I think that it’s great that last year we shared more with each other here, our best or just most interesting photos and observation links.
But…
I’m starting to feel that the ‘best of ….’ threads risk nudging as more into the gamification and contest mindsets, a little too hard. And it might even reinforce a possible, creeping insularity that could be establishing here as forum membership number growths haven’t grown at the same pace as new iNat memberships.
Which made me think of an alternate initiative: what if we shared our favourite ‘stumbled upon’ observations from any iNat member to maintain and grow our appreciation for natural AND member diversity and nature study, here?
And could we agree to try and make this thread vote-free?
If you like the post, shouldn’t awarding a like (and or short response note, optionlly) be enough?
Also, if you have time, when you post a stumbled-upon observation link, could you share the link to YOUR post here with a quick thank-you as a member-to-member message to that oberver?
I would hope that this would really encourage more non-forum iNatters to visit and possibly join-in and increase OUR diversity here in the forums.
Here’s my example from today. This one came from a search for spectacular species first spotted in my FB feed that made me search for it on iNat.
This is from observer Stephan Burgstaller. What an incredibly interesting snail species! Beautiful shot, Stephan.
So what delights have YOU stumbled on recently in iNat? Please share it here!
Stumbled upon this 5 year old unknown observation that I thought looked familiar https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/140615129
It is the lichen Collemopsidium, which only grows on barnacles (and sometimes other carbonate shells)
This lovely and confusing Penstemon hybrid at the Arsenal Refuge. Lovely, because just look at that amazing color. Confusing, because one of the parent species doesn’t occur anywhere in the area.
(I almost typed “naturally occur”, because I was under the inpression that the natural range of Penstemon barbatus is a lot further south, but there are some growing wild up here. Just not on the Refuge property!)
I just love these lichens, they remind me of the story of the Maze of I’itoi that I learned about when I worked in southern Arizona next to the O’odam land and Baboquivari peak. See it Here.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/333562831
A very cute (in some way I cannot describe) colony of Nervilia aragoana that resembles a clump of Centella. The comments say the entire forest floor is filled with them. Must be a sight when they bloom.
It swung onto a nearby bush and I thought, “oh a good chance to take a photo”. When I got the photo onto the computer I found that I’d also photographed a beautiful Longhorn Beetle Rhytiphora lateralis in the same shot. In focus and in frame!
Which just so happened to be a lifer for me. https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations/333560680
Thanks for catching that for me.