenvegetaties aangemaakt. In 2020 zijn in de Wijk Vinkhuizen grote aantallen Vleermuizenkasten en Gierzwaluwkasten in gevels van woningen aangebracht, dit heeft te maken met de vernieuwing door de woningbouwcorporatie.

Het Westpark is 25 hectare groot en ligt 3-4m hoog boven het maaiveld. Dit komt doordat de italiaanse mozaiken destijds per vak zijn aangelegd met voormalig tarrra en gronddepot grond. Alleen de Waterskiplas en zijn directe omgeving zijn onderdeel van de Stedelijke Ecologische Structuur. In de NoordOost hoek van de plas is daarom een ondiep gedeelte aangelegd. Voor het insectenleven wordt extensief beheerd. Desondanks komen er niet zoveel sprinkhanen voor.

Op een luchtfoto kun je duidelijk de verschillende vierkanten zien, de compartimenten worden door houtsingels en wegen van elkaar gescheiden. De houtsingels bestaan vaak uit groenblijvende soorten als sparren, dennen, coniferen en hulst.

Ogentroost & Liefdegras (03-12-2008)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRz5cDiOwf8
Ogentroost & Liefdegras (07-05-2008)
Beijum, Lewenborg, Drielanden
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqTCbgHMAZ8
https://www.natuurindegemeente.nl/magazine/artikelen/maart-2015/monitoring-groene-gebieden-gemeente-groningen-in-het-kader-van-de-stedelijke-ecologische-structuur/
https://www.koemanenbijkerk.nl/stedelijke-ecologische-structuur-groningen/

https://www.planviewer.nl/imro/files/NL.IMRO.0014.BP563UitvfacHoendi-ow01/t_NL.IMRO.0014.BP563UitvfacHoendi-ow01.html

Glorious weather today and a wonderful opportunity to grab a few more observations for the project.
The number of observers across Lake Mac City is increasing, as is the species list.
What a marvelous area we live in!

Tip: the artificial intelligence that provides a suggested identification doesn't always make the correct species call - I originally had an initial ID of an elephant snail (inter-tidal mollusc) that was endemic in New Zealand, rather than the Australian species... so check the species has been observed in NSW or at a minimum Australia. I hope you have used the opportunity to build your knowledge of local species.

I'd love to hear your comments of the experience and whether you would continue to add to iNaturalist and also participate again in the future

You may remember we recently ran a Bush Blitz Scavenger Hunt as part of Sydney Science Trail and National Science Week. Well, we're pleased to announce the winners of the scavenger hunt are:

Individual winner - Thomas Mesaglio (@thebeachcomber)
Group winner - Bjorn & Kasper Howorth (@jasmineh)
Primary School winner - Kongwak Junior School (@kongwak-junior-p-3)

It seemed a bit unfair to compare those just starting out on their iNaturalist journey with the likes of @thebeachcomber, so we will be sending some extra prizes to three of our younger entrants who were all Highly Commended - Anna Sheary (11 years), Abby Sheary (9 years) and Lana Goodall (13 years).

Thanks to the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney and the Australian Museum for contributing some of the prizes.

Here are a couple of observations from the winning entries...

White-banded House Jumping Spider, © Thomas Mesaglio

Common Rough Woodlouse, © kongwak-junior-p-3

While looking for a crustacean, the children at Kongwak Junior School spotted this unusual blue Common Rough Woodlouse. Thanks to the magic of iNaturalist, viral taxonomist @jameskdouch was on hand to explain what they had found - a woodlouse infected with Invertebrate iridescent virus 31. This was only the second record of the virus in Australia and the questions and answers that followed in the comments of this observation are worth reading.

Poblaciones de especies sensibles a perturbaciones en el ecosistema

Para diagnosticar la integridad ecológica, es decir, la afectación por perturbaciones humanas, es necesario comprobar atributos ecológicos relacionados a las especies negativamente sensibles a estas perturbaciones.Indicadores para el monitoreo de la conservación y regeneración de ecosistemas:

• El indicador es relativamente común. Los técnicos que miden el indicador en campo deben poder localizar ejemplares del indicador sin mayor esfuerzo.

• El indicador es identificable. Los técnicos que lo miden en campo deben de distinguir el indicador (por ejemplo, una especie) sin realizar estudios costosos.

• El indicador es cuantificable. Los técnicos que lo miden en campo deben obtener una medida cuantitativa y precisa.

• El indicador es sensible a factores internos. Estos están sujetos al manejo en el paisaje, como por ejemplo, la vigilancia contra extracción y cacería ilegal, la siembra de árboles, la limpieza de ríos, la biodiversidad presente en el ecosistema.

• El indicador no es sujeto a factores externos (al manejo). Si la población de una especie tiene fluctuaciones volátiles grandes de manera natural (insectos voladores, mariposas, escarabajos), cambios en su estado pueden ocurrir
independiente de la existencia de buen o mal manejo.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339738364_First_record_of_Zamenis_lineatus_Camerano_1891_Serpentes_Colubridae_in_Ischia_Island_Italy

An Illustrated Guide to Northern California Nature
by Jane Kim!

https://baynature.org/article/bay-nature-almanac-fall-2020/

Using a random number generator, we found these cool observations!

