Hi Lucy, I agree wholeheartedly with everything that has been said. Any observation is valuable, but yours even more so because the photos are good and are from the same area on a naerly daily basis. Congratulation to that consistency! And of course, keep on doing it. I can imagine what a difficult time it must have been when you husband was away and I am glad that iNaturalist helped you through that time. I started taking photos of bugs after my husband had died and I thought I need some kind of hobby. Okay, I’m going to learn all the animals around here. Only three years later I found iNaturalist and now the hobby has evolved into a passion (or maybe obsession).
8 Likes
Almost 50%? Wow, I had no idea! There are two colonies of Mexican Pitted-Stingless Bees who live in the garden, so I observe at least one almost every day and there was a large bee study recently in Mexico. Thus those and the omnipresent Orchid bees and all the other bees (I think there are like 13 species total in my garden, excluding the honeybees) finally got their attention!
Regarding exact location, I do not put mine, rather I put the name of my colonia (Centro) because I think that is enough geographical data and also when I enter that it gives the same coordinates every time which are the center of the colonia so that will show all my observations in my garden occurring in the same place.
I understand this is not Facebook, which actually I have never joined, but I did wonder if my observations held any scientific value. I appreciate the response that they do, as well as the kindness, encouragement, and suggestions.
Truly,
Lucy Cash
9 Likes
On iNaturalist, the “follow” feature is not really used the same as other social media platforms like IG, Facebook, etc. - so don’t think that your contributions don’t have value because you aren’t getting likes/follows.
It is very common on iNaturalist for observations (especially of less “popular” taxa like insects, spiders, etc.) to sit dormant for years. But eventually someone will come along who is studying the Chrysomelidae of eastern Mexico (for example), who will be looking for every observation they can find. They will appreciate that you took the time to photograph those little beetles in your garden.
Even in the US (where iNat is quite popular), in major metropolitan areas, people still regularly find species that have never been photographed before, never been recorded from that region, potential undescribed species, etc. I am just an amateur bug/spider enthusiast who walks around my yard taking photos of things - but periodically I get requests from scientists to collect and mail specimens to them for their research. I think observations in areas like yours (where there are fewer observers) are likely more valuable than mine - there are thousands of heavy iNat users in my city, but not as many in yours. Observations in less-studied areas add a lot of value to iNat as they help fill in important pieces of the global biodiversity puzzle.
Even if you get frustrated with iNat for whatever reason, please please do not delete your account or your observations. There is a good chance that you have photographed something scientifically important, and it’s just a question of the right person finding it - even if that happens years later.
BTW, I can understand the hesitation to post many photos of the same species as it feels like I’m wasting resources. I choose to try and limit the # of observations I post of any given species, especially common ones. I take this as sort of a personal challenge to find new species, which gets more and more difficult as I go on. But the consensus from the iNat staff is that you are not wasting resources, or using the site “wrong” if you choose to do that. Just a few random thoughts - hope this is helpful.
11 Likes
The majority of scientific data probably seems unimpressive when people are taking it down. Some of the most important information we have today are historical collections of “common” species that are becoming more rare as time goes by and weather data such as daily temperatures that probably seemed completely pointless when people were marking it down two hundred years ago. Keep doing what you are doing so long as you enjoy it. Everything you mark down could be important in the future!
10 Likes
Please keep uploading!!! Your contributions are priceless, especially in your region. I’m actually surprised I’m not following you yet, I love getting tagged by you on cool Sciapodines ;)
5 Likes
Please stay on iNaturalist! Please continue to post your observations! iNaturalist is a community for people of all manners of expertise to learn about wildlife. You have plenty to offer: your observations definitely have merit, they provide temporal and geographical records of various species, whether it be common, overlooked, rare, or invasive. Hopefully you also find joy in the process of finding the critters you find.
5 Likes
I’m a fairly new user, and not any kind of scientist. (Click ‘summary’ for somewhat relevant digression.)
Summary
(Married to one, specifically a biostatician, but my field is history – and, interestingly, women’s fashions of 1900-1920 and the corresponding social history is my research focus. Shoot me a personal message, and I can maybe recommend books for your son.) 
Point is, I love taking photos of the world around us. I’m told I’m pretty good at it, and I can tell you that you are quite good as well. You are doing what not many people do – you are adding to the sum total of knowledge in the world. Even if you don’t get a lot of feedback on your observations, what you’re doing is important. Please stick around. 
