Our Observation of the Week is Porophyllum linifolium plant, seen in Uruguay by @msilvera!

As a child growing up in Uruguay, Mauricio Silvera and his family were always interested in nature. Then a camera joined the picture.

As the years passed I started to get more interested on animals (mainly bugs and birds) but it wasn’t until 9 or 10 years old that my father bought a small Coolpix camera to take pictures of stars and satellites, and every time he forgot to put the camera back on a safe place I would just grab it and run to our backyard to take many pictures of as many bugs and birds as possible, mostly on a passionfruit plant we had that hosted a lot of beetles, carpenter bees and stink bugs, and the birds that were perched on the trees too.

Now a biology student at Universidad de la República, Mauricio continues to be an active birder, a bird guide, and photographer who is involved with many ecological organizations.

Earlier this month he and a friend were bird watching at Punta Ballena, a small peninsula.

Punta Ballena is a magical place in southern Uruguay which hosts tons of interesting species and has some endemic plants, which is quite unique since the small size of the country doesn’t allow for much endemism. But Punta Ballena is one of the only places all across Uruguay that has rocky cliffs and that provide a very unique microhabitat for many species. 

Unfortunately, this site is under a lot of pressure from some real estate developers who want to construct a private resort that is projected to harm endemic plant habitat. So I think sharing the high environmental and ecological value of this amazing place might lead to different considerations about the project’s development.

Porophyllum linifolium is not a Uruguay endemic, it’s also found in Brazil and Argentina, and members in this genus hae the English common name of “poreleaves”. Porophyllum species range from North America to about as far south as Buenos Aires, and their leaves exude fragrant oils which may deter insects.

Mauricio (above, with his trusty camera) posts his sightings to iNat as a way to share his photography but also because it puts him in touch with experts. 

What is most important, and the major reason I use iNaturalist, is the continuous exchange and feedback you get with experts all around the world. Most insects and other taxa here are not really well known, so it's always a good place to ask for help with identification and becoming more knowledgeable about our local species. It did really change the amount of information and knowledge you have available. Having the opportunity to discover what surrounds us in such a practical way is astonishing.

(Photo of Mauricio by Jorge J. Chamorro. Some quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.)

- here are the most-faved Porophyllum observations on iNat!
- the first plant Observation of the Week from Uruguay is a remarkable orchid!

Our Observation of the Week is this Malaysian Rail-Babbler (Eupetes macrocerus), seen in Malaysia by @ck_chan

A resident of the Kuala Lumpur area, Chan Chee Keong’s interest in nature began when quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Confined to home, I found myself observing the animals and birds that frequented our garden, with the White-throated Kingfisher being a particularly captivating presence. That initial fascination with its striking colors sparked a desire to capture the beauty of wildlife through photography. Birding has since become a cherished hobby, giving me a sense of purpose and inspiring me to document as many of my country’s beautiful birds as possible. This endeavor has added new meaning to my life.

As I delved deeper into this hobby, I began exploring new locations and formed friendships with fellow birders. During the quiet of quarantine, I noticed that rare birds and animals appeared more frequently in our neighborhood park—an occurrence that seemed to fade as human activity resumed post-COVID. This shift underscored for me the vital role of conservation in preserving natural habitats for wildlife.

Last month he heard about sightings of a Malaysian Rail-Babbler, a reclusive bird, in a nearby reserve so he set out to try and find it. Concealing himself behind a palm leaf cover, he waited patiently and eventually was able to photograph the bird after it hopped into a nearby log.

Living and hunting around the forest floor, not too much is known about the Malaysian Rail-Babbler because of its shyness. Its population has been decreasing, however, due to habitat loss from clearing of primary forests.

Chan Chee Keong (above) joined iNat in 2020 and tells me

I use iNaturalist as a database to document my wildlife observations, and I try to embark on nature excursions at least twice a month, despite a busy schedule as an orthopedic surgeon. These excursions, coupled with interactions with fellow nature enthusiasts from the Malaysian Nature Society and Wild Bird Club of Malaysia, have deepened my understanding of the crucial link between conservation efforts and the protection of wildlife habitats.

check out this footage of a calling Malaysian Rail-Babbler!

We've released v2.17 today with 1,145 new species (95,903 taxa up from 94,758). This new model was trained on data exported on September 29th, 2024.

Here's a graph of the model's release schedule since early 2022 (segments extend from data export date to model release date) and how the number of species included in each model has increased over time.

