It’s all over now but what a great BioBlitz!
Published April 3, 2012 BioBlitz 2012 - the next event! , Fauna , Flora , Fungi , Species tally Leave a Comment The final tallies are: 
- Bacteria (not counted this time)
- Beetles = 51
- Birds = 29
- Bugs (Hemiptera) = 26
- Conifers (trees) = 8
- Earthworms = 5
- Ferns and fern allies = 44
- Fish = 3
- Flies = 76
- Flowering dicot plants = 222
- Flowering monocot plants = 80
- Freshwater algae = 29
- Freshwater invertebrates = 57
- Fungi (except lichens) = 233 – a fairly spectacular haul – the good dose of rain just prior – with the warmth afterwards no doubt helped.
- Lichens = 60
- Lizards and frogs = 1
- Mammals = 3
- Molluscs (land snails) = 8
- Mosses, liverworts and hornworts = 35
- Moths /butterflies = 27
- Nematodes = 20
- Spiders, mites and other arachnids 8= 4
- Wasps, bees and ants = 125
- Weta and other invertebrates = 23
- Zooplankton/ protozoa = 2
- GRAND TOTAL = 1251 SPECIES!!
(The Botanic Gardens database has nearly 7000 plant species & cultivars but we did not count them as they have been planted)
The total will probably be revised once the scientists have had a chance to take a closer look at some of their finds.
We had great weather on both days and, although it got very hot inside the huge base camp marquee during the afternoons, the temperatures were cool in the early morning & after dark. But that did not deter all the families that turned up for the spider walk (we saw some huge sheet web spiders and the glow of glow worms) and light-trapping moths.
Lots of school groups visited and it was great to see them all so enthusiastic and so well-behaved. Well done to all the kids, and the people who organised their visits. And great to see so many enthusiastic families … hopefully lots of budding young biologists out there who will come to the next BioBlitz in two years time.
We’ll be back with more updates and photos soon … in the mean-time, we’ve lots of gear to unpack and tidy away, sleep to catch up on, and reports to write about what was found. You can see the latest BioBlitz video on YouTube:
Weeds, pests & diseases – unwanted species!
Published March 7, 2012 BioBlitz , BioBlitz 2012 - the next event! , Weeds & pests 2 CommentsBiosecurity is all about protecting New Zealand from unwanted species by preventing undesirables from entering the country, managing or eliminating those that have established in the wild, and reducing the nasty impacts of unwanted species on our environment, economy and human health.
During BioBlitz, we record all the weeds and pests that we find. Many of these are already known to live in the urban park area that we’re searching, but we often find a few surprises as well.
You can find these posters on the web at http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/bioblitz/documents/what_is_biodiveristy.pdf
Have you ever wondered how many different sorts of biologists there are? We have a poster listing lots of different flavoured ‘ologists’ … the types of scientists you might meet at BioBlitz.
We’ve also made another poster explaining how scientists find things, and then a couple more posters covering the taxonomy of life, which is about how scientists classify organisms (including human beings)!
If you want print quality versions of these posters, go to http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/bioblitz/posters.asp
We’ve made lots of bright, fun posters about fungi, insects, spiders, centipedes and millipedes. These posters are free to download from http://www.landcareresearch.co.nz/research/biosystematics/bioblitz/posters.asp
BioBlitz 2012
Published October 4, 2011 BioBlitz , BioBlitz 2012 - the next event! , Fauna , Flora , For kids , Fungi Leave a CommentTags: 2012
It’s fascinating, fun, free, family-friendly event.
When?
Friday 30th March 9 am – 11 pm
Saturday 31st March 7 am – 5 pm.
Where?
Auckland Botanic Gardens, Manurewa. The search area will include the adjoining Totara Park.
You can reach the BioBlitz base camp in two ways: 1) park down by the Botanic Gardens visitor centre and walk across (follow the signs), or 2) park on Everglade Drive via Manakau / Redoubt Road motorway off-ramp, and walk in through the northern entrance to the Gardens (this is closest but the gate will be closed to cars).
Who can come?
All welcome! However, please keep the following in mind:
- ‘Walk & talk’: If you intend going on a ‘walk & talk’ with a scientist, please wear sensible shoes and clothes.
- After dark: If you are coming on one of the ‘after dark’ excursions, please wear sensible warm clothes and bring a torch (families should bring several torches if possible).
- Specialist scientific equipment is loaned especially for the event. This equipment is very expensive and should be treated with care and respect at all times.
- Young children should be supervised by an adult but free to have some fun.
- Dogs should be on leads and supervised by an adult.
- The Botanic Gardens and all that lives there must be treated with care and consideration.
