Journal archives for April 2022

April 12, 2022

Join an Upcoming Vermont Atlas of Life Mission!

From butterflies to dragonflies and everything in between, join one of our biodiversity missions this spring. Naturalists of all ages and abilities are helping us monitor Vermont's flora and fauna. The Vermont Atlas of Life missions are projects that are short and easy for just about anyone to join, and they contribute invaluable observations for science and conservation. Pick one or several, and join the community! Coming up in April are two missions that need your help.

Dragonfly migration has been observed on every continent except Antarctica, with some species performing spectacular long-distance mass movements. Like birds, millions of Common Green Darners migrate north in the spring and south in the fall. We discovered that Common Green Darner spring migration closely follows the average daily temperature of 48°F northward. Will climate change shift the species' migration and arrival dates? Help beat our predictions and detect changes by joining the Northeast Darner Flight Watch. Visit the mission and view a live map of arrival predictions and darner observations.

Spring is changing. The snow is melting earlier, wildflowers are blooming sooner, and trees are leafing out faster. We want to learn how an unusual butterfly that flies only in forests in early spring, the West Virginia White, is faring—and you can help us find out! Your mission: from now until early June, locate a patch of rich, hardwood forest, walk a transect (daily, weekly, whatever works for you), count all the butterflies you find, and report them to our mission. Even if you don’t find any butterflies, zeros are essential to report too. Can you break the early or late record for a West Virginia White sighting? Who will have the highest count? Can we find them in places they’ve never been recorded? Join the West Virginia White Watch and help us find out! Visit the mission data collection site at eButterfly and view results from other watchers.

Posted on April 12, 2022 03:30 PM by kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 0 comments | Leave a comment

April 19, 2022

iNaturalist Crash Course: Through the Lens of a Mushroom

With: Meg Madden and Julia Pupko

As the spring rains fill Vermont valleys, life that was absent or dormant during the winter months returns—including an incredible array of fantastic fungi. Fungi can be tricky to ID, and it can be helpful to have a second set of eyes. That is where iNaturalist comes in! You can photograph any fungi you encounter (along with other wild organisms), upload your photos to iNaturalist, and receive identification verifications or suggestions from other members of the iNaturalist community.

If you are interested in learning more about fungi, iNaturalist use, and ways that you, as a community scientist, can contribute to Vermont’s fungi database, we have just the workshop for you! Whether honing your iNaturalist skills or learning to use iNaturalist for the first time, join VCE Community Science Outreach Naturalist Julia Pupko and Fungi Expert Meg Madden on April 27 and 28 from 7–8:30 PM for a two-day iNaturalist workshop. The workshop will include a mix of presentation slides and live demonstrations in iNaturalist, connecting information on fungal identification and atlasing with iNaturalist use. Here is the full schedule:

April 27: Getting Started in iNaturalist

  • What is iNaturalist and why does it matter, for community naturalists and researchers alike?
  • Importance of community science to fungal atlasing and research
  • Basic overview of use:
  • Taking high quality observations – how to take ID-worthy fungal photos
  • Uploading observations
  • How to use Identify
  • Tips for identifying mushrooms
  • Overview of Taxon pages, Explore tab, Personal Dashboard
  • Register for Day 1 here

April 28: Identify and Project Creation

  • iNaturalist app and Seek
  • Project Creation
  • Projects - What are they?
  • How to set up a project
  • Case Study: Middlebury Area Land Trust Wright Park BioBlitz
  • Troubleshooting in iNaturalist: Additional Resources
  • Register for Day 2 here

Registration: There are separate registration links for each day. You may register for one or both days:

Posted on April 19, 2022 02:43 PM by jpupko jpupko | 2 comments | Leave a comment

Archives