Happy 2024! Which means that 2023 is officially over. It has been another amazing year for the Runge Biodiversity Project. During the last year, 53 observers added 1,536 observations of 684 different species. Of the 684 species observed, 110 are new to the project, an amazing addition that helped push the project to over 2,000 species. Equally as impressive, of the 53 observers that made observations in 2023, 31 were first time observers to the project.

The most observed species in 2023 were:

1 - Monarch - 29 observations
2 - Great spangled fritillary - 26 observations
3 - Swamp metalmark (Species of Conservation Concern) - 25 observations
4 - Common boxturtle - 15 observations
T5 - Red milkweed beetle - 10 observations
T5 - Wild turkey - 10 observations

The current total for the number of observers, observations, species for the life of the Runge Biodiversity Project are:

267 Observers
13,287 Observations
2,023 Species

The most commonly observed species for life of the project are:

1 - Monarch - 136 observations
2 - Swamp metalmark (Missouri Species of Conservation Concern) - 135 observations
3 - Wild turkey - 102 observations
4 - Common box turtle - 100 observations
5 - Great spangled fritillary - 81 observations

Thank you for your continued effort and support as we strive to learn more about the biodiversity that calls Runge Nature Center home.

It is finally feeling like winter here at Runge. The average temperature has dropped, and snow is falling and in the forecast for the foreseeable future. But don't let winter keep you from getting outside. Come by Runge to enjoy the warmth of the fireplace and watch birds coming to the feeders in the wildlife viewing area. While you are here, get out and explore Runge, by participating in the Explore Runge Observation Challenge. Grab instructions for the challenge and a map from the front desk of the nature center. Then hit the trails and make an observation of any plant, animal, or fungus on each one of Runge's five hiking trails. After uploading your observation to iNaturalist and adding them to the "Runge Biodiversity Project", return to the front desk to claim your free field guide, nature exploration bandana, and pocket magnifier.

Explore! Observe! Have fun!