Заметил одну особенность. Если сидеть с определением видов (в моем случае - стрекоз) слишком долго (а сегодня я на это потратил зачем-то уйму времени), то под конец начинаешь видеть "чертей". Меня сейчас этот сайт что-то с головой затянул, а потому останавливаться ну очень сложно, а иногда пора.

I noticed one feature. If you sit with the definition of species (in my case - dragonflies) for too long (and today I spent a lot of time on it for some reason), then in the end you start to see "devils". I now have this site something with the head tightened, and therefore it is very difficult to stop well, and sometimes it's time.

22.01.2020.

Species included in APA checklist, with zero iNat observations - breakdown by genus:

80 Carex
30 Rhynchospora
27 Eleocharis
27 Dichanthelium
25 Crataegus
22 Cyperus
19 Solidago
14 Xyris
14 Quercus
13 Juncus
11 Symphyotrichum
11 Eragrostis
11 Agalinis
10 Hypericum
10 Asplenium
10 Andropogon
9 Sporobolus
9 Ranunculus
9 Oenothera
8 Urochloa
8 Physalis
8 Paspalum
8 Paronychia
8 Panicum
8 Helianthus
7 Viola
7 Potamogeton
7 Isoetes
7 Galium
7 Bromus

Total = 1347 species included in APA, unobserved on iNat. Some of the absences are simply nomenclature diffs between the two lists, many are difficult taxa to find or id by photo.

There are 980 vascular plant taxa in iNat (AL, all observations) not included in the APA checklist. Again, accepted name differences and cultivated plants explain most of these, but there are some species found by iNat community that could be legitimate additions to the AL flora. Could probably redo this comparison with research grade obs. only.

And just like that, we’re back to the usual winter programming! I’m very excited for the snow, however I could do without the sub-freezing temperatures. On the mornings where the thermostat in my car reads -5^oF on my drive in, I often think about all of the wildlife (and plants) that must cope without the comforts of heated seats and woodstoves. Of course, they have countless physical and behavioral adaptations that allow them to survive. Every morning the sun rises on a new mosaic of tracks crisscrossing my backyard, letting me know that the local deer, squirrels, and four-legged predators continue to thrive despite the cold.

This Week on Tech Tip Tuesday

If this cold snap has you in hibernation mode, then this tech tip will be right up your alley. This week we’re talking about the identify tool. Now, I know that many of you have probably been putting your substantial naturalist skills to good use from the beginning of your iNaturalist adventure – after all, helping other users identify their cool finds is half the fun! However, not everyone is familiar with the time-saving wonders of the Identify tool.

How is it different than the way many of us approach identifying observations? Instead of going to “Explore”, searching for observations that “need IDs”, and clicking in and out of observations, using “Identify” allows you to use simple strokes to agree, add comments, and flip to the next observation. This means that you get to avoid the headaches caused by hitting “back” to get off a page, only to find that you’ve lost your place.

To get to the Identify tool, click on “Identify” along the top menu bar. Once you get to the page, enter the species and/or place you’re interested in identifying observations for. One neat aspect of Identify is the number of filtering options that exist. To explore these, click “Filters” to the right of “Go” next to the search bars. Once “Filters” is open, click on “More Filters” in the bottom left-hand corner to see the full range of options. Here are a few that you may find most interesting to play with:

1. Observations identified as unknown. To filter for observations marked as “Unknown”, go to the “Categories” section and click on the last option – a leaf outlined by a dotted line with a question mark in the middle. By isolating the “Unknown” observations, you can easily go through and add broad identifications like “plant” or “animal”. In doing so, you will help other identifiers looking for plants or animals find that observation more easily. Without even one of those simple identifications, observations can sometimes get lost.

2. Sort randomly. If you go to the “Sort by” section, you will notice that the last option allows you to sort your search results into a random order. This is great for instances where you may not want an order to your observations for one reason or another.

3. Help add annotations. You can use the “Without Annotation” section to find observations missing annotations. As explained in TTT #1, annotations are important to include because they provide extra information for people who may be interested in using observations to look for patterns.

4. Assist newer users. Everyone needs a little extra help when they start out, both with identifying and understanding what should and should not be posted. By going to the section titled “Account Creation”, you can filter your search results by when a user’s account was created, allowing you to focus on observations created by folks who are new to iNaturalist.

Once you have the settings adjusted to your liking, click “Update Search”. To begin, click on the first observation that you want to identify. There are several ways to edit an identification. The most straightforward way to add a new identification is by clicking “Add ID” at the bottom of the page. If you agree with a provided identification, click “Agree” next to that person’s suggestion. You can also click “Comment” on the bottom of the page to add a new comment. If you look below the observation’s photo, you will notice boxes for marking “Captive/Cultivated” and “Reviewed”. If either of these apply, please select them. Remember, being a good identifier is about evaluating the whole observation, not just correcting its species name.

If you’re looking for a speedy way to edit an observation, then it’s time to check out the keyboard shortcuts. You can find these by clicking on the keyboard icon under the observation’s photo (bottom left-hand corner). Once you click it, a menu will pop up showing you all the different shortcuts available. For example, to add a new identification you can hit “i” and a new identification box will appear. Or, if you want to agree with the most recent identification, you can click “a”. Take a moment to browse through the options and try some out (when appropriate).

Now that you’re familiar with using shortcuts to edit identifications, turn your attention to the tabs across the top of the observation’s window and notice the four tabs (currently on “Info”). Next to that, you will notice a tab called “Suggestions”. This shows you the suggested identifications for this observation.
The next tab will show you the observation’s annotations. Remember earlier (in point number 3 above) when I mentioned how you can filter by observations without annotations? By using this tab, you can add annotations to observations that need them or agree/disagree with current annotations. You can do this by hand or use keyboard shortcuts to add new information. Click on the keyboard icon again and you will notice that the list has expanded to include new shortcuts. For example, when on the Annotation tab, you can add a “Female” notation by hitting “s” then “f”.

The final tab allows you to vet the data’s quality. Look through the checklist they provide and select “no” for any missing qualifications. This helps ensure that observations remain accurate.

Once you’re satisfied with your additions, you can get to the next observation by either clicking the arrow to the observation’s right side or hitting the right-facing arrow on your keyboard. No back buttons required! If you’re looking for a visual explanation of how Identify works, then check out this great video from iNaturalist’s help section.

TTT Task of the Week

Now that you’ve explored Identify, it’s time to put it to use! If there is a particular place or group of species that you usually identify, then try out Identify while continuing your normal identification routine. If you’re not comfortable adding new species identifications, try focusing instead on adding annotations. Go to your filters and set them up to find species without annotations. If you’re new to this feature, look for plants and animals with clear annotations, such as species of butterflies or flowering plants. By taking the time to add identifications and evaluate data quality, you will both be helping other users become better naturalists and ensuring that observations provide a reliable data source to those using them.

Thank you for helping us map Vermont’s biodiversity and happy observing!

LAKE FOREST, Calif. – Authorities killed a mountain lion after it attacked and injured a 3-year-old child at a Southern California park Monday afternoon, Jan. 20, officials said.

https://fox6now.com/2020/01/20/3-year-old-child-attacked-by-mountain-lion-in-southern-california-tmw/amp/.

The Calvert County total number of species and observations for dragonflies in iNaturalist currently stands at 26 and 328, respectively.
County damselflies are only 7 species from 76 observations.

