Dear all, it is that time of year again! Spring is coming and with it, the annual Personal Bioblitz. Our website is https://herbarium.rutgers.edu/personal-bioblitz/ (with more specific 2022 info here https://herbarium.rutgers.edu/personal-bioblitz/spring-2022.html).

Join the project on iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/personal-bioblitz-2022).

See you outdoors, or wherever there are living wild things!
Lena Struwe

Personal Bioblitz 2021 Results (1 March – 15 May, 2021)
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/personal-bioblitz-2021

Cumulative Community Totals:
• 68914 observations (New record!!!, previous record was set 2020 with 25584 observations, this is and increase with 269%! Amazing.
• 8844 species (New record!!! )
• 114 participants reported observations (153 signed up, not everyone reported – New record!!!)

Some fun facts:
• 21673 of observations (31.4%) were from New Jersey, USA, home state for the Personal Bioblitz, which is about the same amount as last year
• Plants rule! 38,382 observations (55.7%) were of plants. There are a lot of great botanists who participate each year, so not surprising.
• 2875(!) different people around the world helped identify the species that were reported to the project.

Most observations:

1. Sara Rall (srall) from New Jersey, USA, 10303 observations (New record!!!)
2. Susan Hewitt (susanhewitt) from New York, USA, 4528 observations
3. Nick Kleinschmidt (nick2524) from New Hampshire, USA, 4096 observations [started to use iNaturalist in 2019, special congratulations!)
4. Nick Lambert (nicklambert) from Australia, 3878 observations
5. Barbara L Wilson (sedgequeen) from Oregon, USA, 3732 observations

Most species:

1. Nick Lambert (nicklambert) from Australia, 1457 species (thanks for adding all kinds of species none of the rest of us could see! This is a new record!)
2. Annika Lindqvist (annikaml) living in Texas, USA, 1092 species (she broke her record from last year! Last year Annika was number one in this category, but had to see Australia’s Nick Lambert climb to first place this year.)
3. Barbara L Wilson (sedgequeen) from Oregon, USA, 969 species
4. Erik Danielsen (er1kksen) from New York State, USA, 968 species (just one species away from third place…)
5. Sarah Kelsey (botanylicious) from Georgia, USA, 961 species (so close to third and fourth place!)

Most observed species (heavily weighted to common species in Northeastern United States)

1. American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) 352 observations (seen by 34 observers]
2. American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 337 observations [47 observers]
3. Red Maple (Acer rubrum) 275 observations [33 observers]
4. Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) 261 observations [38 observers]
5. Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) 258 observations [42 observers]

Congratulations to all iNaturalist participants, and to the winning species! Thank you all! Special thanks to Hadas Parag who helped with the data cleanup at the end. See you next year for the 2022 Personal Bioblitz!

Lena Struwe and the Personal Bioblitz 2021 leadership team

Hi all bioblitzers –

So, the Personal Bioblitz 2021 is over, it ended at midnight on May 15 your local time. It is clear we have broken all records, but, the exact numbers are not yet certain.

You have until midnight on May 23 to curate your own observations in the project:

1. Add any of your observations seen during March 1-May 15 that not yet have been added.
2. Work on getting as many of your observations to genus or species level (or whatever is possible for the taxonomic group)
3. Make sure you don’t have any observations in the project that need to be removed (seen before March 1, 2021; seen after May 15, 2021; or are clearly cultivated or captive by humans)
4. All observations need to have a place and a date. (Photos are not mandatory, but recommended).
5. Help identify and confirm other bioblitzers’ identification.
   
6. Observations do not need to be identified to species level, we accept any level of identification (including ‘Life’ for things we are clueless about so far).

If you are in the leadership team, help by checking that we don’t have clearly cultivated or captive species. Anything that isn’t ID to species can stay of course. The leadership team (admins) have the right to remove any observations that are not added correctly to the project.

On May 23 at midnight the leadership team starts sorting the data and make the list of winners and numbers in various categories. We usually do the top five species, top five observers, and top five species observers. But it is already clear that we are all winners this year - together we have already made this the biggest Personal Bioblitz ever. The report will be put on the website and on the iNaturalist project page.