@helenbergstrom photographed this Common Yarrow (ID verified by @jensu) in bloom, in the middle of a field somewhere in Sweden. So pretty!

@nicklambert posted a Sea Mat observation with multiple photos, offering us a glimpse of the sealife in Woolgoolga, Australia.

@hln_m_t shared with us the observation of a Mallard, swimming in the placid afternoon light, north of Moscow.

And thanks to @twan3253, we (on the other side of the world) get to know this cute Willie Wagtail (identified by @thebeachcomber for the 801st time!) from Sydney, Australia.

Thanks for sharing, we all keep enjoying all your observations :-)

One of the most fundamental wonders of birds is that they fly. We earthbound creatures plod along with heavy steps, and occasionally take off in our imaginations or machines. But birds do this effortlessly, and constantly fill the air around us. This is cause enough for inexhaustible excitement at the marvels of the world.

https://www.marinij.com/2020/09/27/fall-migration-an-incredible-phenomenon/amp/

Kia ora Everyone,

Wow, how lucky were we with the weather! one week later and it's all snow down South and heavy rain, wind and hail in the North.

Thank you all again for taking part in this year's count. Please make sure you get your last observations entered for the dates 18th to 27th September. The final data will be pulled off this afternoon, I will do another post here as soon as we have the final results.

Dates for the 8th and final Great Kererū Count will start on 17th September 2021 - I hope you can all join us again to take part in GKC2021

Thanks again.

Ngā mihi nui,
Tony

Well done everybody. Another very successful day bioblitzing. The weather was not too cold, and Cape Town responded.
And as we approach our last day, we are sitting at position 1 for observations, 1 for species and 2 for observers. Thank you to all who contributed, big and small.

A few more observers have posted more than 100 observations: welcome and thanks to:
jeremy, photogenie, dive_in (yay: marine observations!), geoffspi, andrey & jacki

So what should our focus be on the last day?

The same as from yesterday it seems: Big gaps include -

• Signal Hill and Lions Head
• The top of Table Mountain
• The north sandveld - Dassenberg
• the north-east - Joostenberg
• the far east - Landroskop and Steenbras.

Oh dear!! The forecast is for more rain from 11am to 3pm, with overcast all afternoon. What a bother. How are we going to reach our targets. I guess it is out early to make the most of the morning. Go for it - let us see how we do!

If we can plug these gaps we should be able to double our current number of species.
(Note that some species still have to be identified, and some data still have to be loaded - so if you know you got a high target species in the bag, please add a comment below!!)
Our totals are (this list is clickable: clicking it will show what we have seen - clicking on dipped will show what we still need).

GROUPS (* includes Marine)
Birds - 105 of 250 dipped
Mammals - 13 of 75 dipped
Herps - 29 of 60 dipped
Fish * - 9 of 100 dipped

Plants - 994 of 3,500 (exceeds 500 - tool does not cope)
Fungi - 20 of 130 dipped
Seaweeds * - 11 of 90 dipped

Insects - 88 of 500 dipped
Arachnids - 10 of 100 dipped
Molluscs * - 54 of 200 dipped
Crustaceans * - 8 of 60 dipped

OTHER:
Marine - 92 of 650 dipped
NEMBA Aliens - 32 of 180 dipped

Trees - 75 of none set (379) dipped

PLACES:
Number seen of the target set (in brackets the total number of species known from the reserve).

We have met targets for: Botterblom & Durbanville Nature Reserves: well done to those who bagged these areas. Jack Miller is almost there!!
The following have not been visited at all: Blaauwberg, Kenilworth, Steenbras, Uitkamp and Wolfgat, and the Arderne and Tokai Arboreta.
((Note that planted or captive does not count to the Bioblitz. Note that too large Location Uncertainty (please fill it in!!) results in records not being recorded in the reserve))

CITY RESERVES:
Blaauwberg Nature Reserve zero of target 300 (498)
Bothasig Fynbos Nature 51 recorded of - target 100 (145)
Botterblom Nature Reserve 92 recorded of - target 70 (174) GOT IT!
Bracken Nature Reserve 16 recorded of - target 100 (386)

Durbanville Nature Reserve 118 recorded of - target 100 (163) GOT IT!
Edith Stephens Nature Reserve 42 recorded of - target 50 (139)
Rondevlei Nature Reserve 62 recorded of - target 300 (534)
Harmony Flats Nature Reserve 30 recorded of - target 100 (242)

Helderberg Nature Reserve 73 recorded of - target 450 (1000)
Kenilworth Racecourse Conservation Area zero of target 150 (526)
Steenbras Nature Reserve zero of target 650 (967)
Table Bay Nature Reserve (Rietvlei) 32 recorded of - target 300 (762)

