I’ve always been curious about the natural world. As a child living in rural New Hampshire, I spent hours outdoors and wanted to know the names of all the wildflowers and birds and other animals in our backyard woods. There were always pine cones and feathers to examine along the trail and tadpoles to hunt for in the pond.

Over the years since that magical time, I’ve deepened my knowledge of the natural world through college and other classes, volunteering activities, self-study, and other endeavors.

Most recently, I completed training in the Washington Native Plant Stewardship Program and helped restore native plant habitat in a local park. In my own yard, I’m removing invasive plants and planting natives, especially those that attract pollinators and birds.

The ability to share observations on iNaturalist gave me the idea to begin recording and identifying the wild species that live in and visit my yard. This project has sharpened my observation and identification skills, particularly for insects. So far, I’ve counted over 60 species of bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, flies, and other insects in my yard, many of which the iNaturalist community have helped me identify.

I enjoy sharing these and other observations, and hope this data contributes in some small way to the overall goals of iNaturalist. I also enjoy helping identify the observations of others in the iNaturalist community.