April 2021 ILBBY Update
Super spring cheer of Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot) by @flwrecoevo in Union County
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71753760
2021 Illinois Botany on iNat
As of the end of March 2021 we've got...
1,026 observers
12,067 Needs ID or Research Grade observations (6,258 or 51.2% Research Grade)
1,075 species (674 at Research Grade)
447 identifiers - help identify!
Leading for number of species in the Illinois Botanists Big Year (ILBBY) is still @grantfessler at 302 species, followed up by @adriansydor, @brdnrdr (up from 5th last month), then @wildlandblogger, @abelkinser, @sedge, @joelmc, @rarecatsnake, @elfaulkner, and @ungulateunion.
Thanks a billion to @grantfessler @abelkinser @adriansydor @aidancampos @alex_abair @alexiz @bouteloua @brdnrdr @brothernorbert @conboy @davidenrique @dziomber @elizabeth1067 @esummerbell @frousseu @grantfessler @greensnake879 @janeyair @jfgaskin @jhinds @jim_keesling @joedziewa @k2018lena @lmdalessio @lysandra @marltrotter @matthewt6416 @micahbowman @oxalismtp @polemoniaceae @rarecatsnake @rynxs @sedge @smschnerremd @stephsandwich @tkoffel @tminatbe @trscavo @vvoelker @wdvanhem @wetlandfan @wildlandblogger @williambee who all made more than 50 IDs in March on other people's Illinois plant observations.
Welcome!
New to the ILBBY project since our last update are: @andrew1071 @beewilliams @champaignforests @chrisnowa @dcoldren @emilymetzger @hao103 @hcurtis3286 @henrychandler @jhlsacco @kyle466 @lindemanzachary @njfloot @peterjgoodspeed
New to iNaturalist (Illinois plant observers) in the past few weeks are a whole bunch of people, over 150! A few of the most "observant" are: @ariella_d @astridl @jaaott @rhanley815 @klajdi_balla @tomlazar @charris62 @tellison02 @kevinbrutting @ashley_harris @txrchxs @ckaufman814__shawneecc_edu and @apardogutierrez
Welcome everyone! If you'd like to join the Illinois Botanists Big Year and get updates like these, hit "Join" in the top right corner here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/illinois-botanists-big-year-2021
To give these new iNatters a helping hand, here is a link to identify their observations:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?iconic_taxa=Plantae&order_by=random&place_id=35&user_after=4w
Species New to Illinois on iNat
Keep an eye on these links below for any documentations that are a first for Illinois on iNaturalist in 2021. You'll often find species on here that are the result of computer vision errors as well as observations that should be marked captive/cultivated. Fixing these helps sort the wheat from the chaff and keeps range maps representative of wild organisms. Many thanks to all who help with quality control. Also, by sorting "not in common", and "before 2021" from most to fewest, you can use these links as a "hitlist" for species we haven't yet found in 2021.
- Non-flowering plants
- Monocots excluding Poales
- Poales (grasses, sedges, rushes, and friends)
- Plants in Asterales (sunflowers and friends)
- Plants in Lamiales (mints and friends)
- Plants in Rosales (roses and friends)
- Plants in Fabales (peas and friends)
- Plants in Caryophyllales (pinks and friends)
- Plants in Malpighiales (nances and friends)
- Plants in Ranunculales (buttercups and friends)
- Plants in Gentiales (gentians and friends)
- Plants in Brassicales (mustards and friends)
- Plants in Apiales (carrots and friends)
- Plants in Fagales (beeches and friends)
- Plants in Boraginales (borages and friends)
- All other (eu)dicots except the groups above
Plant Pic Picks
Finally, here are our plant pic picks from March observations.
Add a "fave" to your favorite observations to help highlight beautiful photos and cool observations!
If you've ever seen Erigenia bulbosa (harbinger of spring) in real life, you were probably initially fooled like photos like this by @sedge in Vermilion County. In person they are quite dinky!
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71261540
Not native but not hard to love - Eranthis hyemalis (winter aconite) by @sanguinaria33 in Dupage County
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/70514323
Erythronium americanum (yellow troutlilies) by @rarecatsnake in Johnson County
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71986132
Larger than life Draba verna (whitlowgrass) by @berna in Johnson County
https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/117237799
Budding Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells) by @achriste in Champaign County
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71755904
Female flower of a Corylus americana (hazelnut) by @maureenclare in Cook County
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71386246
Moody Trillium nivale (snow trillium) by @mrostrowski in Piatt County
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/72055194
Return of the prairie aliens, Pedicularis canadensis (wood betony) by @elfaulkner in Cook County
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/71994977
Happy botanizing!
-cassi / @bouteloua
