Okay, so one of the dorky things I do is take pictures of stuff out there in The Real World and upload it to places like iNaturalist.com or Odonatacentral.org or paherpsurvey.org because it’s important for us to really understand populations of things. How is our ecosystem doing? I mean, yeah, we have “science” to tell us how things are going but “science” depends A LOT on boots on the ground, actual human beings going out there and looking for stuff, taking pictures of the stuff, and putting a pin in the map for the stuff.
Are there rattlesnakes (C. horridus) in Fulton County, Pennsylvania? Sure. I saw one earlier this year. They’re around and about. You know how many records PARS has for rattlesnakes in my county? 4. Does that mean there are only four? No. It means nobody is reporting them.
Odonatacentral.org has a list of the dragonflies and damselflies that one might find in Fulton County, PA. Said list did not include the Arrowhead Spiketail (Cordulegastar obliqua) or the Vesper Bluet (Enallagma vesperum) or the Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans) until I submitted pictures of them to prove that they are here.
The Vesper Bluet, okay, that is not a big bug. It’s a bluet, kind of small and narrow. You’d have to look for them. But...
Here’s a Great Blue Skimmer:
It’s hard to tell from the picture, but trust me, that is a large damn dragonfly. Body’s about two inches long, wingspan is about three inches. It’s not small.
Arrowhead Spiketail:
These are not small, inconspicuous bugs. They’re kind of huge. Flashy. (The bug-in-hand pictures are bugs that are released unharmed. I’m not out there murdering dragonflies for photo ops.)
So... the scientific record kind of sucks. But, you can fix that, even if you live in East Bumblefuck, like I do. Perhaps ESPECIALLY if you live in East Bumblefuck, you can fix this because NOBODY ELSE IS OUT THERE DOING IT. Â
You don’t like dragonflies? Don’t do them. You can do almost any living thing and I guarantee there is a need for the science world to have boots on the ground about it.
Do you like wildflowers?
How about fungi?
Looks fake. IS NOT FAKE. Grows in the mountains of Pennsylvania. Color is pretty accurate.
Chanterelles. Pretty, easy to see, plus delicious.
Birds, mammals, fish, snakes, frogs, newts, bugs of all sorts, caterpillars (some of which are quite striking)... seriously, anything you want to do. Plants of all kinds. Â
Basically, all you need are boots on the ground, a smartphone, and an app. Take a clear picture of what you see, upload it as an observation, geotagged, with any notes you might have, and boom. Robert is your mother’s brother and you have added a boot to the ground for science. Plus also gets you outside.
It’s like collecting pokemon, but harder.