How does these numbers compare to our other surrounding counties?
For the two Southern Maryland counties:
St. Mary’s County dragonflies - 17 species/49 observations; damselflies - 5 species/12 observations
Charles County dragonflies - 30 species/166 observations, damselflies - 9 species/23 observations
And to our north:
Anne Arundel County dragonflies – 45 species/1, 099 observations; damselflies - 27 species/286 observations

The Anne Arundel County data in particular would appear to offer the possibility that quite a few more species are waiting to be added to the iNat county database. To date, there have been a total of 68 naturalists inputting data for dragonflies and damselflies, but only seven observers have provided 10 or more observations. A new iNaturalist project for dragonflies and damselflies of Calvert County has recently (04 November 2019) been created by Karyn Molines, Chief of the Calvert County Natural Resources Division. Maybe this will inspire some others to take a closer look at these most interesting insects and input their own observations.

goal of this post is adding commentary to the structure of the workflow.
(still work in progress)

Con el semillero de investigación en Aves Andinas de la Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira se realiza visita a la Reserva Forestal Protectora de los ríos Escalarete y San Cipriano localizada en el Departamento del Valle del Cauca, Municipio de Buenaventura corregimiento Córdoba y Cisneros.

J’ai trouvé le texte suivant sur le site Asters, conservatoire d’espaces naturels Haute-Savoie :
« Avec plus de 2500 espèces et sous-espèces de plantes à fleurs et fougères, la Haute-Savoie abrite, avec la Savoie, près de la moitié de celles présentes en France métropolitaine. Cette richesse traduit la situation privilégiée des deux Savoie, au carrefour d'influences climatiques.
Mais aujourd'hui, plus d'une espèce végétale sur cinq de notre flore départementale se trouve dans une situation préoccupante, grave ou critique, certaines ayant même disparu définitivement.
Pour nombre d'entre elles, l'éventuelle augmentation du nombre de stations où la plante persiste résultera plus certainement de l'accroissement des connaissances que d'une réelle amélioration de leur statut de conservation. »

GUIA DE PECES CARTILAGINOSOS EN EL RIO DE LA PLATA Y SU FRENTE OCEANICO

1 Pablo Meneses y Laura Paesch

https://www.cites.org/sites/default/files/sharks_id_material/049_Guia%20de%20peces%20catilaginosos%20mar%20del%20plata_0.pdf

Here we Go Again

Outramps CREW Diaries
Tuesday, 21st January 2020

"Of all the things that humanity remembered about itself in 2019, there was one that for millions of us felt like an entirely new truth: the living planet had a threshold beyond which it would refuse to support further extraction, combustion and abuse."
Kevin Bloom, Our Burning Planet/Greta Thunberg

Summer Holidays
For captions or info click on i on the top right-hand side. A good way to go - the slideshow is found at the top of the page on the rt hand side by clicking on the 3 dots. Featured this month - The Railway Children, Geissorhizas for Evan, Kammanassie for Geissorhiza elsiae, Seed Collection with Solly and Naomi for MSB, End-of-Year Celebrations and Out an About in the Southern Cape

For names and captions of the photos used on this version of the Diaries - see the Album.

For earlier versions of the Outramps CREW Diaries
https://us17.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=be2accf3de565e1297257f79e&id=8113ba68c6

The Railway Children
It was in late November that we took a chance on finding a flowering Geissorhiza outeniquensis (Near Threatened). In a later article, Jen explains about Evan, the Ph.D student from USA and his need for specimens for DNA testing. We usually visit this particular site in very early January. We decided to park on the northern side of the Montagu Pass, go up to the nek, descend via the old Cradock Pass and come back along the railway line to the cars parked just above North Station. This included a sortie south of the Cradock Pass crossing to just before the long tunnel that precedes it.

The veld was looking gorgeous after some significant rain - the first in ages. (It has been remarkably absent since then, but it all changed this last weekend - Ed.). Standout plants were about 13 different Orchids, Wachendorfia thyrsiflora, Aristea bakeri and fields of Disa racemosa in the seeps. We were fortunate to find Geissorhiza outeniquensis in early flower and in late flower was Erica stylaris (Vulnerable). The slog along the railway line was very hot, but we did find a new population of the Geiss and lots of young seedlings of Leucadendron conicum (Near Threatened). The knowledge that there was no power van to catch us in one of the tunnels, or on one of the swaying bridges was reassuring, even if a little spice of danger was absent.

It was a very successful day on all fronts to end the 2019 official activities for the Outramps CREW Group. As you will see, there were a whole lot of other trips slotted in later for various reasons. The Outramps are gluttons for punishment. I missed all these, as Bill and I made the difficult and life-changing move from Strawberry Hill to Bishopslea in early December.
tanniedi

Kammanassie for Elsie's Geiss
Towards the end of November HAT Evie decided that unless we visited our distant Kammanassie Mountains speedily, we would be unable to find the promised samples of Geissorhiza elsiae (Rare). This endemic bulb is only known in the Kammanassie and normally flowers in October. Outramps had agreed to hunt for leaf specimens needed for DNA testing by Evan, a Ph.D researcher in the USA. Luckily, Nicky and Fred were able to join me, as well as my visiting sister Rosie. With Nicky in tow the specimen hunt was successful!

After leaving our vehicle at a safe corner, the 4 of us hunted all around the track up towards Mannetjiesberg for pink Geissorhiza flowers . We certainly found numerous bright pink flowers. They were Chironia melampyrifolia in flower instead! Pelargonium ovale was also covered in bright pink flowers. Nicky, who returned earlier set off with great determination. On the downhill, she did eventually manage to find some rather unrecognizable leaf samples, seeds and old bracts of spent flowering G. elsiae at one of her previous sites. Hooray!!

Later in the day at higher altitude, HAT Evie did spy a pink flower on a higher terrace - seen while having a “cool off bath’ in a little stream. Getting up close proved to be too difficult – a rather muddy and slippery uphill route next to a small waterfall. A rather vague photo does seem to indicate that it was also G. elsiae (Rare). No doubt our trip was well after this flower’s general flowering season – I had seen numerous bulbs during a trip in Oct 2015.

The 4 of us managed to spend 2 full days hiking and fossicking in these very precious, pristine mountains. The first day along the Mannetjiesberg track on the eastern Kammanassie mountains, while the second day took us up the track from Buffelsdrif into the Kleinrivier catchment area in the central Kammanassie.

Some of the other plants seen :-
Protea eximia was making a good display; Protea punctata with flowers all over; numerous, sticky-stemmed, flowering Bobartia paniculata (Rare) were in full flower; Leucadendron album and Phylica meyeri ; after the fires 2 ¾ years ago there are numerous Psoralea sp. showing off in their pretty blues; we saw several Orichids including Disa lugens (Rare) ; Otholobium candicans and acuminatum; white Tritonia flabellifolia; and a few very strange, white Ericas. Nicky suspected they were deformed flowers on Erica glomiflora.

On our return along the Mannetjiesberg track, we met a car full of botanists! A good time to chat!! Amongst them was Ross Turner, who confirmed that the weird Erica sample probably had a genetic disorder (fasciation) of some type or other.
Evie

The Geissorhiza Hunt for Evan
November 2019

Having been asked by a Ph.D student, Evan from America to try and find certain Geissorhizas from our area and to obtain leaf material for DNA, 4 of us set off for Rust and Vrede and the Swartberg Pass. We were armed to the teeth with silica gel, zip-lock packets, GPS co ords from iNat and lots of hope.

Luckily we got to the Pass before the traffic jams started. We parked and proceeded to walk to the sites where Nicky and another had found a small Geissorhiza which Evan thinks is not G. nigromontana as posted. Just about to give up after a long search, Nicky spotted the plants. There was a small clump of them which most people would not even have noticed. We were thrilled and proceeded to collect our samples.

Then it was off to Rust and Vrede, with many photographic stops on the way. This was another kettle of fish altogether. A huge waterfall greeted us with many hanging green leaves wherever you looked and not a flower in sight. Luckily Nicky knew where she had found them before and we were able to collect leaves for Evan. The plants are in bud ,so we may have to return in January to see them flowering.

