Welcome to Prairie Appreciation Days on iNaturalist!

Welcome to Prairie Appreciation Days on iNaturalist!, Post and Images by Deborah Naslund

You can follow Deb Naslund in iNaturalist under the user name deborah_naslund.  She will be curating the Prairie Appreciation Days project.”

Welcome to Prairie Appreciation Days on iNaturalist!

We invite you to join the Prairie Appreciation Days community on iNaturalist as we document the biodiversity and phenology of the South Sound prairies and oak woodlands. We want to track which flowers are blooming, what insects are visiting them, when birds are arriving, and capture the wild variety of organisms that are inhabiting our prairies and oak woodlands.

Luzula_comosa, Pacific woodrush, Glacial Heritage Preserve, photo by Deb Naslund

Luzula_comosa, Pacific woodrush, Glacial Heritage Preserve, photo by Deb Naslund

Our focus is on South Puget Sound prairies, primarily Glacial Heritage Preserve, but also includes Mima Mounds Natural Area Preserve, Scatter Creek Wildlife Area, West Rocky Prairie Wildlife Area, and all the other scattered remnants of the once widespread prairie/oak woodland plant communities of the southern Puget Trough region. Our geographic range is Thurston and Pierce Counties in Washington State.

Lomatium utriculatum, Spring Gold from Glacial Heritage Preserve, photo by Deb Naslund

We intend to track observations over the course of the next several years to watch for changes in species composition and life stage timing. While our primary interest is in native species, we are also interested in distribution, abundance and status of invasive species, especially any new invasive that may be gaining a foothold in our prairies and oak woodlands.

Your observations will help us generate a running record of the progress of the wildflower bloom on the prairie. Keep an eye out for “What’s Blooming on the Prairie” in the PAD Blog.

Dodecatheon_hendersonii, Shooting Star, Glacial heritage Preserve, photo by Deb Naslund

Dodecatheon_hendersonii, Shooting Star, Glacial heritage Preserve, photo by Deb Naslund

Check it out! Click here to see what we have so far: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/prairie-appreciation-days

What’s next? We need your participation to make this work! Here’s how:

  1. Download the iNaturalist app from iTunes, Google Play or wherever you get your apps. Register to use iNaturalist and join the “Prairie Appreciation Days” project! Do this from home or wherever you find your solid internet access. Connections on the prairies are spotty at best.
  2. Capture a digital photo of the plants, insects, birds, and other organisms you encounter on the South Sound prairies and oak woodlands. Be sure to enable the location feature in your digital camera or make a note of your location on a map.
  3. Upload your photo or video to iNaturalist, along with the location and date of your observation. If Connections are spotty on the prairies; you may have to wait until you are back within Wi-Fi range. But, no problem, just upload your photos once you are back home. You can upload observations from either your smart phone or computer.
  4. Be sure to add your observations to the “Prairie Appreciation Days” project. Share your observations, ideas, and discoveries with other South Sound prairie fans in the comments and discussion. We may share your observations, comments, and even your photos here on the Prairie Appreciation Day website!

For more information on iNaturalist, visit their webpage at iNaturalist.org.

For help with iNaturalist, see: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/help

Carex inops, long-stolon sedge, Glacial Heritage Preserve, photo by Deb Naslund

Carex inops, long-stolon sedge, Glacial Heritage Preserve, photo by Deb Naslund