Projektin Willow Bend Nature Challenge Päiväkirja

Today is the last official day of our June Nature Challenge. Thank you to all the observers and identifiers. Your were instrumental in adding important ecological data and making this a super fun event!

Here are the challenge winners. If your username is listed below, please contact us at info@willowbendcenter.org to claim your prize:

Most observations made 1st place: Graysons
Most observations made runner up: Jeffbalmat
Most species observed: Graysons
Most species observed runner up: Migo111
Most identifications made: Steve Jones
Most identifications made runner up: Steve Ganley
Random drawing winner: Steph150
Random drawing winner: earthlovinggari (Ari)
Random drawing winner: diana97 (Diana Henry)
Random drawing winner: Susan Lamb

While our official online challenge has ended, we encourage you to join our iNaturalsit Willow Bend Nature Challenge project and keep adding observations! This project will remain open indefinitely.

Our challenge is almost over! One more day to add observations and automatically be entered to win prizes.
We will be drawing winners tomorrow morning. Categories include: Most observations made, most species observed, most unique observation, and a few random drawings from all of our wonderful observers.

Today's Observation of the Day is Hunt's Bumble Bee. We cannot conclude a challenge without honoring one of the most important pollinators, the bee! Did you know that there are over 1,300 bee species in Arizona? Hunt's Bumblebee lives in desert scrub, prairies, and meadows and can be found at high elevations, like in Flagstaff AZ!
www.inaturalist.org/observations/51328999

We are 94 observations from reaching our goal of 1,000 observations. You can still join the challenge today and add your observations until tomorrow at 12pm.
www.inaturalist.org/projects/willow-bend-nature-challenge

Check out this moth in larva (caterpillar) stage and it's elongated prolegs. Can you help ID this critter? So far, it has been IDed to be in the Notodontidae family, which are known to have bizarre shapes and postures in the larvae stage. Insects are absolutely amazing!

We have just a few days left to enter our iNaturalist challenge and be in to win prizes. Get your observations posted now! https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/willow-bend-nature-challenge

Today's highlighted observation - another spider but what a beauty! This one has had a suggested ID of a gem-shaped orbweaver but it needs confirmation. Can you help?

We have just a few days left to enter our iNaturalist challenge and be in to win prizes. Get your observations posted now! https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/willow-bend-nature-challenge

Check out this recent observation from Bug Camp, a Common Patterned Ant-mimic Ground Spider (Sergiolus montanus)! Myrmecotrophy is mimicry of ants by other organisms, and spiders are the most common art mimics. How do you think looking like an ant helps this spider?

The Willow Bend Nature Challenge is a fun June virtual challenge through iNaturalist, a free observation platform that can be used on your smart phone or computer. It acts as a place for people to record observations, learn how to identify organisms and interact with other enthusiasts and experts. Observations from iNaturalist also contribute to biodiversity science. Anyone can freely access and use this information. Join our challenge: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/willow-bend-nature-challenge

We are starting to see patches of blooming Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) around town. The monarch butterfly is dependent on milkweed plants because monarch caterpillars only eat milkweed. If you want to add milkweed to your home or community, visit the Northern Arizona Pollinator Habitat Initiative website to find out milkweed varieties native to Arizona and where to find seeds/starts! Website: https://in.nau.edu/green-nau/nazphi-resources/

The Willow Bend Nature Challenge is a fun June virtual challenge through iNaturalist, a free observation platform that can be used on your smart phone or computer. It acts as a place for people to record observations, learn how to identify organisms and interact with other enthusiasts and experts. Observations from iNaturalist also contribute to biodiversity science. Anyone can freely access and use this information. Join our challenge: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/willow-bend-nature-challenge

Today we need YOUR HELP! In celebration of Bug Camp that annually occurs during this week, but has gone virtually this year, we selected an observation that needs an ID. So we are calling all entomologists, junior entomologists, insect enthusiasts and bug campers...can you identify this insect?

Go directly to the observation on iNaturalist and suggest an ID. www.inaturalist.org/observations/50637827

You can still JOIN the challenge, add observations, help ID existing ones, learn, have fun and WIN cool prizes!

www.inaturalist.org/projects/willow-bend-nature-challenge

Today's observation of the day is the Lesser Goldfinch. This one here is seen eating nyjer seed from a hanging feeder. Finches can be acrobatic feeders - clinging directly onto the feeder while plucking seeds out. Even Flagstaff's famed spring winds don't deter them from clinging on!

We have a week left of the Willow Bend Nature Challenge. Be sure to upload all your observations before June 30th to be in to win prizes! https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/willow-bend-nature-challenge

Today concluded 3 weeks of the iNaturalist challenge.

This week's winner is username scissortail7 with an observation that still needs an ID confirmation. Do you think its a Subtribe Polyommatina? ID this observation www.inaturalist.org/observations/50458921

You can still join the challenge, add your observations, help us reach our 1000 observations goal, learn, have fun and WIN PRIZES!

www.inaturalist.org/projects/willow-bend-nature-challenge

Today's observation is a Black-headed Grosbeak. These are migratory birds so we only see them around Coconino County during the summer. From the same family as a cardinal, and with a song similar in sound to a robin, these birds enjoy eating insects, seeds, and berries.

What other birds do you see around the county only during summer? Share your sightings on the Willow Bend iNaturalist challenge: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/willow-bend-nature-challenge