In the next few weeks we continued with the hunt. Evie remembered seeing G. inconspicua on the southern side of the Camferskloof Nek, so Sandra and Evie set off to find it. The plants were fortunately in full flower and prolific. Evie and Nicky then took themselves off to the Kammanassie to try to find G. elsiae and managed to find a plant in seed. (Article by HAT Evie) .

Lastly Di and I set off to have a look at the G. outeniquensis site on the railway line. Luckily for us the Geissorhizas were in glorious full flower. So happily we now had 4 specimens for Evan. All in all a very successful mission. (article by tanniedi).

In due course the specimens were posted off to Evan and he has received them. He is very grateful to the team for their help with his project. He promised to let us know the results in the fullness of time.
Jenny
Seed Collection with Naomi and Solly from MSB
Friday 13th with Santa’s Helpers
It was Friday 13th December and I had been waiting for nearly an hour at our meeting place at Margaret’s view point on the Brenton Road, trying to find out what had happened to Naomi Mdayi and Solly Modimola, who were in the area collecting seeds for the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership - MSBP South Africa. Thank goodness for cell phones, or we might never have connected, but when the two green-clad collectors emerged from the Kirstenbosch bakkie, I found that they had erroneously headed up Phantom Pass … after all it was Friday 13th!

Luckily that was the only mishap of the day. After scouring the road verge for interesting seeds to collect, they did the same at Mooi Uitzicht, Endlovana and Ocean View. Seed collecting is a time-consuming activity, but once again modern technology came in useful, so that they did not collect seed that had already been banked. Nearly ten hours later, with snacks on the move, we had visited all the properties, where they had been given permission to collect, many collecting forms had been completed, paper bags filled with seeds, photos taken and herbarium specimens safely stored away. Walking behind these two keen collectors, in their green overalls with bags of collections tossed over their shoulders I commented that they looked just like Santa’s helpers. The MSBP will be the recipient of their seasonal gifts.

It was very satisfying to spend a day with these enthusiastic youngsters who care so much for the environment. They keenly carried out their allocated task, working together with care, knowledge and all important humour. I hope they achieve their targets.

Thank you again, to Susan, Johan and Christa for giving us permission to wander across their properties and to collect seeds for the MSBP.
Nicky

Putting the Garden Route on the biodiversity map!
Diarize: 24-27 April 2020
City Nature Challenge 2020 on iNat

City Nature Challenge
Garden Route – City Nature Challenge (CNC202-GR) 24-27 April 2019
Is what?
It is four days of people running around like crazy – taking photographs like mad!
Of plants, fish, mushrooms, snakes, frogs, goggos, wildlife, fish, trees – in the veld, around towns, schools, in the mountains, at the beach, under water, in parks and gardens – everywhere!

Four days of frenzy, recording the biodiversity on the Garden Route. Then followed by a week to upload the photos, videos, sound bites and camera trap images onto iNaturalist. During all of this, a bunch of (very nice) nerdy and (also) normal, nice people are to identify the observations.
It is a competition!
The Garden Route District Municipal biodiversity versus that of global cities. Òr maybe just the Garden Route versus Cape Town (last year’s winner)!
We can have: The Most Observations – the Most Species – the Most Observers!
Have you registered on iNaturalist yet? Hurry, hurry….
Watch this space!!
Sandra
www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2020-garden-route-district-municipality

Out and About in the Southern Cape
Puffie at Dune Molerat
We saw a monstrously huge Puffie on Dune Molerat. I passed it about 30 minutes before WAGs and it was still lying in a shady spot when they passed by. In all the years, this is only the second specimen we have seen there. The first one was in 1996 and Jenny almost stood on it.

Willem Botha of the GCBR
We were very sorry to hear of the sudden passing of Willem Botha who was the very able Chairman of the GCBR. He will be sadly missed. All our sympathy goes to his family.

End of Year Celebrations
The last weeks of November and early December were very festive with end-of year celebrations with WAGS, MCSA and Outramps CREW. This last party was in the Botanical Gardens at the newly-opened restaurant "The Botanist". An excellent time was had by all.

Doringrivier East
We went Orchid Hunting in Doringrivier in late November. It was either too dry or too long post-fire, because it was an abortive trip. Our main targets were Eulophia platypetala (Vulnerable),Ceratandra atrata and grandiflora and there was no sign of any of them. If only we would get significant rain, the veld and flowers would be a whole lot better.

A new Leader for Outramps CREW
Jenny Potgieter takes over the reins of the Outramps CREW Group for 2020. In her youth, Jen was the Theatre Matron at Greys Hospital in Pietermaritsburg. That experience in handling a large organisation filled with prima-donna surgeons will stand her in good stead for the future. She has been a member of the Outramps during both Protea Atlas and CREW since 1996, so she comes with a wealth of experience. She is already discovering that it is a very "busy" job, which I'm sure she'll do very well. It was definitely more than time for the 81 year old matriarch to bow out. All our best wishes go with her. I will continue doing a monthly edition of the Diaries and will help Jen with the organising of the SIM field trips.
Hamba Kahle
Groete en dankie
Di Turner
Outramps CREW Group
Southern Cape
South Africa

All id’s subject to confirmation by Doc AnneLise and Jan Vlok, Steven Molteno, Dr Tony Rebelo, Nick Helme, Prof Charlie Stirton, Dr Robert Archer, Dr Robert McKenzie, Dr Ted Oliver, Dr Christopher Whitehouse, Adriaan Grobler, Prix Burgoyne, Dr Kenneth Oberlander, Dr Pieter Winter, Dr David Gwynne-Evans, Malthinus and Mattmatt on iNat. Thank you all for your ongoing help and support.