6 Likes
I have been adding observation field "Interaction-> Visited Flower of, and filling in Tridax procumbens. I was not aware of the different insects which visit Tridax, so I learned something tonight.
4 Likes
To go back to your questions, and for more iNat engagement.
For garden observations there is a project
(my place is my suburb, not my street address)
With my bee patiently blowing nectar bubbles into the wind
Please help ID or annotate wherever and however you can here (you can filter for Yucatan … and when you have cleared that … for Mexico …) Thinking of you when I find Mexican sunflower planted in Africa.
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/useful-inaturalist-tasks-for-non-experts-wiki/35034
3 Likes
How is it possible that a response references nectar bubbles and then I have an observation with maybe the same? https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/133760216 I have never seen a bubble before, just found the evidence on leaves.
I have acted on several suggestions and continue to feel heartened that I am not wasting time and resources out taking photos of common little things.
The very first photo in this observation is my screensaver. What may not be obvious in the observation but is known to me is that this bedraggled little wildflower grew out of extremely shallow soil where there’s a break in the pavement in front of the outdoor water tap. I walked by for a few days before bending down and zooming in with the quite old cellphone with which I take my photos. And when I did, it took my breath away because up close it was so, so lovely. And there it was, just growing determinedly and beautifully out of the circumstances in which it found itself. Anyway, I know it’s a weed but I think it’s my spirit plant: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65540323
I am staying. You are stuck with me.
Be well,
Lucy Cash
14 Likes
Thank you for posting this topic ItsMeLucy! I’ve had the same question, so you helped me.
I often think about Martha, the last passenger pigeon. Passenger pigeons were once so common that they were said to ‘darken the sky’ for hours or days as they migrated in large flocks.
We simply can’t know what our observations could mean in the future.
(Martha is special to me because she lived out her days at my local Cincinnati Zoo. )
7 Likes
As others have said, ‘followers’ doesn’t mean much on iNat as the functionality isn’t very developed and a lot of people just don’t use it. And while you might read no responses as disinterest, it could conversely mean you are observering things in an undersurveyed area on inat, or things no one else knows, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As long as you are taking reasonably diagnostic photos, they can be incredibly valuable. I say stay, unless you don’t like iNat for other reasons.
4 Likes
I wonder if it was possible to photograph any aquatic plants from the cenotes around Yucatan.
1 Like
I am by no means a cenote expert but the only aquatic plants I can think of are the pads atop larger fully outdoor cenotes. For example here is a photo of Xlacah which is the cenote at Dzibilchaltún. There are other plants of course but those grow around cenotes so I do not think are considered aquatic, correct?
I took this photo in March 2020 on the day we all received the notice that the state would begin mandatory quarantine the next day, and so this was my last outing. In other times, the cenote would have been open to swimmers but that day it was not. (I almost did not go with my friends that day. How glad I was that I did.)
Maybe cenotes where the openings are more shaded or more underground or in caverns have more aquatic plants? The one in the parking lot at Costco like most cenotes is just crystal clear water with the clear fish. (I do not think that one even has pads but the plants around the Costco cenote are all planted I think, so while the cenote is real, it feels a bit… not.)
5 Likes
Hear, hear!
3 Likes
Like a website from the 90s?
Usually all the good people start like this. I am fairly sure you are important to many people. And after this thread you are important to many more.
I won’t repeat what all the others, especially those who are more knowledgeable about that region.
I have only read and heard of the Yucatán peninsula. And if it gives you joy your observations have made their way to a remote part of the Himalaya.
I am an unabashed repeat poster of same species, same individuals. Partly for posterity and partly because on many days I don’t venture far from home.
I don’t want to get political or anything but if more people spend time on inaturalist and share their appreciation for life that is everywhere maybe we will be a better society that those who post images and videos only of themselves trying to choose which aircraft to fly in.
@ItsMeLucy Chug on, you have made many friends here and I cannot think of a better place for you to spend your time, or a better place to share the treasures of Yucatán.
5 Likes
Aside,0
I believe I recently saw a project for bubble blowing bees?
2 Likes
That was such a magical experience - don’t think I will catch that right place right time again.
1 Like