LLELA and iNaturalist Highlights, 2016
When visitors first come to the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA), situated right in the middle of the DFW Metroplex, they might see a deer, a great blue heron, a monarch butterfly or a cardinal – all common observations even for the casual observer. It might be hard for them to envision that, since its beginning, the intrepid observers for the LLELA iNaturalist project have documented 869 different species of life, with over 6100 total observations and counting. In 2016, a total number of 2405 observations were entered into iNaturalist for the LLELA project.
Even better, the species count continues to grow. 2016 was an incredible year for first observations out at LLELA. 119 new species were recorded, including 54 insects, 30 plants, 16 birds, 9 reptiles, six fungi/lichens, and one each of amphibians (western narrow mouthed toad), fish (white bass), mammals (nutria) and mollusks (globular drop).
Butterflies and moths accounted for 13 of the insect finds. Common mestras (jblinde) made an appearance, and then seemed to be everywhere for a few weeks, along with the tailed orange. Odonata accounted for another six of the insect observations; Mchlfx observed a swift river cruiser which also happened to be one of the first documented observations in Denton County.
The nine reptiles documented for the first time included a Texas blind snake (freiheit) and a prairie lizard (christianroberts). The sixteen birds included a merlin (k8thegr8) and a ladderbacked woodpecker (naturemom).
The thirty plants included in the LLELA inaturalist project included the osage orange (wildcarrot), Eve’s necklace (dturnerfish) and a tiny white flower, corn gromwell, first observed by aguilita. That dainty wildflower you walk by on the trail every weekend might not yet have been documented so get it into iNaturalist!
The LLELA iNaturalist project contributor list continues to expand, as well. Twenty-six observers each recorded a first species; the top three observers were jblinde (26), mclfx (21), and sambiology (10).
What is in store for 2017? Who knows what else is out there on LLELA’s 2000 acres, waiting to be documented for the first time by an intrepid iNaturalist? As interest in iNaturalist continues to grow and LLELA becomes more well known throughout the Dallas- Fort Worth Metroplex, 2017 could be another great year for observations.
jblinde
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The species guide improves with each observation too.
http://www.inaturalist.org/observations?project_id=2293&place_id=any&verifiable=any&captive=any&view=species
Great post!
Yes it does. Thanks Sam!
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