So, if you still have your photos in your camera or smartphone, get them up on this project website now :)

Fantastic work all of you!

Lena

We did it! And it is not over yet!

The number of observations this year has just surpassed the DOUBLE top number for any previous Personal Bioblitz, and the species numbers are also climbing in the direction of a double record.

But don't stop! We have TEN more days of observing (until May 15), and after that you get a week to sort your photos, upload the last straggling observations, get your ID's under control, and remove any that were accidentally added but are cultivated/captive organisms. Also please help with ID's on other people's observations. On May 23 at midnight the leadership team starts sorting the data and make the list of winners and numbers. But it is already clear that we are all winners this year - together we have already made this the biggest Personal Bioblitz ever. Keep it going for ten more days.

And if you still have your photos in your camera or smartphone, get them up on this project website now :)

Happy iNatting everyone!
Lena

Wow, the record of most species seen during the Personal Bioblitz was just broken, and you all did this together. I have a feeling that the Australian species helped a lot!

Now, another month left, how far can you take this? Are we going to get a record that can't be broken next year? :)

I know most of my observations are still in my camera, and I bet I am not alone in this, so keep them coming. You have until May 15 to look and report, and bring out the handlenses, microscopes, binoculars, and look at the big and small. There is a lot of small things that have species names :)

Keep the observations flowing in!
Take care, Lena

Wow, you just broke the record of most observations ever, and we are just halfway through the 2021 Personal BioBlitz. The old record was from 2020 with 25584 observations total. We are past that now, and more will come! Will we get to 30 000? 35 000? Incredible.

There is one more record to break: The number of species/taxa. The record is 4874 - can you get about 200 more species into the Personal Bioblitz this year? I bet you can! So many species has yet to show up as part of migration or spring/early summer plants. Keep the observations and species flowing in, and this is a year like no other! Remember, every species and every observation, and every observer counts!

Take care!
Lena

You Personal Bioblitzers are amazing this year. We are already over 20 000 observations and nearly 4000 species! Last year we had about 25 000 observations and 4500 species during the whole bioblitz, so we are on track to break ALL records. Keep reporting, looking, help each other to identify things, and remember to look at the small things that beg to be noticed, like mosses, arthropods, and shells. Wherever you are there are things to explore!

Keep it up, this is fantastic!

Lena

We are 17 days, 2.5 half weeks into this years Personal Bioblitz and we are aiming to break last year's number of 25 000 observations and over 4000 species, and we are on our way. We have already more participants than ever before (thank you!). With over 10 000 observations already, and many more weeks to go on the bioblitz, and over 2000 species while New Jersey still had snow flakes yesterday, I predict (but will not promise, yet), that this will be a record breaking year. We need all your little obscure species, and the common ones too (has Homo sapiens been reported yet?). We need all your observations too, even if they are all dandelions or starlings - it counts! Keep the species coming, and remember to join the Facebook group or the mailing list, if you want.

Happy iNatting! /Lena S

...and these numbers are despite that we here in New Jersey and northwards still have frost and snow and spring has been hesitant. Very lucky we have you in Georgia, North Carolina, Australia, Texas and other warmer places to keep us going fast. Just wait, we northerners will catch up with you, we just need some more heat and sun... it is coming, do not despair!

A few reminders - only observations from 1 March - 15 May 2021. Only wild and naturalized (nothing planted, nothing cultivated and no pets - BUT you can include humans and wild things that show up inside your home). Tracks, shells and feathers and such are OK. If in doubt, ask using the mailing list, the FB group, or message someone in the leadership team (marked as curator on iNaturalist).

We are aiming to break last years record, also during a pandemic. Can we do it? We will see... Every observation counts, and every little species matters.

Happy iNatting!

Lena

Wow, you are amazing! Look at that! This is a record, for sure.

Black-capped chickadee in the lead, pulled away a bit from the greenshield lichen. White-tailed deer not far behind...

I want to thank Sara Rall for all her observations (for those that don't know, Sara has the record of the most observations in New Jersey on iNaturalist). We also have people from Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. There will be more countries on the list.

You are all incredible. Now, get those tiny things identified, and let this balloon to record levels. This is an amazing beginning.

Take care! /Lena