Biodiversity of the Anacostia River's Journal

225 observers made 1086 observations between Sunday, September 27 to Saturday, October 3. Among the top five observers, @stephen220 observed 55 examples of life in the Anacostia watershed; @dtread1 contributed 50; @jmgconsult contributed 47; @katiehodge contributed 42; and @jackieq12 contributed 41. Rounding out the top 10, @woodcut55 contributed 41; @jose_diaz_ramirez contributed 24; @gazingglobe contributed 32; @treegrow contributed 29, and @smoore_catcount contributed 26. 109 people contributed one observation, 31 people contributed two observations, and 12 people contributed 3 observations. Plants stayed in first place (373 observations), followed by Insects (264 observations). Fungi (170 observations) jumped in front of Birds (Aves) (91 observations). Amphibia has 1 observation, and Animalia and Protozoa each had three observations.

A few highlights of observations are provided below, to celebrate the wide variety of life found in the Anacostia watershed. All observations are welcome, every contribution helps document the magnificent diversity of our community. Thank you to everyone who contributed observations this week!

@emilio_c Largemouth Bass
@emilio_c Northern Hog Sucker
@carytting Arrowhead Orbweaver
@hholbrook White-banded crab spider
@stephen220 American Kestrel
@claremoore Cooper’s Hawk
@stephen220 Gray-cheeked Thursh
@mstrecker Prairie Warbler
@droidwrestler King Alfred's Cakes
@ecovrar Black Blister Beetle
@jackieq12 Fragile Forktail
@jmgconsult Golden Sweat Bee

Observations this week, by Taxon:
Actinopterygii 14
Amphibia 1
Animalia 3
Arachnida 30
Aves 91
Fungi 170
Insecta 264
Mammalia 43
Mollusca 7
Plantae 373
Protozoa 3
Reptilia 49
(blank) 38

233 observers made 1110 observations between Sunday, October 4 to Saturday, October 10. Among the top five observers, @dtread1 observed 50 examples of life in the Anacostia watershed; @epic2112 contributed 47; @jmgconsult and @mcgowenm contributed 45; @sdroege contributed 43; and @stephen220 contributed 31. Rounding out the top 10, @ronwertz contribute 29; @woodcut55 contributed 28; @jorbogmont contributed 26; @environeill contributed 25; and @arisanjar contributed 23. 112 people contributed one observation, 30 people contributed two observations, and 14 people contributed 3 observations. Plants stayed in first place (390 observations), followed by Insects (296 observations). Fungi (170 observations) stayed in front of Birds (Aves) (100 observations). Animalia had one observation.

A few highlights of observations are provided below, to celebrate the wide variety of life found in the Anacostia watershed. All observations are welcome, every contribution helps document the magnificent diversity of our community. Thank you to everyone who contributed observations this week!

@lordrufuscrabmiser16 Eastern Red-backed Salamander
@yogichi Northern Slimy Salamander
@stephen220 American Kestrel
@dtread1 Bald Eagle
@stephen220 Barred Owl
@stephen220 Bobolink
@dtread1 Kildeer
@ccdenne Red Admiral Butterfly
@environeill Goldenrod Soldier Beetle
@sdroege Speckled Sharpshooter

Observations this week, by Taxon:
Actinopterygii 8
Amphibia 5
Animalia 1
Arachnida 29
Aves 100
Fungi 137
Insecta 296
Mammalia 23
Mollusca 5
Plantae 390
Protozoa 6
Reptilia 41
(blank) 69

Folks, it's bioblitz week! to prep for a fun weekend of biodiversity exploration, we will host a Watershed Wednesday about it and the use of the iNaturalist app. Wednesday, October 14, 2020
5:30 PM EDT - 7:00 PM

The BioBlitz invites you to see how many different kinds of plants and animals you can discover around the Anacostia River watershed over a four-day period. Join us to learn how to be a part of this year’s virtual Anacostia River BioBlitz and meet some members of your community who will share their experience to help your BioBlitz be fun and satisfying. Whether you’ll be BioBlitzing in the heart of the city or out in a natural area, alone or with the family, as a newbie or someone with a lot of field experience, you’ll pick up some tips from our friends and partners.

For this special Watershed Wednesday Happy Hour we'll hear from a slew of different speakers telling us all about their bioblitzing experiences, plus a special introduction from Jorge Bogantes Montero, our Natural Resources Specialist.

