Archivos de diario de agosto 2021

02 de agosto de 2021

Join the Vermont Mission Monarch Blitz (July 23-August 8)

We have extended the Vermont Mission Monarch Blitz until August 8th due to so so so much rain. It is super easy to do a survey and can take as little as 15 min. for a small patch. Help us get a snapshot of Monarch populations in Vermont! Check it out at https://val.vtecostudies.org/missions/vermont-mission-monarch-blitz and add your surveys!

Publicado el agosto 2, 2021 03:56 TARDE por kpmcfarland kpmcfarland | 2 comentarios | Deja un comentario

July 2021 Photo-observation of the Month


A pair of Peregrine Falcons playing with their food. © Michael Sargent.

Congratulations to Michael Sargent for winning the July 2021 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist. Mike’s photo of a Peregrine Falcon pair engaged in an acrobatic aerial food transfer narrowly beat some tough competition this month to end up with the most faves of any observation in the state for July.

You might recognize Mike’s name from his many photographic contributions over the years to our blog posts from the VCE Mount Mansfield Banding Station. While a longtime photographer and friend of VCE, Mike’s only recently joined the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist, where his photo received quite the warm welcome! Peregrine Falcons are one of the most charismatic and exciting bird species in the state, and their acrobatic behaviors are thrilling to watch. This pair seems to have slightly miscalculated their aerial food transfer, with the prey item (a European Starling) tumbling below their grip. Rather than come straight in to the nest, a Peregrine Falcon returning with food will often wait for its partner to fly out, where the prey item is handed off or even dropped in midair. The quick reflexes and staggering speed and agility of Peregrine Falcons allows these transfers to go smoothly most of the time, and this behavior results in some spectacular displays of ‘passing the baton’ with any mishaps corrected by a steep dive to catch the plummeting prey before it hits the ground.


With 34,237 observations submitted by 2,201 observers in July, it was very competitive. Click on the image above to see and explore all of the amazing observations.

Visit the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist where you can vote for the winner this month by clicking the ‘fave’ star on your favorite photo-observation. Make sure you get outdoors and record the biodiversity around you, then submit your discoveries and you could be a winner!

Publicado el agosto 2, 2021 04:37 TARDE por nsharp nsharp | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

31 de agosto de 2021

August 2021 Photo-observation of the Month

Callistosporium purpureomarginatum © iNaturalist user @myco_mama_vt.

Congratulations to iNaturalist user @myco_mama_vt for winning the August 2021 Photo-observation of the Month for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist. Their photos of several fungi known as Callistosporium purpureomarginatum sprouting out of a decaying oak log received the most faves of any observation in the state during the past month.

Not only are these photos gorgeous, showcasing the stunning purplish-red gills of these fungi, but they also provide all of the necessary features for identification! Many photos of fungi that go unidentified on iNaturalist show only one or two features, leaving out others that may clinch an identification. Making sure your photos show the cap (top view), gills (bottom view), and stem (side view), as well as including any notes about what kind of substrate the fungus is growing on all can help lead to an ID. Thanks to @myco_mama_vt's superb photos and prior knowledge of fungi identification, this observation was confirmed as Vermont's first record of Callistosporium purpureomarginatum. Autumn is one of the best times of year in New England to go out looking for a variety of colorful and interesting fungi, so with these photographs as a guide, and this exciting discovery as inspiration, get out there and see what fungal friends you can find and photograph for the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist!

With 20,606 observations submitted by 1,861 observers in August, it was very competitive. Click on the image above to see and explore all of the amazing observations.

Visit the Vermont Atlas of Life on iNaturalist where you can vote for the winner this month by clicking the ‘fave’ star on your favorite photo-observation. Make sure you get outdoors and record the biodiversity around you, then submit your discoveries and you could be a winner!

Publicado el agosto 31, 2021 08:43 TARDE por nsharp nsharp | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

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