Greetings. We are using iNaturalist as a tool and interface for developing field botany or ornithology skills during the online portion of the quarter.

There are 3-credits of either Botany or Ornithology within the program. You must decide if you want to focus on plants (Botany) or birds (Ornithology) for this specific program element. You can NOT choose to do both (splitting the work would result in too shallow a knowledge base to warrant upper division credit in a specific group).

Learning in this area of emphasis will be assessed via (1) the number and quality of observations submitted each week. We expect 10 individual observations of 10 different species per week. For each observation, there will need to be an attempt at identification to species. You will also need to include the higher classification up to Kingdom (Plants) and Class (Birds) as well as the complete Latin name

FOR BOTANY CREDIT:
10 observations of 10 new species must be submitted by Friday of each week (5 pm). By the end of the quarter, you will have submitted a total of 100 observations of 100 different species.

FOR ORNITHOLOGY CREDIT:
10 observations of 10 different species must be submitted by Friday of each week (5 pm). With the exception of the first week (there should be 10 different species week 1), you may include additional observations of some species between (but not within) weeks, but aim to add approximately 5 new species each week. For species observed in previous weeks, you will need to include notes of new aspects of the bird’s ecology, behavior, or biology with your additional observation. By the end the quarter, you will have submitted a total of 100 observations of 50 different species. less ↑