City Nature Challenge 2018: San Francisco Bay Area's Boletim

During the 2018 City Nature Challenge we ended up making observations of species that had not previously been recorded in the San Francisco Bay Area (the 9 counties that touch the bay). Some of these have made it to Research Grade, some are waiting to be confirmed or to have mis-IDs changed. Help us refine this list to figure out exactly what species we added in the Bay Area during the City Nature Challenge!

Fungus
Research Grade
Daldinia loculata: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12022744
Entoloma holoconiotum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12010010
Hygrocybe coccineocrenata: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11776177
Taphrina alni: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11889086

Needs ID
Coleosporium tussilaginis: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=381759&verifiable=any
Pileolaria brevipes: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area&subview=grid&taxon_id=351853&verifiable=any
Puccinia balsamorrhizae: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=706998&verifiable=any
Rhizoplaca chrysoleuca: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11714534
Sphaerotheca macularis: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11959247

Arthropods
Research Grade
Andrena auricoma: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=14&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area&subview=grid&taxon_id=361386&verifiable=any
Andrena nigrocaerulea: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11532264
Aphis gossypii: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area&subview=grid&taxon_id=309466&verifiable=any
Compsomyiops callipes: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12056649
Ellychnia corrusca: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11997587

Entomobrya atrocincta: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11703308

Grammoptera militaris: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12076984
Holopleura marginata: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area&subview=grid&taxon_id=455424&verifiable=any

Liometopum luctuosum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11827599
Lordotus apiculus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11693831
Neoterpes trianguliferata: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11952056
Paracantha cultaris: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12063776
Pogonomyrmex subdentatus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=69529&verifiable=any
Tollius setosus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12080596
Trechus obtusus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11821921

Trigoniulus corallinus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=123010&verifiable=any

Needs ID
Crematogaster coarctata: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area&subview=grid&taxon_id=68971&verifiable=any
Aceria fraxini: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=542186&verifiable=any
Alobates pennsylvanica: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11978367
Altica ambiens: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12000590
Amphibolips confluenta: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=14&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area&subview=grid&taxon_id=135271&verifiable=any
Argia translata: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11964869
Cardiophorus edwardsi: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11821940
Clepsis fucana: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11719877
Dilophus nigrostigma: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11969790
Dorytomus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11703288
Ectopsocus meridionalis: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11821881
Epiblema deverrae: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11968874
Euleia fratria: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11978886
Greya solenobiella: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11585733
Hexagenia limbata: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11825948
Lucilia silvarum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11966956
Malacosoma americanum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11826020
Notonecta undulata: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11969356
Oligotoma nigra: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area&subview=grid&taxon_id=362840&verifiable=any
Ormenoides venusta: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11778454
Pactopus horni: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=472248&verifiable=any
Philotarsus californicus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=542427&verifiable=any
Plagiodera versicolora: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11815985
Pogonosoma ridingsi: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11968654
Ptenothrix maculosa: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11821924
Ptinus fallax: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12015580
Rabdophaga strobiloides: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11689056
Saltella sphondylii: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11642619
Stenotus binotatus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11710031
Syngrapha rectangula: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11975505
Trichopsocus clarus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area&subview=grid&taxon_id=398313&verifiable=any
Eriophyes heteromeles: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=699413&verifiable=any
Kukulcania geophila: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12001628
Philodromus josemitensis: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11997161
Theridion californicum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=232550&verifiable=any

Plants
Research Grade
Aira elegans: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11961462
Allium fimbriatum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=14&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area&subview=grid&taxon_id=58353&verifiable=any
Bothriochloa laguroides: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11688845
Calandrinia ciliata: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area&subview=grid&taxon_id=489239&verifiable=any
Ceanothus megacarpus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11553954
Delphinium uliginosum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=76636&verifiable=any
Elymus x hansenii: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11667463
Fritillaria pluriflora: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12028693
Hierochloe occidentalis: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11717463
Lysimachia monelli: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12016369
Phacelia suaveolens: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area&subview=grid&taxon_id=68816&verifiable=any
Sarcocornia quinqueflora: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area&subview=grid&taxon_id=323891&verifiable=any