RSVP here: https://anacostiaws.salsalabs.org/10152020wwhh/index.html

It's finally here, from today until Sunday. More information here: https://www.anacostiaws.org/events-and-recreation/signature-events/anacostia-river-bioblitz.html

Today we had 383 observations of 249 species by 64 observers.

Happy bioblitzing!

Jorge
Anacostia Watershed Society

The #anacostiabioblitz observation of the day is an American Kestrel in flight by @stephen220. Awesome shot! American kestrels are the smallest falcon species in North America. Photographed in the Sligo Creek subwatershed: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/62673965?fbclid=IwAR3UtRxLVKUIDH1uc6Qov4xhmR3PJlB1Uc2XTRmFXx_A6DzmzhrAFFRSewU

The #anacostiabioblitz observation of the day goes to this interesting Calostoma mushroom by @plaisant of Greenbelt Biota. These type of mushrooms produce spores inside their fruit bodies rather than on an outer surface like the gills. They also form symbiotic relationships with many types of trees. Observed in the Still Creek subwatershed: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/62709595?fbclid=IwAR0ZJ926mIlPQ5vj8DihyTl9lgYOBS-nB95jVzjPwZjaPdeUFxBf99rBLco

The last two days of the #Anacostiabioblitz, today and tomorrow, will be perfect weather-wise. Go outdoors with your family, explore nature in its autumnal beauty and help us document the #AnacostiaRiver watershed species.

So far:

-807 observations
-448 species
-89 observers
-119 identifiers

Taxa that could use more observations:

-Fish
-Mollusks
-Arachnids
-Insects and plants (just because these are big taxa with tons of spp.)
-Protozoans (slime molds).

Happy Bioblitzing!

Jorge
Anacostia Watershed Society

The #anacostiabioblitz observation of the day goes to this Elegant fly by @jamiejorgensen2 Bees are not the only pollinators out there! This fly, besides being a great bee/wasp mimic, it is an important pollinator. Observed in the Indian Creek subwatershed: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/62809495?fbclid=IwAR2PxS0ppGdDofcpVNf5uPOqGlNGjDU3H0cKV2Yf5d6uz5zXdOWu1YXnd30

We have already surpassed last year’s #anacostiabioblitz with 619 species observed so far. Last year, a total of 597 species were observed during the whole weekend. Tomorrow is the last day! #anacostiariver #cometotheriver

https://www.facebook.com/anacostiaws/photos/a.499934328820/10157943160523821/

This week’s information certainly reflects the first three days of Fall Bioblitz! Stay tuned for a follow-up posting early next week on the full BioBlitz for October 15 – October 18, 2020. This calendar week, 217 observers made 1985 observations between Sunday, October 11 to Saturday, October 17, 2020. Among the top five observers, @jmgconsult observed 335 examples of life in the Anacostia watershed; @jamiejorgensen2 contributed 132; @ana_kaahanui contributed 76; @jorbogmont contributed 66; and @onertwons contributed 64. Rounding out the top 10, @stephen220 contributed 63; @jagatha contributed 61; @kristin-marie contributed 49; @ronwertz contributed 44; and @hollygenevieve contributed 35. 76 people contributed one observation, 32 people contributed two observations, and 17 people contributed 3 observations. Plants stayed in first place by a wide margin (1002 observations), followed by Fungi (285 observations), Insects (242 observations), and Birds (Aves) (229 observations). Protozoa had five observations.

A few highlights of observations are provided below, to celebrate the wide variety of life found in the Anacostia watershed. All observations are welcome, every contribution helps document the magnificent diversity of our community. Thank you to everyone who contributed observations this week!

@jorbogmont Yellow Bullhead
@belakissa Eastern Red-backed Salamander
@dtread1 American Coot
@stephen220 American Kestrel
@ana_kaahanui Bald Eagle
@rauvbbj Blue-headed Vireo
@dms215 Golden-crowned Kinglet
@mattshabitats Nashville Warbler
@ana_kaahanui common pawpaw
@bioball Oak Gall Wasps
@carrieseltzer American persimmon
@dancingboot Hyacinth bean

Observations this week, by Taxon:
Actinopterygii 15
Amphibia 14
Animalia 14
Arachnida 23
Aves 229
Fungi 285
Insecta 242
Mammalia 43
Mollusca 18
Plantae 1002
Protozoa 5
Reptilia 23
(blank) 72