Outramps Places on iNaturalist – You can browse through the observations or refer to the checklist which is in alphabetical order eg. Animals, birds etc.
Area of Interest to the Southern Cape Herbarium - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/southern-cape-aoi
Ballots Heights - : https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ballots-heights
Baviaanskloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/bo-kloof-guest-farm-baviaanskloof
Buffelsfontein- https://www.inaturalist.org/places/buffelsfontein-435-portion-2-albertinia
Cola Conservancy - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/cola-conservancy
De Mond - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/de-mond-nature-reserve
Dune Molerat Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/dune-molerat-trail
Eco-reflections - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/reflections-eco-reserve#page=1
Featherbed Nature Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/featherbed-nature-reserve
Gamkaberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/gamkaberg
Gerickes Punt - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/gerickes-punt#/places/gerickes-punt
Great Brak River Conservancy put on by Stuart Thomson - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/great-brak-river-conservancy
Gouriqua - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/gouriqua-private-nature-reserve
Gouritzmond - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/the-gouritsmond-commonage
Heaven in the Langkloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/heaven-in-the-langkloof
Herolds Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-herolds-bay
Kammanassie - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kammanassie-reserve
Klein Swartberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/klein-swartberg
Knysna - Westford Bridge https://www.inaturalist.org/places/westford-bridge-estate-knysna
Kouga Mountains Kliphuis - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kouga-mountains
Kouga Wildernis - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/kouga-wildernis
Kranshoek - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-kranshoek-
Langeberg Grootvadersbosch - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/grootvadersbosch-nature-reserve
Masons Rust - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/masons-rust-32-ptn-4-gezwinds-kraal-41-ptn-0
Mons Ruber and surrounds - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mons-ruber-and-surrounds
Mossel Bay District - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mossel-bay-district
Mossel Bay Aalwyndal - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/aalwyndal
Mossel Bay Diosma Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/diosma-reserve
Mossel Bay - :https://www.inaturalist.org/places/hartenbos-heuwels
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/erf-14072
Mossel Bay - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/erf-19201
Mossel Bay St Blaize Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/st-blaize-trail
Natures Valley - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/nature-s-valley-south-cape-south-africa
Outeniquas Bobbejaanberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-bobbejanberg-in-the-outeniquas
Outeniquas Camferskloof - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-camferskloof
Outeniquas, Collinshoek and the Big Tree - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outenoquas-collinshoek-and-the-big-tree
Outeniquas - Cradock and George Peak Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/cradock-peak-trail
Outeniquas Doringrivier East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-doringrivier-east-in-the-outeniquas
Outeniquas East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-eastern-outeniquas-from-bergplaas-to-gouna
Outeniquas Eseljagt - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ezeljagt-eseljagt-and-surrounds
Outeniquas Eseljagtpoort - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ezeljagts-poort-72-ptn-0-eseljagt-poort
Outeniquas Flanagans Rock - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/flanagans-rock-rsa
Outeniquas Goudveld -
https://www.inaturalist.org/places/goudveld-garden-route-national-park
Outeniquas Jonkersberg Bowl - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-jonkersberg-in-the-outeniquas
Outeniquas Langeberg https://www.inaturalist.org/places/lange-berg-112
Outeniquas Montagu Pass North - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-montagu-pass-north
Outeniquas North Station -https://www.inaturalist.org/places/north-station-on-the-montagu-pass
Outeniquas Paardekop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/paardekop-13
Outeniquas Paardepoort East - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-paardepoort-east
Outeniquas Paardepoort West - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-paardepoort-wes
Outeniquas Pizza Ridge - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-pizza-ridge
Outeniquas Southern Traverse - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-outeniqua-southern-traverse
Outeniquas Waboomskraal Noord - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/waboomskraal-noord.
Robberg Corridor - : https://www.inaturalist.org/places/robberg-coastal-corridor-roodefontein-440-ptn-42
Robberg Corridor - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/robberg-coastal-corridor-krans-hoek-432-ptn-5
Robberg Corridor - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/robberg-coastal-corridor-e8267c6b-9263-4a87-a721-a24619be6dc8
Rooiberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-rooiberg-reserve
Spioenkop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/ruigtevlei-plantations
Strawberry Hill - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/strawberry-hill-7-passes-road-wilderness-south-africa
Swartberg Bloupunt - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-bloupunt-swartberg
Swartberg Rust en Vrede - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/rust-en-vrede-25-ptn-2-and-spitzkop-11-ptn-0
Swartberg Spitskop - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/outramps-crew-spitskop-to-meiringspoort-swartberg
Swartberg, Swartberg Pass to Bothashoek high and low - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/swartberg-pass-to-bothashoek-jeep-track-and-crag-route
Swartberg Waboomsberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/waboomsberg-in-the-swartberg
Uitzicht Portion 39 - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/uitzigt-216-portion-39
Uitzicht - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/uitzigt-216-ptn-65
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-1-buffalo-bay
Western Head – https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-2-buffalo-bay
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/walker-s-point-215-portion-3-buffalo-bay
Western Head - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/western-head-knysna
White Heather - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/white-heather
Wilderness Brown Hooded Kingfisher Trail – https://www.inaturalist.org/places/brown-hooded-kingfisher-trail
Wilderness Kingfisher Trail - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/kingfisher-trails
Witteberg Kromme Rivier - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/kromme-rivier-72-ptn-0-willowmore

Outramps CREW Stellenbosch HAT node
Jonkershoek created by Vynbos - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/jonkershoek-cv
Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/mont-rochelle-nature-reserve
Papegaaiberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/places/papegaaiberg

Outramps Projects on iNaturalist
Outramps CREW Group - all postings
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/outramps-crew-group
Ballots Heights - https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=143599
Ericas of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ericas-of-the-southern-cape
Fungi of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/fungi-of-the-southern-cape
Geraniaceae of the Southern Cape - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/geraniaceae-of-the-southern-cape-of-south-africa
Lianes and Creepers in the Southern Cape and Little Karoo - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/lianes-and-creepers-of-the-southern-cape-and-little-karoo
Veg Types of South Africa (Tony Rebelo)- https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/vegetation-types-of-south-africa
Flowers of the High Drakensberg - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/flowers-of-the-high-kzn-drakensberg

Outramps CREW Group - iNaturalist stats
63,779 observations
8755 species
20 Observers
113,633 id's
(Updated Monthly)

Abbreviations Glossary
MCSA – Mountain Club of South Africa
MSB - Millenium Seed Bank based at Kew in the UK
WIP – Work in Progress
HAT – High Altitude Team
LOT – Lowland Team
SIM – Somewhere in the Middle Team
WAGS – Wednesday Adventure Group
VB – Vlok Boekie “Plants of the Klein Karoo” and our Plant Bible
ITRTOL – Another thread “In The Rich Tapestry Of Life”(It describes a challenging situation, usually to do with the Buchu Bus)
ITFOT – In the fullness of time
WOESS – Fair Weather Hiker
FMC and JW – too vulgar to translate, but the equivalent is “Strike me Dead” - An expression of surprise and delight on finding a new “Rare”
Kambro – same as above
Fossick – A meter per minute, scratching around looking for rares
SIDB – Skrop in die Bos – Another name for a field trip, this one coined by Prix
BAFFING – Running round like a blue-arsed fly
SYT – Sweet Young Thing - Anyone under the age of 40
TOMB – Get a move on
Mayhem - Needless or willful damage or violence
SESKRYNG – “Sit en staan kry niks gedaan” ,with thanks to Brian
SOS – Skelms on Scramblers
FW – Idiot
BOB – Another name for the Buchu Bus when she’s misbehaving.
CRAFT – A symptom of Old Age
DDD - Metalasia tricolor (Damned Diabolical Daisy)
VP – Vrekplek – Retirement Village
Qàq – Self-explanatory Inuit word describing some of our local problems
Mr Fab – Our Fabaceae specialist, Brian Du Preez – originally Boy 1
Muisvoel -The Mathematician – Peter Thompson
Boy 2 – Kyle Underwood who works on Orchids and is still at school
Sharkie – Finn Rautenbach – Our latest SYT is a surfer in his spare time and is now the Curator of the Garden Route Botanical Garden
Sicko – Someone who suffers from Car Sickness. With 4 in the Group, allocating seating in the Buchu Bus is tricky
VAG – Virgin Active Garage, which is our meeting place when we head north
MATMUE – Meet At The Mall Under E - Meeting place when we head West
WG – Waves Garage in Wilderness East. - Meeting place when we’re going east.
VU- Vulnerable
DDT – Data Deficient and Taxonomically ?
NT – Near Threatened
EN – Endangered
CR – Critically Endangered
PE – Presumed extinct
LC – Least Concern
TBC – To be Confirmed
TLC – Tender loving care
JMS – An expression of absolute disdain
FOMO – Fear of Missing Out
Milk – the fruit of the vine
Condensed Milk – Scotland’s finest export
Full Cream Milk or Fat Milk – Any product of Humulus lupulus eg. Milk Stout
Milk of the Gods – Rooibos and Brandy
Milk Shake - Sparkling Wine
NS – Species of conservation concern new to the Outramps
PS -Priority Species allocated to the Outramps by our CREW Cape Co-ordinator , Ismail Ebrahim
iNatFD – iNaturalist for Dummies as compiled by Sally
Mizzle – Mist and drizzle combined. A regular feature of George in the ”good old days”.
FE – Fire Ephemeral – only appears immediately or after a couple of years after fire
Squirrel – aka President Ramaphosa
WOG – Wrath of God – eg. incurred when you put a young Pine tree on iNat as Leucadendron album
Skedonk - A banger - old, battered motor car more than 30 years old
Hoedown - redneck gathering, usually involves shouting catchy phrases like "yee-haw" and "the south will rise again"
VHF - Vat Hom Fluffie - our nickname for furry or woolly plants
SA - Stay Attractive is Google's translation of "Mooi Bly"
OTL - Out To Lunch is used to describe the Buchu Bus when she's taking a break after she's behaved badly
DFKIAA - A very funny video in Afrikaans is doing the rounds. It refers to the recent power outages.
Walkie Talkies - Botanical walks that include more talking than walking

Time: 9:00 am to 11:30 am

Members who attended: Sanjay Date, Rupa Rangan, Rucha Patil, Sekhar Chavan, Shabbir Karu, Shreya Diwan, Savita Bharti

Sanjay Sir’s update on ARAI was inviting to conduct a butterfly walk that was missing out for past couple of weeks. It was first Sunday off for Shabbir Sir from his gardening classes and he grabbed the opportunity to come for the walk, along with his classmate Mr Sekhar Chavan. It was first PBG walk for Shreya Diwan and Rupa Rangan as well.