Needs ID
Betula alleghaniensis: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11791187
Azolla caroliniana: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11957058
Chenopodium glaucum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11692657
Cryptantha intermedia: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12514160
Delphinium nuttallianum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11962171
Juglans major: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11899616
Juncus marginatus: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11853481
Krascheninnikovia lanata: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11849037
Leymus x vancouverensis: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11580149
Ludwigia palustris: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11629464
Monarda fistulosa: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12695377
Allium hyalinum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11717637
Arctostaphylos viscida viscida: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12027902
Eucalyptus pauciflora: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11636244
Eucalyptus tereticornis: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11635569
Farlowia conferta: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11776441
Frullania bolanderi: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11819385
Geranium seemannii: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11859836
Hesperolinon clevelandii: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11578977
Hypoxis hirsuta: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11676558
Leucobryum glaucum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11521256
Lithospermum caroliniense: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11693106
Phacelia viscida: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11693503
Plagiobothrys tener: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12005886
Plagiomnium cuspidatum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11803898
Pleurozium schreberi: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=130677&verifiable=any
Puccinellia maritima: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=167588&verifiable=any
Silene antirrhina: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11531544

Other Taxa
Research Grade
Diadumene leucolena: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11917106
Pseudopotamilla occelata: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11577890
Diversibipalium multilineatum: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=54321&subview=grid&taxon_id=475832&verifiable=any

Needs ID
Bacillaria paxillifer: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11721730
Salmo trutta fario: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/12052700
Gemma gemma: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11558250
Megapallifera mutabilis: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/11522383

Hi there SF Bay Area!

If you took part in the City Nature Challenge, we'd love if you could spend a few minutes filling out this survey. Help us understand how people participate in the CNC and how we can make it better!

Participant Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-hR4_3Xsd7fkC8FSkVzecKlT--GPuOYydmw7E4XnReQh5yA/viewform

Thanks!

Congratulations to us, Bay Area - for the first time ever, we won the City Nature Challenge! And we won in high fashion, taking first for number of observations, species, and participants!

Diving deeper into the results for the Bay Area, 94% of observations submitted were verifiable, meaning that they had both a photo or sound AND were not marked captive or cultivated. By the time the numbers were pulled at 9 a.m. this morning, 50% of those observations had made it to Research Grade - a big thank you to our identifiers!!! Compared to last year's City Nature Challenge, even though this year's was one day shorter, we made almost double the observations we did last year, found close to 1000 more species, and had 2.5 times more people participate this year!

Congratulations to our top observer AND species-finder, @sea-kangaroo! @dpom and @damontighe also made it onto the top 5 for both lists. Our other top observers were @lemurdillo, @merav, and @wbsimey, and on the rest of the list for finding the most species are @catchang, @mrchasse, and @leftcoastnaturalist. We also want to thank our top identifiers: @graysquirrel made almost 3000 IDs, with @farinosa close behind with nearly 2000 IDs! @catchang, @boschniakia, @kueda, and @dshell all made over 1000 IDs - amazing! Big thanks to all of them (we'll be in touch about prizes) and equally big thanks to EVERYONE who got out and made observations and helped with identifying observations for the SF Bay Area City Nature Challenge this year!

And importantly, a HUGE THANK YOU to all of the people and organizations who held events in the Bay Area for this year's City Nature Challenge - we were able to offer more than 20 public events, where people could learn how to use iNaturalist, meet other people, and document a ton of species together. Building our local naturalist community is extremely important to us and is one of the main goals of the City Nature Challenge, so thanks to everyone who helped out, and a big WELCOME to all of the people new to iNaturalist who jumped in this year for the City Nature Challenge!

