Those of us in much of the Northern Hemisphere are getting ready for spring to melt away the snow and bring a host of new plants, animals, and other life back to our areas. Is there anything in particular you’re excited to see again (or for the first time?) when it all starts returning? Any particular iNat observations you want to record?
I think I’d like to take a closer look at the early blooming flowers like daffodils, tulips, glories-of-the-snow, and violets and pansies, and hopefully get a few RG observations of them (though I have to admit, I am more of an autumnal flower guy). I also want to finally get an eastern bluebird since I’ve been trying since last year when I started iNatting to get a decent photo of one. I’d love to hear anyone’s advice on what else to look for, especially in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic US states.
To see geese/swans/cranes migration, for quite a few I just fail to see or capture any of them. Other than that — do better than last year, but for now it seems at least as good as last year!
Thank you, I know they generally are, but I thought there were individuals of each of those species that have descended from the original cultivated populations and therefore are invasive, but technically naturalized wild populations.
I’ll be sure to mark them as cultivated if that is not the case.
I am practically bursting in anticipation for hoppers! I’m hoping to do a state-wide survey this season and I just can’t wait for the warm weather. There are so many species in the state (MA) I’ve not even seen yet and my treehopper and planthopper count is pretty low so far. I’m definitely looking forward to this season’s iNat observations although I’m afraid I won’t have as much time to get through them all on a daily basis.
I’m also looking forward to spiders, lacewings (for @jonathan142), and all the tiny critters like springtails/mites/and the aquatic stuff.
Spring wildflowers are always the main event of the year for me. Even before I learned of iNat, I could spend hours on a short hike admiring and photographing the wildflowers - from the tiniest and on upward.
Wildflowers – mainly terrestrial orchids (Calypso, Corallorhiza, Platanthera, etc.) but also other natives. Since I joined iNat last year, I’ve learned an enormous amount about the orchids native to North America (which I am very grateful for) but am just starting to learn more about the other native flowers. :)
The flowering of fruit and nut trees is always a treat. You mentioned Mid-Atlantic states, so I am thinking of the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC. I was struck by the Chinese characters for the name of the city: 華盛頓. It is phonetic, pronounced hwa-sheng-tun, but the meaning of the characters can be translated “a time of abundant flowers,” which I took to be a reference to the cherry blossoms.
Don’t forget the insects that visit the flowers. I’m eager to see bees and wasps and hope to record even more species this year. Sometime it would be great to see a leaf cutting bee in action.
I’m eager to see bees and wasps and hope to record even more species this year. Sometime it would be great to see a leaf cutting bee in action.