Learn about local biodiversity!

Contribute to a global biodiversity census!

In this bioblitz, we will collect 380 arthropod specimens, including as many different species as we’re able, which we’ll then send to a lab for DNA barcoding. DNA barcoding is a relatively new taxonomic technique that relies on sequencing a specific short segment of DNA to distinguish species.

We’ll be using iNaturalist to capture photos and location data, and to attempt to identify our specimens through traditional taxonomy. We’ll also use iNaturalist to observe other living organisms we encounter without collecting them.

People of all ages and skill levels are welcome. We’ll teach you how to enter observations in iNaturalist, briefly discuss biodiversity, threats to it, and ways we can conserve it, give an overview of how DNA barcoding works, and do our best to answer any other questions.

At the end of the event we'll join together to review what we accomplished. After specimens have been DNA barcoded we’ll send you a link so you can see the DNA barcodes for the specimens you collected in the Barcode of Life Data Systems, a DNA barcode database created by iBOL that is freely available online worldwide. less ↑