The graph below shows model accuracy estimates using 1,000 random Research Grade observations in each group not seen during training time. The paired bars below compare average accuracy of model 2.16 with the new model 2.17. Each bar shows the accuracy from Computer Vision alone (dark green) and Computer Vision + Geo (green). Overall the average accuracy of 2.17 is 87.5% (statistically the same as 2.16 at 87.6% - as described here we probably expect ~2% variance all other things being equal among experiments).

Here is a sample of new species added to v2.17:

• Reptilia
• Chromista
• Actinopterygii
• Fungi
• Insecta
• Arachnida
• Amphibia
• Protozoa
• Aves
• Other Animalia
• Mollusca
• Mammalia
• Plantae

We have some exciting highlights from October to share as we head into November!

Enriching the Lives of Millions of Nature Explorers

iNaturalist empowers anyone with a smartphone to discover the diversity of nature

Over 6 million people used iNaturalist this month to explore nature

iNaturalist supported hundreds of local events this month — like the first bioblitz at Audubon’s Francis Beidler Forest Sanctuary in South Carolina — and continent-wide initiatives, such as the Asia Nature Challenge 2024. Together, these efforts are inspiring millions to explore the outdoors and connect with nature.

Example: getting outside with iNaturalist improves health and quality of life

This month, the New York Times profiled Matt Cohen and Elizabeth Hargrave (@mattandeliz), who have contributed over 6,000 observations to iNaturalist. The article highlights how iNaturalist has enriched their understanding of the natural world, allowing them—and those they engage through their DC walking tours—to appreciate the intricate interconnectedness of nature.

Example: iNaturalist is creating community by connecting amateur and expert naturalists

This article describes how iNaturalist connected amateur photographer @philwarb with entomologists @marco_selis, @bdagley, @johnascher and other experts, enabling him to capture the first-ever photographs of 16 insect species and igniting a new passion for science.

Other articles this month highlight how iNaturalist is fostering nature communities that bridge the gap between amateur enthusiasts and expert groups, from moths to mushrooms

Accelerating Global Biodiversity Science

Crowdsourcing the world's most important Global Biodiversity Database

4.5 million observations of 150,000 species were collected this month by participants

By making it easy for people worldwide to document nature, iNaturalist is revolutionizing the pace at which biodiversity data are being created and shared.

This article from India profiles @jimmycarterpolimati who has posted over 8,000 butterfly observations to iNaturalist and led the leaderboard on last month’s Big Butterfly Month 2024.

Example: vetting on iNaturalist by expert naturalists improves accuracy and fuels discoveries

This article describes how observations by @deemopahan and @bhuvanrajk helped @zqtpck describe a new species of Indian Jumping Spider this month. @zqtpck, who is working towards a Ph.D. on the taxonomy of Jumping Spiders at the University of British Columbia has identified over 1,000 jumping spider observations on iNaturalist.

Example: one of thousands of conservation science papers using iNaturalist data

This month, Stanford and U.C. Berkeley researchers @gillespl, @moisesexpositoalonso, and @megaruff combined over 600,000 iNaturalist observations with remote sensing images in AI models to publish the highest resolution maps yet of plant distributions across California.

Protecting Critical Habitats and At-risk Species

Powering On-the-ground Conservation Projects

Over 10,000 grassroots projects on iNaturalist are restoring ecosystems and attracting native species

This month, an article from Australia highlights how a wildlife monitoring project by @triciastewart is assessing the effectiveness of a virtual fence aimed at providing safe passage for wildlife. Shoalhaven City Council shared their appreciation for the project’s data collection, stating:

“The iNaturalist app has been crucial in helping us gather this data and evaluate the impact of our road safety measures.”

This month, Mental Floss, published an inspiring story on the work of @paulkmac, @boinboston and their team, who are using iNaturalist to rewild Mount Auburn Cemetery near Boston. So far, they’ve tracked over 700 species on iNaturalist including a reintroduced population of native eastern red-backed salamanders.

The 2024 Less Lawns More Life challenge, which encourages participants to rewild some portion of their yards, wrapped up in October. In the video below, @swampchicken, the chief ambassador for the challenge, shares how he's attracted over 1,500 species by rewilding his backyard in New York state.

Example: governments around the globe rely on iNaturalist as an invasive species early detection network

In a publication this month, @laurenlivo and colleagues from the Oregon Department of Fisheries Wildlife and Conservation used iNaturalist observations to confirm that an introduced whiptail population in the state is not only persisting but also expanding its range.

Montana Natural Heritage Program’s iNaturalist Exotic Species Watch List for Montana. is another example of how agencies rely on iNaturalist to monitor and manage the spread of invasive species.

Example: iNaturalist is driving data-driven advocacy for rare species and informing new protections

When @michelleking spotted an endangered bee nest in her Iowa City backyard, it sparked excitement among bee scientists on iNaturalist. This article describes how this month researcher @kyleprice1 excavated the then-vacant nest to gain valuable insights into these rare bees and inform strategies for their conservation and management.

