{"id":6662,"date":"2019-09-12T16:31:44","date_gmt":"2019-09-12T16:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/?p=6662"},"modified":"2019-09-17T14:48:22","modified_gmt":"2019-09-17T14:48:22","slug":"helping-nature-one-photo-at-a-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/en\/helping-nature-one-photo-at-a-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Nature one Photo at a Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you see interesting wildlife at home or in nature? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Have you ever encountered a plant or animal that you are curious about but couldn\u2019t identify? If you wish to be part of a Canadian community to learn about nature and share your discoveries, iNaturalist Canada<\/a> is perfect for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost 50,000 people have signed up for iNaturalist Canada and submitted over 1.6 million observations of Canadian plants and animals \u2013 this has led to observations of over 21,000 species in Canada!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Widow Skimmer Dragonfly
https:\/\/inaturalist.ca\/photos\/47865818<\/a> @ Kathy Webb and Bill Depew<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

iNaturalist provides a place where\nCanadians can record and share what they see in nature, in their garden or even\nin a grocery store parking lot! Your sightings can help scientists and resource\nmanagers understand where and when organisms occur. Plus, someone is usually able\nto help you identify what you\u2019ve seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your observation might even be groundbreaking<\/a>! A \u201cCanadian first\u201d happened in Ontario when someone took a photo of a crayfish and identified it as a common species of crayfish in the area. But a researcher who saw the observation was astounded to find it was actually a different species of crayfish \u2013 the first to ever be spotted in Canada! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Gardener’s Perspective<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Yellow Spotted Salamandar
https:\/\/inaturalist.ca\/photos\/50934501<\/em><\/a> @John Reynolds<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gardeners who use iNaturalist at home can also contribute important observations. You might see a bird, an insect or even a volunteer plant that will be of benefit to both local groups and the scientific community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also start or join a \u2018project<\/a>\u2019 in your area or across Canada. For instance, the Canadian Wildlife Federation is soon launching a project for gardeners across the country to share what they see in their own corner of Canada. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a more local note, CWF is also starting a project to feature all the species spotted in our Wildlife-friendly Demonstration Gardens<\/a> surrounding our headquarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, many of us also enjoy walking on local nature trails or going camping \u2013 in this case, you can use iNaturalist to help identify the interesting plants or animals you come across in the \u2018wild.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Use It<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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