Join nature nature lovers across the capital region during April 29- May 2 as we embark on documenting the amazing biodiversity that surrounds us during the Greater Victoria City Nature Challenge 2022. To participate all you have to do is find wildlife (plants, animals & fungi), take a picture, and share it on iNaturalist, and then join in identifying your photos as well as other participants! By participating you will learn more about local nature by discovering native plants, pollinating insects, migrating birds, and more!

The 2022 City Nature Challenge takes place in 2 parts:

April 29 – May 2: Take photos of plants and wildlife in your backyard, local park and natural areas within the capital region, and upload them to iNaturalist.
May 3 – May 8: Join the community on iNaturalist by identifying your photos and those of other participants. Join the project and check back as we record all the biodiversity we find.

iNaturalist is a nature app used to help you identify the plants and animals around you. By recording and sharing your observations, you are creating research quality data for scientists who are working to understand and protect nature!

This is a great way for you to be involved in wildlife stewardship! We are asking that citizen scientists focus on identification in Garry oak ecosystems. These areas are rich in biodiversity! Garry oak and associated ecosystems together are home to more plant species than any other terrestrial ecosystem in coastal British Columbia. These habitats support many different species of animals and insects. Only 5% of the original habitat remains and many Garry oak and associated ecosystem species are at risk of extinction. It is critically important to protect these fragile ecosystems. This can be done all over the city, but dentification of species in Garry oak ecosystems is especially important in urban areas!

References and Links

City Nature Challenge 2022: Greater Victoria: https://inaturalist.ca/projects/city-nature-challenge-2022-greater-victoria?tab=about

City Nature Challenge: https://citynaturechallenge.org/

iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/

iNaturalist video tutorials: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/video+tutorials

Garry Oak Ecosystem information sheet

Garry Oak Ecosystems. Why are they important?: https://goert.ca/about/why-are-they-important/