Let the fun begin!

As I write this, there are barely 3 hours before the City Nature Challenge begins! In fact, it’s already begun in New Zealand, where it’s early afternoon tomorrow! They’ve already chalked up 331 species, including little spotted kiwi, New Zealand bellbird (wow!), common brushtail possum, puriri moth, queen paua, pie crust crab, Wellington tree weta, taupata, karamu, pohutukawa, and kotukutuku. Check them out at https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2023-te-upoko-o-te-ika-wellington. Observers will be waking up in a few hours in Paris (France, not Texas) to start their observations. While these posts have often highlighted citizen science value and the competitive nature of the competition, what I want to emphasize tonight is something else entirely--HAVE FUN!! This is a great excuse to get outside and appreciate the nature of the Brazos Valley. Take the kids. Let them revel in and point out the small things to you. Find some new creatures, animal or vegetable. Find a new group to learn about.

If you have additional questions, the CNC organizers have created a FAQ at https://www.citynaturechallenge.org/faq. I’ll be out in the field as much as possible, but you can email me at b2neville@gmail.com and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as I can.

Happy hunting!
Bruce

Posted on April 28, 2023 02:04 AM by bruceneville