Delaware Schoolyard Biodiversity Project

All of Delaware’s school properties, whether they are located in rural, suburban, or urban areas, host numerous wildlife and plant species that can be observed, recorded, and tracked by students, teachers, and the general public. The biodiversity of life on school property provides a valuable and readily accessible resource for learning that encourages awareness and appreciation of the amazing life around us and, at times, the stewardship it requires.

Observations made on school grounds in Delaware can be recorded here on iNaturalist by anyone. Student and teacher observations are great but observations from any member of the community are appreciated too.

The goal of this project is to create a repository of observations on Delaware school properties for all kinds of life – from lichens to ants, mushrooms to plants, birds to mammals, and everything in between.

The project focuses on observations of species that are established and not actively cultivated or domesticated. Petunias, a neighborhood cat, or a pet tropical turtle in the science classroom are not really the target. Established wildflowers, trees, bees, birds, butterflies, etc. are more of interest. Wildflowers and trees that planted for landscaping aesthetics or as part of a habitat project are fine to include so long as they are established and coming back from year to year on their own. Plants and animals that are thought of as weedy or invasive are certainly part of the established local biodiversity and may be included here as well.

This project will allow individual schools to list, track, and display observations of species observed on their own school property over time and allow the environmental education community and the public to see and benefit from all the observations made on school properties throughout the state. The project can be an outreach tool to help engage students and the community. Schools can compete to create thorough lists of species that occur at their sites.

Many schools have created areas specifically to be schoolyard habitats and attract wildlife. These areas can be excellent for making observations to add to this project but observations can just as easily be made outside of these areas on the ball field, in the parking lot, or wherever else you can find life on the school grounds.

This project is supported by the members of Delaware Children in Nature (https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/children-in-nature/) and Delaware Association for Environmental Education (https://daeeonline.org/).

Delaware Children in Nature is a coalition of like-minded partners that works to increase opportunities for children to participate in outdoor experiences, promote healthy lifestyles, support better access to green space, and encourage environmental literacy.

Delaware Association for Environmental Education is a private non-profit group whose mission is to “promote environmental and outdoor education to facilitate positive community impacts on the conservation and sustainability of Delaware’s resources.” Using the environment as a basis for study can improve student achievement, reduce behavioral problems, and connect students and adults to tangible, real-world topics. less ↑