@cmcheatle I think that reveals different ideas about what observations are meant to show and how they are used. Are they just to indicate presence/absence or are they to indicate abundance as well. If it’s merely presence/absence then a single observation even if there are hundreds of individuals is adequate, but if observations are meant to indicate abundance then multiple independent observations would be the way to go.
Both methods have their uses, strengths, and weaknesses.
In practice I take iNat observations to be of the presence/absence type because there is no consistency in how observations are made… some make independent observations for every photo of the same individual, others make on observation of a single individual when there is a large number present, etc.
I would agree that a single observation that includes 3 or so different life stages should not be a single observation though. Observations, at their core, are about individual organisms and discrete moments in time and specific locations.