Just made iNaturalist upload #1000! I almost missed it actually, I've been uploading old photos and thought I'd check to see where I was up to, good thing I did because I was at exactly 1000!

So it turns our that todays milestone observation is Eucalyptus obliqua!

Now I admit, this ones a bit of an odd one, there are little to no identification points in my photos (very difficult to get photos when all the details are 50+ meters up in the air!) but its a semi famous tree, which has an ID sign (which I included in the upload). This one is kinda more of a me thing; tracking the big/famous trees I've visited rather than a citizen science thing, but that does atleast lead me to why I have been uploading old photos, because as I said at #500, I can't pass up an education opportunity! XD

I'm a bit prolific when it comes to nature photography and I've got digital photos dating back to 2007 and if you know the date of a photo and a close approximation to where it was taken, then you absolutely can and should upload them! Photos dating back to 2007 are now 15 years old, and, apart from making me feel old... can be useful for bushland regenerators and scientists to see how areas have changed. Maybe there was a lot of moist soil species in the area before and now there are none, but there were no species records from the time so no one knew! Or maybe there used to be a rare orchid but now there are large and thick shrubs in the spot now, photo evidence could support regenerators in their decision to remove the the shrubs and encourage any seed potentially still in the soil to germinate.

The possible uses are endless really! I personally found some photos from a TAFE excursion I went on in 2008 to a reserve I've worked in over the past 5 months and it has been fascinating to see the differences!

I encourage you all to go on a trip down memory lane and get uploading! But do make sure that you are confident on the location of your subject, and if you are scanning in film photos, be confident on the date too!

Fun facts: the Eucalyptus obliqua below is 62 meters tall (it used to be taller but the top broke off) and 16 meters around the base (which is unusually large). E. obliqua can get as tall as 90 meters which they usually reach at around 150 years old, but can live much much longer!

Obervation #1000: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/125141411

This is it, iNaturalist upload #500: good old Cassinia sifton… or is it good?
I decided to go with Sifton Bush over something more glamours or exciting as I just can’t help pass up an education moment!

Cassinia sifton (previously Cassinia arcuata) is a multi-stemmed medium shrub growing up to 2m X 2m. It has small leaves, flowers from February to April and prefers dry, poor and stony soils. It is a very distinctive and recognisable species.
It is widespread in NSW and has been introduced into the ACT, SA and WA.
As for Victoria, this is where it gets tricky…

Many botanists believe that it is not indigenous to Victoria. There are no records of this species in Victoria prior to the gold rushes in the 1850’s which would be unusual for such an easily identified and common species.
C. sifton is a colonising/pioneer plant, which means it spreads quickly after disturbances like fire, erosion and human caused changes. Pioneer plants are tough and can survive is difficult places and help repair damaged souls, making it possible for more sensitive species to recolonise later.
It is believed that sifton seed travelled down from NSW with gold prospectors and easily established due to the disturbance caused by the many thousands of people mining the land.

So what does this mean? Well honestly, I don’t know yet! The jury is still out on this one. No formal decision on the indigenous status of this plant in Victoria has been determined yet.

So this brings me to the reason as to why I even bother to upload an extremely common, potentially invasive species to iNaturalist. The answer is science! It doesn’t matter what the organism is; common/rare, invasive/native, sick/healthy, alive/dead… the observation could be useful to someone somewhere! Perhaps the clever people doing the study into weather or not C. sifton should be in Victoria or not could use the information. I’m sure they will want to know just how widespread it is in different vegetation types.

500: https://lnkd.in/dxqVDbTz

Just uploaded my 499th iNaturalist observation. What should be my 500th? 🤔