Citizen Science

City Nature Challenge Results for 2022

by Morgan Freese

The annual City Nature Challenge is a world-wide citizen science event that allows participants to record and celebrate the biodiversity of their region. Every spring, participants use iNaturalist.org to record wildlife they see. North Carolina is divided into five regions for the sake of the Challenge; most of the counties east of I-95 fall within the “Coastal N.C.” region.

Coastal N.C. made a splash in the City Nature Challenge 2022! In the region’s third year joining the global competition, 352 nature enthusiasts from Brunswick County to the northern Outer Banks banded together to raise awareness of local biodiversity by taking pictures of plants and animals for scientific records.

Altogether, participants from the Coastal N.C. group documented over 1,130 species in a span of four days using the iNaturalist identification app. In New Hanover County, that included 71 species that had not been documented in the county through iNaturalist until the Challenge. Sightings also included at least 59 species of conservation interest that are threatened, endangered or considered to be significantly rare or of special concern in North Carolina. Some highlights included:

• An endangered leatherback sea turtle in shallow surf off Oak Island

• Wild Venus flytraps, including one snacking on a spider

• Special Concern designated birds like the least tern, tricolored heron and painted bunting

Some participants ventured to farflung wildlife preserves and state parks, hoping to spy rare species in unique habitats, but one of the best outcomes for many participants is the joy of discovering overlooked treasures close to home. The City Nature Challenge prompts me every year to look more closely at my surroundings. I find myself uncovering amazing, technicolor bugs under the leaves of my potted plants, stopping to admire moths by the apartment complex door, and finally growing more curious about the persistent green neighbors rooting and blossoming by the sidewalk.

This year, the Coastal N.C. region had 30% more participants out exploring and observing than last year. Download the iNaturalist app today to start making backyard discoveries of your own and to prepare to make the City Nature Challenge 2023 an even bigger celebration of the region’s wonderful, wild nature neighbors!

Morgan Freese was the coordinator of the 2022 City Nature Challenge—Coastal N.C. Region. Learn more about this annual event at nccitynaturechallenge.com.