Monsoon ARAI was all wet and slippery, post monsoon it looked all lush green and the walk on 19th the hill has turned a shade of light brown and one patch of black due to grass burning. Therefore, unlike other times the first sighting was after a bit of walk near the waterhole Sanjay Sir is maintaining for birds. A pea blue flew and settled somewhere in grass. The light brown and white bands merged well with the grass making it difficult to spot. The female enjoyed the morning sun and slowly opened the wing for basking, so we got our first photograph of the day.

The Cadabad fruticosa Sanjay Sir mentioned in one of the group posts earlier was just opposite to the waterhole. The other plant growing around is shedding its leaf so the flowering Cadaba is seen very clearly. He even spotted a clump of eggs (gone bad) on one of the leaves. We couldn’t make out though, whose it could be.

A plain orange tip flew around as if guarding its territory. It gave all of us a good run around but it was worth it as we all got its photograph. Around same spot we got three plain orange tip female, so well merged within the dry grasses that it was difficult to spot it. All the time I heard Rupa calling out, “Where is it?”

The next member to be spotted was from same family, a little orange tip. The sightings were not rushing in but whatever we were finding was like a gem. The Salai (Boswellia serrata) plant is flowering and fruiting now. We got some lessons from Sanjay Sir on using mobile manual mode and fixing focus to one point. Interestingly we all had this feature on our smart phones but never made use of it. The Salai flower was our first subject to try out the feature from our mobile.

Little ahead we found the white orange tip. Like always it settled inbetween the growth and though it was stationary, the undergrowth made it difficult to photograph it. From here we went to the last point, what we call the crimson tip adda. A little sapling of Capparis had a little common gull caterpillar feeding on it. An empty chrysalis of maybe a Crimson tip or the Little/plain orange tip was spotted by Sanjay Sir under a leaf of Cadabad. Few eggs were also seen but they were so tiny to be identified with naked eye.
Sir had to rush back now, so he took our leave and rushed ahead. We all also decided to call it a day and return back. While we took our time to walk back, I got a call from Sanjay Sir to rush immediately to the agave plant clump. A crimson tip was spotted by him. We all rushed, but when we reached there, the tip has gone. None the less a tawny coster was giving a beautiful pose balancing on a dry grass twig. I hope someone got the picture and shares on the group. While we got busy clicking this, Sanjay Sir went ahead. Again I received a call to come down and as we rushed we did spot a crimson flying around.

It was some mad rush here and there but we all managed to get a photograph of it. Shabbir Sir was most amazed and I guess enjoyed the best just observing the butterfly flutter by. This was his fist sighting of a crimson tip and I could see how much he enjoyed watching it fly. A gull and pioneer distracted us a bit in between Shreya managed to photograph the pioneer.

We decided to walk down as it was getting sunny and later for our next engagements. As always, I lost the track and had to get the team down from a thorny patch! It turned out to be good as we saw a common rose pass by like a glider. Also the point we again found back our walking path, we spotted a Flacourtia having three common leopards hovering over it. The plant has recently started getting fresh tender leaves and flowers. Maybe a good sign for the leopards to breed. If we keep a record for an annual cycle, we’d learn the breeding pattern along with seasonal changes here 😊 Maybe we keep periodic documentation as a futuristic goal of PBG.

As I am visiting ARAI for past one year, I see a lot many man made changes which are impacting the natural habitat of wildlife on the hill. From photograph walks to getting pets on the hill to constructions right at the base of hill and now I see the burning of dry grasses around. This feels so sad, few plants are cropping up from group as its their time to grow (includes tiny Cadaba fruticosa hosts to all tips from the hill) the periodic burning takes away the little chance these plants get to survive. With the burning also goes their habitat to rest/roost and breed. I wonder if something more constructive can be done about the Gliricidia plants around than the dry grasses posing no potential harm to the habitat.

Attached butterfly list we were able to document during the walk and
link to butterfly photographs https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/savita/2020/1/19

Serial no Family/Scientific name/Common name

Lycaenidae/Blues

1. Euchrysops cnejus cnejus/Oriental Gram Blue
2. Lampides boeticus/Pea Blue

Nymphalidae/Brush footed

3. Melantis leda leda/Oriental Common Evening Brown
4. Ypthima asterope Mahratta /Indian Common Three-ring
5. Acraea violae/Tawny Coster
6. Phalanta phalantha phalantha/Oriental Common Leopard
7. Junonia lemonias lemonias/Chinese Lemon Pansy
8. Junonia orithya swinhoei/Pale Blue Pansy
9. Hypolimnas bolina jacintha/Oriental Great Eggfly
10. Tirumala limniace exoticus/Oriental Blue Tiger

Papilionidae/ Swallowtails

11. Pachliopta aristolochiae aristolochiae/Indian Common Rose

Pieridae/ Whites & Yellows

12. Catopsilia Pomona/Common Emigrant
13. Eurema hecabe hecabe/Oriental Common Grass Yellow
14. Eurema laeta laeta/Indian Spotless Grass Yellow
15. Cepora nerissa Phryne/Dakhan Common Gull
16. Belenois aurota aurota/Indian Pioneer
17. Colotis aurora/Plain Orange-tip
18. Colotis danae danae/Indian Crimson Tip
19. Colotis etrida etrida/Indian Little Orange-tip
20. Ixias Marianne/White Orange-tip

Time: 9:00 am to 11:30 am

Members who attended: Sanjay Date, Rupa Rangan, Rucha Patil, Sekhar Chavan, Shabbir Karu, Shreya Diwan, Savita Bharti

Sanjay Sir’s update on ARAI was inviting to conduct a butterfly walk that was missing out for past couple of weeks. It was first Sunday off for Shabbir Sir from his gardening classes and he grabbed the opportunity to come for the walk, along with his classmate Mr Sekhar Chavan. It was first PBG walk for Shreya Diwan and Rupa Rangan as well.

Monsoon ARAI was all wet and slippery, post monsoon it looked all lush green and the walk on 19th the hill has turned a shade of light brown and one patch of black due to grass burning. Therefore, unlike other times the first sighting was after a bit of walk near the waterhole Sanjay Sir is maintaining for birds. A pea blue flew and settled somewhere in grass. The light brown and white bands merged well with the grass making it difficult to spot. The female enjoyed the morning sun and slowly opened the wing for basking, so we got our first photograph of the day.

The Cadabad fruticosa Sanjay Sir mentioned in one of the group posts earlier was just opposite to the waterhole. The other plant growing around is shedding its leaf so the flowering Cadaba is seen very clearly. He even spotted a clump of eggs (gone bad) on one of the leaves. We couldn’t make out though, whose it could be.

A plain orange tip flew around as if guarding its territory. It gave all of us a good run around but it was worth it as we all got its photograph. Around same spot we got three plain orange tip female, so well merged within the dry grasses that it was difficult to spot it. All the time I heard Rupa calling out, “Where is it?”

The next member to be spotted was from same family, a little orange tip. The sightings were not rushing in but whatever we were finding was like a gem. The Salai (Boswellia serrata) plant is flowering and fruiting now. We got some lessons from Sanjay Sir on using mobile manual mode and fixing focus to one point. Interestingly we all had this feature on our smart phones but never made use of it. The Salai flower was our first subject to try out the feature from our mobile.