Looking at the impact overall, this year's City Nature Challenge was AMAZING! Almost 70 cities around the world, all mobilizing their residents and visitors to go out and find and document their local nature. The energy and enthusiasm for the City Nature Challenge was once again amazing- watching hundreds of thousands of observations flow in from around the world was truly inspiring. Our collective impact was obvious and incredible - we also gave iNaturalist its biggest 4 days in a row EVER!

Here are the results of the City Nature Challenge (as of 9:00 a.m., May 4 in each city’s time zone):
All 68 cities together:
Observations: 441,888
People: 17,329

All 63 cities using iNaturalist:
Observations: 423,845
Species: 18,116
People: 16,544

Here's the top five in each category:
Observations
San Francisco Bay Area: 41,737
Dallas/Fort Worth Area: 34,218
San Diego County: 33,448
Klang Valley / Greater Kuala Lumpur: 25,287
Washington- D.C. Metro Area: 22,800

Species
San Francisco Bay Area: 3,211
Houston Area: 3,088
San Diego County: 2,946
Hong Kong SAR: 2,932
Dallas/Fort Worth Area: 2,560

People
San Francisco Bay Area: 1,532
San Diego County: 1,211
Boston: 992
Washington- D.C. Metro Area: 872
Los Angeles County: 855

...and some more results...
All together we also made 4,075 Research Grade observations of 599 rare, endangered, and threatened species globally, and added over 100 new species that had not previously been recorded on iNaturalist EVER!
City with highest percentage of verifiable observations: Tulsa, Oklahoma with 98.9%
City with highest percentage of verifiable observations making it to Research Grade: Cádiz, Spain with 70.5%
City that added the most new species to their region on iNaturalist through the City Nature Challenge: Kuala Lumpur (Klang Valley), Malaysia with 1392 new species documented on iNaturalist
City that added the most new iNaturalist participants to their region through the City Nature Challenge: San Diego, California with 733 new observers added during the City Nature Challenge

Hey SF Bay Area! AMAZING job over the last 4 days going out and making observations! It's truly incredible what we can accomplish when we all work together, and not only did 1472 of us here in the Bay Area make 38,000 observations of 3100 species (so far!), but all together 16,000 people participated in making 385,000 observations of 16,500 species (so far!) around the world for the City Nature Challenge. So incredible.

So what's next? Well, we know many people were incredibly busy making observations Friday-Monday, and need some time to get them uploaded. We also know it takes time to get eyes on all these observations to try to confirm or refine the IDs. So, from now until 9am, Friday May 4, you should:

1. Upload all your observations! As long as they were made April 27-30, you can upload them now and they'll still count for the City Nature Challenge.
2. Help ID observations! Just like anyone can make observations, anyone can help with identifying observations. Here are all the observations made in the SF Bay Area for the City Nature Challenge that are not yet research grade! If you have some expertise or some naturalist know-how, feel free to help confirm IDs, correct mis-IDs, or try to take general IDs (e.g., "plants") down to more refined IDs (e.g., "California Poppy").

Our numbers will be pulled as final results at 9am this Friday, and results for the City Nature Challenge will be announced early afternoon that day!

We're doing a great job, SF Bay Area! Squarely in the lead for observations, species, and people. I personally think finding lots of different species is pretty rewarding, and it's how we can measure the "most biodiverse" city in the City Nature Challenge.

It's easy to see the species we have found, but what are we missing that we could potentially go find? Are you up for a treasure hunt? :) If so, I recommend the "compare" tool! These links are comparing species found in the SF Bay Area ever in April & May, versus the species we have found so far in the 2018 City Nature Challenge. You can see which "low hanging fruit" species are still out there to find!

