The April 26-29 weather forecast for the Greater Kansas City metro area was not promising, so I had low expectations of finding subjects to document for the 2024 City Nature Challenge occuring during that time. We were also going to be out of town for one of those days, further limiting opportunities for making observations. While it was mostly overcast with some periods of rain, it wasn't a complete washout by any means.
I am fortunate to have the relative luxury of self-employment, able to take time to fully engage with events like City Nature Challenge. Not everyone has that privilege, so I want to thank everyone who made time to participate in this global event. Each year we collectively accrue more data for scientists to gauge trends in biodiversity and abundance, and take action accordingly to protect, conserve, and attract other species to our urban islands.
Friday, April 26, was spent looking for organisms around our home in Leavenworth, Kansas, a municipality included in the Kansas City project on iNaturalist. Well, the entire county is included, which means there is potential for rural observations. I like that the project encourages participation by inviting outlying commuinities, so the tradoff is worth it.
I always make sure to look in our detached garage for spiders and other arthropods, and the cooler, cloudy weather in the morning meant there was not much to see in the yard. I did document birds, squirrels, and plants, too. In the garage I uncovered the obligatory Brown Recluse, Loxosceles reclusa, plus two cobweb weavers (Theridiidae) and a cellar spider (Pholcidae).
Outdoors, I discovered more spiders, mostly on the exterior of our house, plus a few flies, beetles, ants, true bugs, moths, and several wasps. The sun even came out for a sliver of time in the afternoon, but I was pleasantly surprised by what was on the wing the rest of the day.
The late afternoon, and the following day (Saturday) found us in another county for an annual spring field trip of professional herpetologists and amateur reptile and amphibian enthusiasts.Sunday, April 28, was spent at home again, and was the least productive day of observations.
We like to explore the Leavenworth Landing Park, and Weston Bend State Park across the river in Platte County, Missouri at some point during the City Nature Challenge, and we did so on Monday, April 29. The weather was much better, sunny and warm. The most obvious insects were butterflies. Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta), and Zebra Swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus), were exceptionally abundant, but we saw other Lepidoptera, too. Bees, flies, and dragonflies were also common, and reasonably diverse.
I took advantage of the continuing favorable weather and put out a blacklight and sheet in our front yard Monday night. More moth, beetle, and fly species were attracted. I also prowled around the yard and found a couple other insects lurking in the darkness.
Statistically, I finished with 374 observations of insects and arachnids, totalling 238 "species," thanks to the help of 90 individuals offering or confirming identifications. I am still unclear as to what qualifies as a species on iNaturalist. I think it considers any unique taxon as a species when it creates the stats. In any event, identifications are a work in progress, so it may be years before a more refined assessment is made.
I am already looking forward to next year's City Nature Challenge. It may be my favorite "holiday," in fact, a celebration of the other species that share the planet with us. The human race could profit by having more such occasions for observing other organisms. It is a good reminder of our obligations of stewardship to the Earth.
This is so cool! You have some really nice pictures. Thanks for sharing. I recently captured some photos of a Mydas fly and published them on my blog. You might think they're cool, too. :)
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