Tygerberg Nature Reserve 71 recorded of - target 300 (760)
Uitkamp Wetlands Nature Reserve zero of target 100 (369)
Wolfgat Nature Reserve zero of target 50 (156)
Zandvlei Nature Reserve 9 recorded of - target 200 (743)

OTHER RESERVES & AREAS:
Constantia Green Belt 89 recorded of - target 300 (602)
Jack Muller / Danie Uys Park 94 recorded of - target 100 (168)
Meadowridge Common 32 recorded of - recorded of - target 100 (187)
Rondebosch Common 67 recorded of - target 120 (303)

Arderne Gardens zero recorded of - target 60 (124)
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens 33 recorded of - target 450 (960)
Tokai Arboretum zero of - target 200 (408)
Strandfontein Sewer Works 83 recorded of - target 150 (260)

Table Mountain National Park 477 recorded of - target 2000 (3,252)
including:
Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve 286 recorded of - target 750 (1,539)
Signal Hill & Lions Head 7 recorded of - target 300 (835)
Silvermine Nature Reserve 181 recorded of - target 600 (1,275)
Tokai Park 94 recorded of - target 350 (1,536)

Once again: thank you all.

A well deserved thanks to all identifiers working hard today on iNaturalist, especially to all of you helping us convert our SDBioblitz observations to "RG". As of right now, 136 iNaturalist members have identified one or more SDB observations, with @thebeachcomber in the "lead" with 53 identifications, @ben_travaglini with 30, and @igor_kuzmin with 28. Thank you!

Today I went on my first Nature Walk through the Webster Conservation Area only a half hour walk from BC campus. The weather was fairly humid (about 60% humidity) and was also very warm (about 80 degrees Fahrenheit), but the clouds offered a nice reprieve from the sun and there was a great breeze for most of the walk. We (me and my two roommates who are also in the class) entered the conservation area at around 1:10 p.m. at the beginning of a trail right off the side of Hammond Pond Parkway and spent about 40-50 minutes wandering around on and between the trails. While we did not find many animals, aside from a few ants, (likely due to the sheer amount of noise we made just walking around) we were able to find many different kinds of plants and mosses. About halfway through our walk we were finally able to find some fungi in the form of the "Crowded Parchment" found growing off the side of a fallen tree branch, as well as some lichen attached to a still living tree.

One of the more interesting things that we found on our walk was a small group of ferns growing out of a rock outcrop about 20 feet up in the air. While the ferns themselves were not especially rare (we had seen several up to this point on our walk) the fact that anything was able to grow in the tiny amount of space and soil available in this crack in the rocks is incredible.

Hi everyone.

In these very strange times that are pretty odd and changing all of the time, Rob Puschendorf (mostly Rob) and myself together with other academics needed some way to enthuse you all about Biology when we cannot necessarily be there in the field with you. iNaturalist seems like a pretty good way of doing this. Please engage as much as you can. We will be trying to help you identify as much as possible and the wonderful iNat community will help you with that. Rob also wants to turn this in to a competition between degree programmes. I am well up for that. Competitive listing of species is right up my street - and also a lot of fun! I will be using every dirty trick in the book to beat Conservation Biology and Zoology. Please help me doing that! (I'm doubting Rob and Mike are going to read this so don't tell them please!).

Most of all and more seriously, under the current circumstances, this is an excellent resource and really helps the whole scientific community. Please be sensible and embrace iNat. You will learn a huge amount.

Rich

Observation #1,000 just posted! It's a Geometer Moth, photographed by @markuskrieger in Deggendorf, Germany.

Keep your observations coming, both photos and audio!

Their status as an apex predator is probably what makes the American Alligator so fascinating and formidable. Apex predators are those at the top of the food chain. They have few, if any, other natural predators.

© Photographer: William Wise | iNat observation: 49132311

While a big alligator is capable of killing almost any other animal, they may mostly take prey that gives them the least trouble. Since they can’t chew, their prey has to be swallowed whole. But yes, they are famed for the impressive “gator roll” method of tearing apart large prey.

Young alligators consume snails, frogs, small fish and insects. The larger gators will take larger prey if an opportunity presents itself. And though it seems strange, alligators may even eat one of their own kind, as seen below in this iNaturalist observation from Joe Girgente.

© Photographer: Joe Girgente | iNat Observation: 48973711

Together with two of my fellow classmates, we set out on a nature hike through the Webster Conservation Area on Hammond Pond Parkway in Newton, MA. It was a nice day, slightly overcast with low levels of humidity and a temperature of 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The trail we stuck too was rather windy and secluded, but you could hear a set of train tracks not too far away. There was plenty of flora in the area with different kinds of plants and even some tiny orange berries growing at ground level next to a tree, however, we were out looking specifically for different types of fungi. During our initial path into the woods, we were rather ignorant with our search and started by searching for mushrooms or something of the like that might appear the same. Not until we reached the end of the trail did we realize that the small organisms growing on the dead trees are also considered fungi and took pictures of them. We found common lichens and crowded parchment on two separate logs and on the return trip we saw more examples of the same we had passed without realizing. Overall a fantastic adventure with my friends that I would look forward to doing again sometime.