Little ahead we found the white orange tip. Like always it settled inbetween the growth and though it was stationary, the undergrowth made it difficult to photograph it. From here we went to the last point, what we call the crimson tip adda. A little sapling of Capparis had a little common gull caterpillar feeding on it. An empty chrysalis of maybe a Crimson tip or the Little/plain orange tip was spotted by Sanjay Sir under a leaf of Cadabad. Few eggs were also seen but they were so tiny to be identified with naked eye.

Sir had to rush back now, so he took our leave and rushed ahead. We all also decided to call it a day and return back. While we took our time to walk back, I got a call from Sanjay Sir to rush immediately to the agave plant clump. A crimson tip was spotted by him. We all rushed, but when we reached there, the tip has gone. None the less a tawny coster was giving a beautiful pose balancing on a dry grass twig. I hope someone got the picture and shares on the group. While we got busy clicking this, Sanjay Sir went ahead. Again I received a call to come down and as we rushed we did spot a crimson flying around.

It was some mad rush here and there but we all managed to get a photograph of it. Shabbir Sir was most amazed and I guess enjoyed the best just observing the butterfly flutter by. This was his fist sighting of a crimson tip and I could see how much he enjoyed watching it fly. A gull and pioneer distracted us a bit in between Shreya managed to photograph the pioneer.

We decided to walk down as it was getting sunny and later for our next engagements. As always, I lost the track and had to get the team down from a thorny patch! It turned out to be good as we saw a common rose pass by like a glider. Also the point we again found back our walking path, we spotted a Flacourtia having three common leopards hovering over it. The plant has recently started getting fresh tender leaves and flowers. Maybe a good sign for the leopards to breed. If we keep a record for an annual cycle, we’d learn the breeding pattern along with seasonal changes here 😊 Maybe we keep periodic documentation as a futuristic goal of PBG.

As I am visiting ARAI for past one year, I see a lot many man made changes which are impacting the natural habitat of wildlife on the hill. From photograph walks to getting pets on the hill to constructions right at the base of hill and now I see the burning of dry grasses around. This feels so sad, few plants are cropping up from group as its their time to grow (includes tiny Cadaba fruticosa hosts to all tips from the hill) the periodic burning takes away the little chance these plants get to survive. With the burning also goes their habitat to rest/roost and breed. I wonder if something more constructive can be done about the Gliricidia plants around than the dry grasses posing no potential harm to the habitat.

Attached butterfly list we were able to document during the walk and
link to butterfly photographs https://www.inaturalist.org/calendar/savita/2020/1/19

Serial no Scientific name

Lycaenidae/Blues
1. Euchrysops cnejus cnejus/Oriental Gram Blue
2. Lampides boeticus/Pea Blue

Nymphalidae/Brush footed
3. Melantis leda leda/Oriental Common Evening Brown
4. Ypthima asterope Mahratta /Indian Common Three-ring

5. Acraea violae/Tawny Coster
6. Phalanta phalantha phalantha/Oriental Common Leopard
7. Junonia lemonias lemonias/Chinese Lemon Pansy
8. Junonia orithya swinhoei/Pale Blue Pansy
9. Hypolimnas bolina jacintha/Oriental Great Eggfly
10. Tirumala limniace exoticus/Oriental Blue Tiger

Papilionidae/ Swallowtails
11. Pachliopta aristolochiae aristolochiae/Indian Common Rose

Pieridae/ Whites & Yellows
12. Catopsilia Pomona/Common Emigrant
13. Eurema hecabe hecabe/Oriental Common Grass Yellow
14. Eurema laeta laeta/Indian Spotless Grass Yellow
15. Cepora nerissa Phryne/Dakhan Common Gull
16. Belenois aurota aurota/Indian Pioneer
17. Colotis aurora/Plain Orange-tip
18. Colotis danae danae/Indian Crimson Tip
19. Colotis etrida etrida/Indian Little Orange-tip
20. Ixias Marianne/White Orange-tip

While this study relates to moths specifically, I thought there might be some interest from members of this project given that it deals with Lepidoptera.

There have been a few news stories discussing declines in insect populations in the last two years or so, and some of those have come under criticism for methodological issues or "extrapolating beyond the data". The headlines about 'insect armageddon' following the release of the German study in 2017 became topical and were concerning for many. I just learned about a recent UK study that was profiled in the Guardian newspaper that offers a less alarming conclusion.

The UK study is interesting and possibly unique because of the timeframe, it covers 50 years of moth sampling at over 30 sites across the UK. It has a much longer reference period that the German study that got so much attention. The UK study actually points to an increase in biomass over the first portion of the study (roughly 1967 to 1982), followed by a decline. However, over the entire study period, biomass increased, which is interesting given that we are still in the period of decline. Starting points are important as the German study covers only the second part of the timeframe, and only documents a decline. The conditions could be very different in the two countries, but it is in instructive to note that the trends reversed dramatically in the UK. And that may have been the case in Germany, but we don't know because the German data series doesn't go back as far.

You can request a free copy of the UK study from the author at the following link if you are interested in some of the details. Different moth families have different trajectories, and the data is also segregated by land use type (agricultural, forest, urban etc)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-019-1028-6

Further commentary on the topic is also available on iNat's discussion forum

There have been a few news stories discussing declines in insect populations in the last two years or so, and some of those have come under criticism for methodological issues or "extrapolating beyond the data". The headlines about 'insect armageddon' following the release of the German study in 2017 became topical and were concerning for many. I just learned about a recent UK study that was profiled in the Guardian newspaper that offers a less alarming conclusion.

The UK study is interesting and possibly unique because of the timeframe, it covers 50 years of moth sampling at over 30 sites across the UK. It has a much longer reference period that the German study that got so much attention. The UK study actually points to an increase in biomass over the first portion of the study (roughly 1967 to 1982), followed by a decline. However, over the entire study period, biomass increased, which is interesting given that we are still in the period of decline. Starting points are important as the German study covers only the second part of the timeframe, and only documents a decline. The conditions could be very different in the two countries, but it is in instructive to note that the trends reversed dramatically in the UK. And that may have been the case in Germany, but we don't know because the German data series doesn't go back as far.

You can request a free copy of the UK study from the author at the following link if you are interested in some of the details. Different moth families have different trajectories, and the data is also segregated by land use type (agricultural, forest, urban etc)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-019-1028-6

Further commentary on the topic is also available on iNat's discussion forum

Spent the day along the coast in Gloucester and Rockport, MA observing winter waterbirds. Sunny and clear with excellent visibility. Air temperature only got up to around -2C after an overnight low of -10C at home. Very dry air with dew points around -11C. Wind was NW at 24- 32 km/h creating some noticeable wind chill in exposed locations. The sea was rough with numerous whitecaps. High tide at 0710 and low at 1320 EST.

Made four stops for bird censuses: Jodrey State Fish Pier (0900-1010 EST) and Eastern Point Sanctuary (1030-1100) (both in Gloucester, MA) and Halibut Point State Park (1150-1305) and Granite Pier (1328-1438) ( both in Rockport, MA). 21 species (+1 other taxa) of birds in four checklists. See eBird for detail. Only other fauna was a single Harbor Seal at the fish pier.

Highlights for the day were two Dovekies (!!) and a Razorbill in the inner harbor at the Jodrey Fish Pier. Got some great looks and made some photos. In addition, the Harlequin Ducks at Halibut Point and Granite Pier were spectacular, as always. Two wintering Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warblers couldn't have picked a colder place to be than the greenbriers and scrubby trees in the exposed headland at Halibut Point!! Visibility north from Halibut Point over the rough surface of Ipswich Bay was spectacular, with Mount Agamenticus visible 55 km north in York, Maine. Ended up the day with a winter- plumaged Loon that clearly wasn't a Red-throated, but seemed to have too small a bill for a Common. It was also very dark dorsally and seemed to have a rounder, less-blocky head profile than a Common. Thought briefly that it might be a Pacific, but ended up calling it a Unidentified (probable Common) in the end.

