Yeah, there’s probably a lot of streetlights around that would pull them away from your place. I’ve tried mothing in suburban areas and same thing, very few moths.
In Ukraine, I had 2 projects:
- my garden, including cultivated plants (2013-2022, 1267 species, 7354 observations, still not all uploaded, the territory is about 210 sq.metres)
- mothing on the balcony of the apartment, only insects attracted by light (2007-2013, 281 species, 1562 observations)
Now we have a project in France in my friend’s garden (2022-2024 for me, more than 1500 species, the territory could be 200-300 sq.metres).
Also, we insect 2-3 times a year in our friend’s garden in Ardeche, a huge territory, more than 1000 species.
My 2 friends in Ukraine also run projects for their gardens: - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/backyard-nature-dzenzelivka-ukraine
- https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/vasyliuk-s-garden
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Including plants, I am only 100 behind you on 0.2-acres in central New Mexico. About 500 Lep species in the last 5 years.
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My 0.13 acre suburban yard is my primary location for botanizing and the source of the majority of my iNaturalist observations. As of this moment, I have 912 observations uploaded and 867 of them are from my home. According to the “Your Observations” page with default filters (which means the word “species” is somewhat fuzzy in meaning), those 867 observations consist of 170 species of life: 72 species of (wild) plants, 88 species of animals, 7 species of fungi, 2 species of chromists, and 1 species of protozoan.
That’s not a lot, it seems, compared to many, but it’s way more than I’d have guessed when I started using iNaturalist to document what’s in my yard three years ago. I also focus primarily on the plants. I don’t really go out of my way to observe animals/insects, I just photograph what I happen to notice while looking at the plants. (I have been thinking about branching out next year though. The algae, mosses, lichens, mushrooms, plant pathogens, spiders, and insects in my yard continue to pique my curiosity. It’s hard to decide which to do next though…)
Recently my regular yard “survey” resulted in some excitement when I discovered casually growing in my yard a (described) species of Lepidium possibly not previously recorded in my state. (I say “possibly” because I’m still working on confirming that. GBIF, POWO, FNA, and USDA PLANTS all have my state absent from the species’ range. 2 of the 6 herbariums in my state do not have collections of this species from the state, and the other 4 have yet to confirm one way or the other. There is one prior observation labeled as the species on iNaturalist, but without fruit I’m not sure it’ll ever be possible to confirm to species.)
If that’s not exciting enough, the individual I communicated with at my local herbarium is also a co-author of the most current Flora for my state and he asked me if I would make a collection and bring it in for the herbarium. So all in one day I got to make my first collection ever, see an herbarium for the first time, and meet one of the co-authors of the Flora I use for all of my plant ID’ing! 
I told my wife that I’m officially a botanist now that I’ve made my first collection. 
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Over half of my observations are from my suburban home/yard, which is about 0.3 acres. Looks like I’ve seen 180 species 
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Wow. That’s beyond what I had in mind. Perhaps it’s imposing artificial constraints, but I like the contrast between relatively small space and large species counts. However, I don’t know where I’m drawing my mental line, or why it even needs to be drawn.
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Thank you!
Very interesting, thank you.
Your observations are just delightful, like a mini-vacation.
I have found that making daily/nightly observations throughout the year yields a large number of species…eventuallly For example, I check porch lights nightly. Many species I’ve seen only once a year, for a single night. (especially Lepidoptera)
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Hmmm. My property is very near a state park. I have two separate projects, but could join them. However, they have 500 acres and I only have .75 acre. As I said in another comment, the contrast of large amount of species in relatively small area makes a statement about what is possible in a constrained location. Or in constrained circumstances. For example, a child who depends on non-naturalist parents to travel, elderly ones limited by health, poor persons who don’t have means to leave home often.
I guess I was looking for an inspirational interview on what can be found when limitations are imposed. That’s how my yard survey began.
Thanks
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You are my hero.
We have, I believe, communicated before about helping Lepidopterists make accessible keys for field ID.
I think you’d make a fine interviewee. Have you been interviewed before by @tiwane?
What a wonderful project! How large is the land area covered by KMLA?
There is an English saying “many hands make light work.” We could say “many observers make great projects!”
I’ve found some wonderful observations INSIDE the house. Some, I’ve only seen once. There’s a great book on the insects that share our homes called “Never Home Alone.”
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Beautiful thoughts.
I like the saying, “To see something new, take the same path you took yesterday” (John Burroughs)
I will admit, it is harder to see what’s MISSING than what’s there. But so much can be learned without going far at all. Go deep is my motto.
I agree about observing in a limited area. It makes me really LOOK. But I also need to look back and examine what I’ve seen, and how it changes year to year.
I use one halogen, one black light front & back porch, all summer. With a moth trap hanging right below the back one.
I’m in a heavily forested state. My property has woods on two sides, hayfields on the other two and is bordered by a river.
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I tried to be comprehensive the first year. Now I only observe new plants, new birds, new mammals (or any new aspect of their lives) to my property. I had more time during lockdown. Even my precious moths, now only recording first sightings of the season, personal favorites, or species I needed better photos of. Just can’t record everything. Hope what I do contribute is useful to someone.
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I submit all plants, even ones I’ve planted (marked cultivated, of course) and those in botanical gardens, when I travel. I think humans ARE a part of nature, and if we introduce a plant, an observation of that plant is a record of OUR activity as part of the natural world. Not that I agree with humans thoughtlessly introducing invasives, of course. But I grow medicinal plants from around the world, and consider them of great value to the health of the human species, whose domain is the entire globe. But I digress…
My cultivated plant observations also serve as a personal record of what has grown on my property, and what, if any interactions there are of “native” species with my “non-native” plants. And there are plenty of interesting cross-overs, for example, insects that usually feed on this host, but will also use another in the same plant family. Endlessly fascinating.
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That’s a great video, Joe is so enthusiastic!
I didn’t submit myself as a candidate for personal reasons. However, I’m thrilled to connect with others doing similar projects.
This has been a great thread!
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I’d like to see more observers join that wonderful project. Perhaps this conversations will alert some to it.
I do think the use of various terms for the concept of a limited space adjacent to one’s home (or job, or…?) make it hard to find this umbrella project. I know in the British Isles, it’d be “garden,” here in the USA, “yard.” I’ve seen “patch” but you mentioned “home” which I had not even thought of.
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Wow, mothing on a balcony! That’s terrific! Thank you for sharing what you’ve observed and the links to the other projects.
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