I don’t think the form directly supports videos, but links are certainly welcome
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In my grand unofficial yard list, I finally have 1,000 animal species. Another way to look at it is I have exceeded 1 species/square meter on my suburban lot. Newest additions include this snake millipede https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152296532 and this grass snail https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/152296527 found on the bottom of a rain barrel. Blog post to commemorate the occasion is on my to-do list.
- Birds, Mammals, and Reptiles - 75
- Arachnids - 47
- Insects (including springtails) - 870
- Snails, millipedes, earthworms, and pillbugs - 8
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One thousand congratulations!
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That’s an interesting way to look at it - species per area.
For my backyard, including a construction site, that has only been accessible for a short time, I would be at 1200/5000m2 - so roughly a quarter species per m2.
However, if I exclude the observations from the building ground, that number would shift to >1.5 species per m2 (or about 1 animal species/m2).
I would think, if the location is not too small, that relation would favor tiny spaces over large areas.
So I wonder, @spiphany, what would be your ratio?
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Haha, yep, that was exactly my thought when I read the calculation … in a very small area it would be very easy to get quite impressive ratios.
For my balcony, I’m easily at 30-50 species per square meter (the space is trapezoidal and I’ve never calculated the exact size).
Also: is a two-dimensional measurement the correct way to look at this? Would volume be more accurate (to account for trees/high-flying birds etc.)? Or should I be counting total surface area rather than just floor area (quite a lot of my visitors have been found on vertical walls)?
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Attempting to calculate a volume would make the numbers arbitrary. I would consider migrating geese not countable, but a hovering Kestrel searching for prey? Sure, as it is associated with the area. It might even fly higher than one could spot it with the bare eye, but the falcon eyes could still scan the ground below.
And if you would count only organisms with physical contact to your place - then a garden with a tall tree would give completely different ratios than one with lawn only
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Spring is here in full force. Yard Lepidoptera #250 last night (+/- a few misIDs and unIDs of course). New moths include first New Mexico record (on iNat, possibly anywhere) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/154231027 and this gray and black beauty https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/154231020.
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What’s new in your gardens? I found 15 new insects yesterday, bringing my total to 910 species here. This tiny weevil is showing up all over New Mexico and I’m glad it found my plants https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/155429907
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My goal this year is to get more natives in my yard, identify volunteer natives and encourage them, and pull out invasives
Our county’s metropark system actually has a drive to encourage healthier yards, its great. https://www.summitmetroparks.org/MetroParks/media/pdfs/wild-back-yard/WBY_Participation-FORM.pdf - its a really good place to start, even though I already hit some of these options
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One year later, I have doubled this number - 1,300 yard species and 1,000 of them are invertebrate animals! Since March 27 alone (1.5 months ago), my yard list has increased from 870 to 935 insect species.
Newest additions include this dashing fly https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/157447314, spectacular moth https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/160863566, and tiny parasitic wasp https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/156841190
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935 to 980 insect species in the last two weeks! Anyone else seeing lots of animals in their gardens?
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I heard a Gray Fox barking in my garden a few nights ago! And there was a frog in my tiny lily pool, for the first time since last fall, plus diving beetles of some sort (I looked them up last year, but have forgotten their name already).
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And the Gray Fox has a kit!!!
I must say, it is thrilling that a small yard in the middle of a small town can support so much wildlife. Did I mention the Black Bear cub that wandered up my driveway in the middle of the day last week?
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Meanwhile, it just keeps raining and raining and (expletive deleted) RAINING here in Massachusetts. I am jealous of all your insects!!!
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I’m jealous of your rain. There are some very thirsty plants in my garden.
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I frequently mow around weeds in the lawn just to see what they turn into. I always wonder what people think about me when I do that.
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Also, 700 of the 1,100 species I’ve observed were in my own backyard. So I definitely would say I monitor the property for organisms.
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700 is great! What’s the breakdown by animal class/order? Vertebrates vs inverts?
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170 moths, 100 beetles, 50 leafhoppers,
40 bees/wasps/ants, 40 flies, 50 spiders,
60 vertebrates(mostly birds), 50 fungi,
50 plants( I haven’t really worked on plants yet)
That was fun calculating, thanks for asking!
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