Thanks to the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation, Garner Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources is hosting a BioBlitz all September long in support of the Parks for Pollinators campaign. What’s a BioBlitz? The Parks for Pollinators BioBlitz is an event where community members work with park staff to create a snapshot of the variety of wildlife that can be found in Garner. We use an app called iNaturalist to take pictures of plants, insects, and animals to see what wildlife is present in the park on this day and provide us with more information about pollinators, which are essential to our ecosystem. This information will help us understand how we can better protect pollinators and other important wildlife in our community.

Learn how to participate in our BioBlitz:

1. Go outside and look for as many pollinators and flowering plants as you can find for at least 15 minutes. You can participate just once or as many times as you want all September long! Any pollinators and flowering plants you find in the Town of Garner will count towards the event.

    

2. Take a digital picture of each pollinator or flowering plant you can find. You can take multiple pictures of the same species to be thorough, but they should be one post. 

    

3. All observations will be logged onto the platform iNaturalist. Download the app on any smart phone to log your own observations as you go. All you have to do is upload the pictures. It's okay if you don't know the species! iNaturalist will make suggestions for you to choose from and experts will make sure it's correct or make other suggestions for you.

   •  If you don’t have access to the iNaturalist app, send all observation photos taken (along with when and where you took the photos) to amurphy@garnernc.gov when you’re done so the “bug experts” at White Deer Park can identify and log them for you!

   • Follow along with the project on iNaturalist: Parks for Pollinators 2022: Garner Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources

4. Optional: Pick up a BINGO card (Preschool, Youth, and Adult options available) from the White Deer Park Nature Center kiosk. Turn in your completed BINGO card along with your iNaturalist or ecoEXPLORE username (must have at least 5 observations) to earn a pollinator bioblitz button! Preschoolers only need a completed BINGO card to earn a button.

This event is entirely virtual, so you don’t need to fill out a participation form. However, we’d love to see or hear about anything interesting you find so don’t feel shy about tagging or messaging us on social media!

*If you have any additional questions that haven’t been answered here, visit the National Recreation and Park Association website: https://www.nrpa.org/our-work/Three-Pillars/conservation/parks4pollinators/

Have a child in grades K-8 participating? Join ecoEXPLORE instead! All observations submitted to ecoEXPLORE will count towards the event. You can also earn points, badges, and prizes along the way! About ecoEXPLORE: "ecoEXPLORE (Experiences Promoting Learning Outdoors for Research and Education) is an incentive-based citizen science program for children in grades K-8. Developed by The North Carolina Arboretum, this innovative program combines science exploration with kid-friendly technology to foster a fun learning environment for children while encouraging them to explore the outdoors and participate in citizen science."

Schedule a group program to learn more about insects and pollinators from our environmental educators! In our "Insect Investigations" program, we'll go on a guided hike of White Deer Park to catch and identify insects. We'll upload pictures of anything we find to contribute towards the Parks for Pollinators project. Email amurphy@garnernc.gov to schedule a program with your group. All ages are welcome!