City Nature Challenge lets kids help scientists around the world

In 2020, a teen photographed a “white-spotted slimy salamander” under a log in Arlington, Virginia. While not endangered, this species hadn’t been documented in that county for 45 years.

Finding an amphibian that was undetected for so long was valuable to scientists studying its habitat changes.

Between April 29 and May 2, City Nature Challenge for the D.C. area aims to see how many plant and animal species D.C.-area residents can find and photograph. From May 3 to 8, participants then help verify information and identification for images uploaded to the website iNaturalist.org. Once documented, those sightings become “research grade” – recommended for use by scientists.

The United States is just one of dozens of countries participating.

“The City Nature Challenge is scientific research – global data collection – done by the general public rather than by professionals,” said Alonso Abugattas, a naturalist and environmental educator who writes the Capital Naturalist blog.

How to explore

The nature challenge takes place anywhere wild plants, animals and fungi live naturally. (Don’t use your pets or garden plants.)

Explore your yard, around your front steps, in a favorite park, or in a schoolyard. Find a place where you can sit quietly to look and listen. Focus on finding things you love – bugs, butterflies, plants with berries – but be open to finding the unexpected.

Daniel Morrisey, 10, and his brother Than, 8, participated in last year’s City Nature Challenge at Hidden Pond Park in Springfield, Va. “There were snakes everywhere!” Than said. Using Seek, a free kid-friendly app created by iNaturalist, they were able to identify the snakes they saw.

While exploring Kingman Island in Washington, Faris Nunn, 8, and her brother King, 5, saw many plants and wildlife signs in one small riverside area. A snail shell, mushrooms, webbed footprints and woodpecker-drilled holes in trees were highlights. King discovered a large pod and used Seek to quickly identify it as an eastern black walnut.

Observation hints

Move slowly. “If you run along a path, you could miss something small like a bug, or slow like a snail,” Faris said. She and King quietly explored along the shore, so they wouldn’t scare away ducks swimming nearby.

Look under logs or in dried leaves – but be careful. “Use a sturdy stick and wear gloves when poking around places like that,” said Faris, recalling how she and King once saw a black widow spider crawling in dead vegetation in their front yard.

Rather than including the actual animal, your observations can show evidence of wildlife such as footprints, feathers, nests or scat (poop). Gnawed tree stumps can indicate nearby beavers. Faris and King found snake skins, deer bones and fish heads on previous explorations.

Recorded sounds of wildlife can also be submitted, even if you can’t see what is making the sound. For example, vocalizations of birds or deep-throated bellows of bullfrogs can tell researchers what was nearby.

Remember, it’s fun to explore with family or friends because everyone has different talents. Some are better at finding bugs, some know bird calls, some are good photographers. Each can contribute to the challenge in different ways.

For more information and Nature Challenge-related events, visit citynaturechallengedc.org.

Help gathering information

A magnifying glass, binoculars, notepad and a small unbreakable mirror, which is good for looking underneath mushrooms, can help with identification.

Photograph your subject from different angles disturbing as little as possible. Highlight the most identifiable aspects. For plants: leaf patterns, tree bark, blooms. For wildlife: habitat, tail or wings, legs, face.

Free apps for observing nature

Seek: For those younger than 13. No login or account required, safe for kids and the photos stay on your device. Will not count for the Nature Challenge unless a parent with an iNaturalist account uploads them to that app.

iNaturalist.org: Must be 13 or older to have an account. Observers post their best photos for verification. Location information can be public with iNaturalist, obscured or marked private.