Mammals
Birds
Reptiles
Amphibians
Butterflies & Moths
Dragonflies & Damselflies
Ants, Bees, Wasps, & Sawflies
Flies
Beetles
Arachnids
Crustaceans
Mollusks

Basidiomycota
Ascomycota

Conifers
Ferns
Grasses
Asterales: Sunflowers and allies
Apiales: Carrots and allies
Boraginales: Borages and allies
Brassicales: Mustards and allies
Caryophyllales: Pinks, Cacti, and allies
Ericales: Heathers and allies
Fabales: Legumes and allies
Fagales: Oaks/birches/etc
Lamiales: Mints and allies
Malvales: Checkerblooms/mallows/rock-roses/etc
Ranunculales: Buttercups, Poppies, and allies
Rosales: Roses and allies
Sapindales: Maples, Mangos, Mahogany, Citrus, and allies
Saxifragales: Saxifrages and allies
Solanales: Nightshades, Bindweeds, Gooseweeds, and allies

If there are other taxa you're interested in that are not in this list, all you have to do is change the "taxon id" in both strings of the comparison. You can find the taxon id by doing a search for the taxon you're interested in on the "Observations" page and the taxon id will show up in the url! **Please note: you can only compare 500 species at once, so be sure to pick a taxonomic level that represents 500 species or less in the SF Bay Area. "Plants" won't work, but "Asteraceae" will.

Nice work, San Francisco Bay Area! When I went to bed last night, we were in the lead of all the cities participating in the City Nature Challenge! Of course, when I went to bed, it was also coming into the mid-part of Day 2 for Hong Kong, and while we were sleeping, they crept up and took the lead! I know we will overtake them once again as we get the observation-making ball rolling today, but let's also watch out for San Diego, who is keeping firmly on our heels!

You can check out the leaderboard here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2018

Where did everyone go yesterday to make observations? Where are you going today?

Yesterday I spent my morning at Edgewood Park taking in all of the amazing wildflowers & insects, and then ventured out to the Pillar Point tidepools in the afternoon for a not-so-great low tide... but luckily there is so much life in the tidepools that I could still find a ton of species even with the tide flooding out much of the reef. Today I'm going to the bioblitz at Trione-Annadel State Park! There are a ton of events happening today if you're looking to find a group to make observations with: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2018-san-francisco-bay-area/journal/15165-events-for-the-2018-city-nature-challenge

Have fun out there today!

Join in an event being held by our partner organizations all around the Bay in support of the City Nature Challenge! Meet other people interested in documenting local nature, learn more about the iNaturalist platform, and help the San Francisco Bay Area win the City Nature Challenge! Click each event to find out more.

Friday, April 27th:
Briones Regional Park Bioblitz & Moth Lighting, Contra Costa County
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park Bioblitz, Sonoma County
Skyline Ridge Open Space Bird & Nature Walk, Los Altos, San Mateo County
Noe Valley Bioblitz, San Francisco

Saturday, April 28th:
San Bruno Mountain Bioblitz, San Mateo County
Palo Alto Baylands Mini Bioblitz, Santa Clara County
Lake Merritt Bioblitz, Oakland, Alameda County
Sunol Regional Wilderness Bioblitz (& free lunch!), Alameda County
Mount Diablo Mitchell Canyon Hike, Contra Costa County
Trione-Annadel State Park Bioblitz, Sonoma County
Ring Mountain Bioblitz, Tiburon, Marin County
Lake Lagunitas Bioblitz & Guided Excursions, Marin County
Tamarancho Mountain Bike Bioblitz, Marin County
China Camp Mountain Bike Bioblitz, Marin County
Presidio Bioblitz, San Francisco
Lands End Bioblitz, San Francisco
Bernal Hill Bioblitz, San Francisco

Sunday, April 29th:
Coyote Meadows Bioblitz, San Jose, Santa Clara County
Palo Alto Foothills Park Mini Bioblitz, Santa Clara County
Skegg's Mountain Bike Bioblitz, San Mateo County
Pacifica Mountain Bike Bioblitz, San Mateo County