After nearly being hunted to extinction, California sea otters--and about 1,000 other species--find a home in Monterey County.

https://www.abc10.com/mobile/article/entertainment/television/programs/backroads/cute-california-sea-otters-find-ocean-paradise-in-moss-landing-bartells-backroads/103-abf2b33a-8256-455a-b7ab-9904ee2f3db9

Longleaf Ridge Master Naturalists enjoyed the brisk weather on Sunday afternoon, January 19, 2020, exploring the Canyon Rim Woodlands Trail in Newton County, so named because in places the trail is constructed around a canyon with up to 40 foot embankments graced by beech, southern magnolia and loblolly pines. We had a very good turnout. Vehicles crowded the small parking area, and the narrow path made for a long string of hikers.

The winter date was chosen so we could see the rare Bigleaf Witch-Hazel, Hamamelis ovalis, which was soon spotted and admired. Its winter blooms come in shades of red, orange and pink. Soon the trail curved to follow an old logging road last used by mule and ox-drawn wagons about a century ago, and we were able to view a cannon range used by Fort Polk trainees during World War II. Above the spectacular views at Deer Run Lookout, we saw a turpentine face on a longleaf pine stump that was used by collectors of turpentine in the 1920s.

Keith Stephens led the hike and was able to identify all of the trees with nothing but the bark in some cases, since many of these huge beauties were devoid of leaves this time of year. In addition to the huge beech, magnolia and loblolly pines, we saw large black cherry trees, black gum, sassafras, white oak, white ash, winter and summer huckleberry, American basswood, American hophornbeam, Ironwood, Georgia holly, Possumhaw, Carolina Buckthorn and Sweetleaf. Keith pointed out a White Oak stump that looked like a rock, explaining it wouldn’t rot because moisture couldn’t get inside.

The entire trail is about 1.6 miles, with some easy, moderate and more challenging terrain. There were fallen limbs across the path, and we discussed returning to do trail cleanup as a service project. In some places, feral hog activity made footing a challenge, and there were more than a few up and down grades to navigate. Canyon Rim is located on State Highway 87 in Mayflower, south of Hemphill, north of Burkeville. It is one of the sites on the Big Thicket Loop of the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail known for Black and White Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrush, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Yellow-throated Vireo, and Red-eyed Vireo.

foreword

This workflow is my personal guideline. I'll try to stick to it when proceeding to an individual identification activity. I consider correct sharing as I believe consistency is an important aspect to guarantee the quality of iNat IDs

applicability

This section applies to individual ientifications. If you want to engage in a taxa wide revision activity, read the Revision campaigns section first

commentary and comments

Commentary for this workflow are gathered in this journal entry:https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/edolis/30257-commentary-to-workflow. Please add comments there or in the forum discussion mentioned in the same commentary.

Individual identifications

Flow

10. pictures in the observation allow to identify every key feature of the taxa whose ID you want to add: Yes->20 No->40
20. you are aware of other species who cannot be visually distinguished from the above taxa Yes->21 No->25
21.the information about visual identity apply to the same Country as the obs Yes->32No->25
25. you are aware of exceptions in visual appearance which could bring with confusion with a different species Yes->32No->39
32. the estimated incidence of error is greater than 10% OR percentage unknown Yes->33No->39
33. note the ambiguity through a Holding Bin

1. add an ID upper level (genus/upwards as appropriate)
2. select No as answer to the dialogue "allows etc"
3. add Holding bin field
4. add comment linking to journal entry detailing the ambiguity

continue ->50
38. Add taxa as ID, mention in comment the key feature and add link to literature ->50
39. Add taxa as ID mention in comment the key feature and add link to literature in ID warning about potential alternative ->50

40. the picture, as viewed in the original version, has at least one key featurewhich could be seen in the picture but is not visible instead? Yes->41No->42
41. abstain from ID ♦
42. Add taxa as ID, mention in comment the key feature and add link to literature ->50
50. can you detect at least one key features which of the current Community ID not compatible with the picture set of the observation? Yes->51 No->♦
51. Trigger review

• in comment, mention the conflicting key feature and add link to literature
• Reject with No option
• in case the Community ID is still Research Grade, flag obs for community review ("Yes can be improved")

possibly mention in comment the potential taxa for an ID ♦

Revision campaigns

'revision campaigns', when several observations of the same taxa are reviewed in block to improve consistency

Preparation

In order to properly organize the set of information used to identify a taxa or several taxa during a revision campaign, a journal page should be created to support the activity
The use of this page is

1. allows to properly store the literature used to provide a complete view of the material to people interested in examining the sources and the contacts
2. represents a meeting point to discuss some aspects of identification of the species avoiding to have that information lost in the individual observations
3. allows to record the observation with useful information, pictures or discussion in support to identfication
4. allows to list the people that, in course of the review, has shown to be able to support in troubleshooting the identification activity
5. allows to log the activities taken for maintanence of the integrity of the identification set (e.g. requests to curators)

the following setcions are recommended:

Section name	Contents
references to literature	list of internet link to resources, such as web pages or pdf documents, of reputable sources of information used in the identification process. In case it is feasible, subdivide by Taxa (e.g. species)
links to observations	links to individual observation considered valuable and informative both for the pictures of the observation and the contents of the comments section
references to iNat users	list of users who might support in troubleshooting an ID. Obviously partial, but a starting point anyway

---

Legend

item	description
♦	End of flow.
key feature	a visible feature which is not shared by different species when associated to other key features or visual clues

Flow

same as the previous one, with the following variation:

1. link should be added in the comment section of the revised ID pointing to the relevant journal page
2. in case an ambiguity has been detected where literature indicates visual identification is not possible based on macro pictures, the matter should be brought to attention (with relevant documentation) flagging the taxa and logging such action in the journal post for tracking

(Tracheophyta, AL only)
No. species observed a single time = 1045
No. species observed twice = 494
" " three times = 276
" " four times = 210

Families with 1 observation:

Asteliaceae
Calamitaceae
Costaceae
Cunoniaceae
Elatinaceae
Ginkgoaceae
Juncaginaceae
Limnanthaceae
Marantaceae
Martyniaceae
Moringaceae
Nephrolepidaceae
Paeoniaceae
Piperaceae
Tamaricaceae
Zygophyllaceae

Families with 10 observations or fewer:

Acoraceae
Asteliaceae
Bataceae
Begoniaceae
Calamitaceae
Costaceae
Cunoniaceae
Cycadaceae
Diplaziopsidaceae
Elatinaceae
Garryaceae
Ginkgoaceae
Isoetaceae
Juncaginaceae
Lardizabalaceae
Limnanthaceae
Malpighiaceae
Marantaceae
Marsileaceae
Martyniaceae
Menyanthaceae
Moringaceae
Musaceae
Nephrolepidaceae
Paeoniaceae
Pedaliaceae
Penthoraceae
Piperaceae
Pittosporaceae
Plumbaginaceae
Podocarpaceae
Podostemaceae
Psilotaceae
Ruppiaceae
Sphenocleaceae
Stemonaceae
Talinaceae
Tamaricaceae
Tofieldiaceae
Tropaeolaceae
Zygophyllaceae

This info was extracted from a comment by @merav. She and I did a team patrol on the morning of Jan 19, 2019. She wrote the following:

" I was there again in the afternoon for a hike, and was surprised to see that almost all the newts we saw in the morning just by the limekiln trailhead were gone. In the morning there were at least 10 dead newts. By 4 pm they were all gone, but 1 that was still there."

In other words, 90% of the dead newts "disappeared" within 8 hrs (8am - 4pm) on a busy weekend by the Limekiln trailhead.

