BioBlitz'n
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Last month I had the joyful experience of attending a BioBlitz at the Big Gardens in Wash Park in Denver with over 30 other people. BioBlitz is a citizen science project where both beginners and experts make observations of nature using either a smart phone or regular camera, and upload the images to iNaturalist. FANS of Washington Park, together with Julie Morris, Professor at DU Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Xerces members, and Denver Parks & Rec Horticulturist Skyler Smith hosted the event.
Julie provided butterfly nets and other insect catching devices, and gently chilled the captured pollinators in test tubes on ice to allow us all to take a closer look under magnification and through closeup photos. (Once the little insects woke up, they were able to fly away to get back to work.) Adults and kids alike enjoyed running through the flowers with butterfly nets; it felt quite nostalgic!
Our BioBlitz recorded over 200 observations of a variety of interesting creatures, with 70 species identified. These included hummingbirds, Monarch Butterflies, a Red-femured Milkweed Borer, Parenthesis Lady Beetle, Brown-belted Bumble Bee, Two-Spotted Melyrid, Spider Wasps, Orange Sulphur, Rust-colored Beetle, Bumble Flower Beetle, Sutured Longhorn Beetle, Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly, Peck's Skipper, Ligated Furrow Bee, Jagged Ambush Bug, and lots more.
The Big Gardens is a 3-acre public pollinator garden on the west side of Washington Park, on Downing Street between Exposition and Ohio. The garden changes seasonally with colorful native plants that create an ideal pollinator and wildlife habitat under Skyler’s planning and leadership. It is tended by Skyler and a couple of interns, as well as many citizen volunteers from around the city. Learn more about the garden and volunteering »
Missed it? Join the FANS for their next Bioblitz on Saturday, October 3rd, 10 am, at the 1-acre Mount Vernon Garden in Washington Park. Located at Mississippi and Franklin, it is filled to bursting with “charismatic plants” chosen for their unique colors and textures. There are many natives to see here, as well as beautiful non-native annuals. Come and observe all the bees, butterflies, and birds that frequent this beautiful garden.