Reference: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/pacific-newts-dead-2018-2019-lexington-reservoir-area/journal/20936-268-pacific-newts-found-dead-today-no-live-ones-seen

Number of observations for common species, Tracheophyta, AL only

487 Liquidambar styraciflua
486 Juniperus virginiana
427 Parthenocissus quinquefolia
423 Toxicodendron radicans
402 Aesculus pavia
399 Ligustrum sinense
386 Callicarpa americana
385 Sassafras albidum
384 Polystichum acrostichoides
351 Trifolium repens
349 Pinus taeda
335 Liriodendron tulipifera
330 Pleopeltis michauxiana
326 Hydrangea quercifolia
323 Lonicera japonica
320 Acer rubrum
316 Salvia lyrata
311 Podophyllum peltatum
307 Cercis canadensis
304 Vitis rotundifolia
295 Taraxacum officinale
291 Cornus florida
285 Trillium cuneatum
280 Phytolacca americana
276 Viola sororia
276 Albizia julibrissin
264 Prunus serotina
259 Quercus nigra
252 Packera glabella
241 Magnolia grandiflora


At Family level:

10164 Asteraceae
4217 Fabaceae
2760 Poaceae
2469 Lamiaceae
2329 Fagaceae
2302 Rosaceae
1609 Ericaceae
1415 Sapindaceae
1276 Ranunculaceae
1264 Rubiaceae
1260 Pinaceae
1036 Convolvulaceae
999 Vitaceae
974 Amaryllidaceae
960 Cyperaceae
953 Euphorbiaceae
952 Magnoliaceae
918 Oleaceae
917 Cupressaceae
895 Anacardiaceae
871 Smilacaceae
864 Asparagaceae
829 Violaceae
813 Apocynaceae

The wing-cases of gold-enameled weevils hung from necklaces; muslin gowns were embroidered with the iridescent green elytra of jewel beetles.

https://daily.jstor.org/insect-jewelry-of-the-victorian-era/?fbclid=IwAR2gnGsa6uf3SxOw3_ObyUap7Mzs0DgDMYDPS26TVxu_kqHXxVVN64C0I74

Prior to this past year, I am not sure that I have ever tried to photograph a dragonfly or damselfly and certainly had never tried to identify one. During a late spring hike in Calvert Cliffs State Park I happened upon a group of very large and colorful dragonflies that were periodically resting on a set of tree branches next to the trail. I took several photos with the hope that I might learn their identity using the iNaturalist app, a relatively new software program to me. Thus was the start of a season learning about a group of creatures that I knew were about, but that I knew so little about. I discovered that Rambur’s Forktail damselflies frequented the lake shore of our yard and that Blue-fronted Dancer damselflies only inhabited one side of our house. Eastern Amberwing dragonflies were generally only found resting on stumps protruding from the lake while Common Whitetail dragonflies seemed to prefer to stay on or close to our house. Flowers in the garden were often adorned with Blue Dasher or Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies. Unusual wing patterns, beautiful vibrant body colors, unusual mating positions, and a much greater variety of species were present than I could have imagined. A world that was apparently almost literally under my feet for years without any awareness on my part was now an exciting new avenue of discovery. So now in addition to trying to find and photograph the local birds, I have another incredible set of creatures to entertain me as I roam around the neighborhood and county.

This is an interesting case:

* @sea-kangaroo surveyed the southern half of Alma Bridge Rd. on 1/14/2020 and found 129 dead newts.

* @newtpatrol surveyed the same section of road on 1/18/2020 and found 65 dead newts; 19 of these were fresh, 46 were decomposed

So, one would suppose there would be 129 decomposed newts on the road on 1/18, since there were that many newts reported on 1/14. However, only 46 decomposed newts were found. That means 83 dead newts "disappeared" in the four days between 1/14 and 1/18 (64%). Where did they go?

FYI: @merav, @joescience1, @anudibranchmom

Gentlepeople,

We will be sampling on the east end of the SDC this coming Saturday, January 25th starting at 10AM.

We will meet on Trestle Glen Dr near Toyon at 10 that morning. We'll then head to 38.351219, -122.509278, the ephemeral pools we began sampling last June. I will have my phone (207) 440-0062 and should have reception at least some of the time.

Please let me know if you can join us. I could really use your help. Thank you.

Best wishes,
Dan

Ya tenemos 30.000 observaciones, enhorabuena a tod@s los observadores e identificadores.

(for @joescience1)
8:33am - 9:41am
Coverage: Alma Bridge Road @ turnout 100 yds north of Quarry Road intersection to stop sign.
Weather: Chilly, 46˚, mostly sunny, warmed up by end of observation time.
Rainfall: MTD 1.72in, YTD 14.071in (per http://www.weathercat.net/wxraindetail.php)
Vehicles: 18 (20 more, including one truck w/ quad horse trailer, parked in turnouts just below Quarry Rd.)
Bikes: 24+
Pedestrians/ joggers 16
One parked car with a GO NEWT license plate
57 dead newts, 7 fresh (still w/ color)
No other dead critters
one big chanterelle type mushroom
most traffic (vehicle, bike and pedestrian and overall activity to date)
rowing club very active on water, with one power boat coaching

Пришло время подвести итоги нашего проекта на iNaturalist "Красная книга Новосибирской области 2019", а заодно обсудить развитие проекта в 2020 году. Зову вас на встречу-семинар "Фотонаблюдения природы, iNaturalist и Красная книга Новосибирской области".

30 января в Центр "Калейдоскоп" особенно приглашаются любители природы и фотографии, готовые помочь в исследованиях и сохранении биологического разнообразия. И не только участники этого года!

Планируются сообщения по теме встречи (iNaturalist, Глобальная база данных по объектам биоразнообразия (GBIF), ГИС, Красная книга НСО, др.), дискуссия, вручение дипломов и подарков и свободное общение.

Регистрация на встречу: https://forms.gle/rbqVyZ27Bv5WoRUd9

Пришло время подвести итоги нашего проекта на iNaturalist "Красная книга Новосибирской области 2019", а заодно обсудить развитие проекта в 2020 году. Зову вас на встречу-семинар "Фотонаблюдения природы, iNaturalist и Красная книга Новосибирской области".

30 января в Центр "Калейдоскоп" особенно приглашаются любители природы и фотографии, готовые помочь в исследованиях и сохранении биологического разнообразия. И не только участники этого года!

Планируются сообщения по теме встречи (iNaturalist, Глобальная база данных по объектам биоразнообразия (GBIF), ГИС, Красная книга НСО, др.), дискуссия, вручение дипломов и подарков и свободное общение.

Регистрация на встречу: https://forms.gle/rbqVyZ27Bv5WoRUd9

Here's the scoop about the newt migration:

"With the first rains in late November or early December, adults emerge from the saturated ground and migrate from their upland habitat to ponds and streams for breeding. Males migrate before females and remain at the breeding site longer...

The female newt lays her fertilized eggs in water where the larvae hatch and grow. Young newt larvae look like frog tadpoles but with longer, thinner bodies. When metamorphosis is complete, the juveniles emigrate from the breeding site and spend the next few years growing to sexual maturity. When they are fully grown, they typically return to the same breeding site year after year to mate.

When the breeding phase is over, females are the first to return to their upland habitat, followed by males and juveniles. However, some adults might remain in the pools for an additional few months to feed. Since the return migration is more sporadic and less weather-dependent than migration to the vernal pools, it is much harder to protect the newts as they make their way back to the forest."

References:
• Migration Patterns of Taricha torosa in Tilden Regional Park
https://nature.berkeley.edu/classes/es196/projects/1989final/ClaggettP_1989.pdf

• Bay Nature Article: Citizen scientists tracking roadkill on Alma Bridge Road have found thousands of dead newts this season.
https://baynature.org/2019/02/06/traffic-is-driving-a-newt-massacre-in-the-santa-cruz-mountains/