Our Observation of the Week is this Antarctic Isopod (Glyptonotus antarcticus), seen in Antarctica by @justinhofman13!

Justin Hofman’s early exposure to nature came mostly through books and documentaries, and tells me 

I fell in love with wildlife without ever seeing them and knew very early on that I wanted to study marine biology so I could see the sharks and whales firsthand. So that’s exactly what I did: as soon as I could leave home, I went away and studied marine biology and later scientific illustration as a way to get into the field and avoid becoming a specialist in any one thing.

Using his background in the sciences, he now works on various expedition ships and private yachts as a guide, and has traveled all around the world. Currently he’s heading to the Antarctic Peninsula and will be there for around four months. “It’s really satisfying to show people a really remote part of the planet,” he says.

Justin was diving in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea about nine years ago when he saw the incredible crustacean you see pictured above. 

The fast ice was still intact and we were able to dive right along the edge of the ice. The water was crystal clear and below freezing. There were some really interesting animals on that dive that are unique to the Southern Ocean, one of them being an unimaginably large isopod that tends to creep people out. This one was swimming when I first spotted it, which I had only seen when they inadvertently get disturbed by our fins. Most of the time they are just crawling around on the bottom, but this one was using its pleuropods to scull through the water, which was very neat to see.

Quite common in the Southern Ocean and around Antarctica, Antarctic isopods average around 9 cm (3.5 in) in length, but are known to reach lengths of 20 cm (8 in)! Scavengers and carnivores, they spend much their time on the sea bottom from intertidal areas to a depth of about 600 m. They do also turn upside-down when swimming.

“Since I get to dive and work in very remote places that are difficult to get to, I feel it’s my duty to share our observations with the greater community,” says Justin (above). 

I have a backlog of decades of diving footage in places that no one has ever been underwater, so I am slowly working through them. It’s very interesting to see range maps extended or have a scientist reach out because of an observation that I would have otherwise totally ignored. I have learned so much through iNaturalist and have made some great connections with world experts. Our world is changing rapidly, and I feel like I am cataloging things for the future. I don’t want the baseline to shift too much and hope that my images help keep us on a path towards conservation.

- check out some footage of Antarctic isopods!

- several past Observations of the Week have featured marine isopods, one by @oryzias, another by @vasilis_stergios, and the last by @penel1!

Our (belated) Observation of the Week for October 15th is this Horse-Chestnut Powdery Mildew (Erysiphe flexuosa), seen in the United States by @grace_stark!

Currently a 6th year PhD candidate in Microbiology at UC-Berkeley, Grace Stark has taught the Fungal Biology class there twice, 

and when we teach about the Erysiphaceae (aka powdery mildews) we search for samples to show students different life cycles of this family of fungi. In 2021, I had a student (Shout out, Jonah) that found this horse chestnut tree (Aesculus hippocastanum) on campus with the Erysiphe flexulosa infecting it, both of which are introduced to the USA. 

The microscopic pictures on my observation are the sexual stage of this fungus - where the ascospores are contained by a structure referred to as a chasmothecium and the chasmothecium have these beautiful, spiral appendages to grab onto the surface of leaves.  Each year, when the chasmothecium ripen in the fall on this specific tree, I try to show the fungal biology class. What makes this picture so beautiful is that I stain the chasmothecium with lactophenol cotton blue.

Next time, when you see a white powder on a plant look closer and see if you see many tiny black dots- it could be the chasmothecium of a powdery mildew and they are so fun to look at under the scope (especially if you have lactophenol cotton blue).

Powdery mildews generally grow on leaves and stems, and pull nutrients from their host plant. The chasmothecia that appear in the fall will remain dormant throughout the winter and burst in the spring, releasing spores.  

“The complexities of how life functioned drew me to biology very early on,” recalls Grace, who’s originally from Austin, Texas. She was surrounded by caves and springs in the area, where she found fossils in addition to extant organisms. “I rationalized the existence of life through trying to understand how it functioned: within individuals and ecologically. That beautiful mystery of life is a driving force of my interest in biology and nature today.” Her current research focuses on “non-self recognition systems Fungi use to recognize bacteria, which have conserved homology to innate immune systems in plants and animals.”

When not studying she travels around California and uses iNaturalist to help her identify and understand what she comes across.

iNaturalist is instrumental to my understanding of the organisms I encounter. For so long I was just trying to remember the names and locations of the organisms I saw. Eventually, my naturalist friends in California forced me to get an account and I love having it as a digital journal of everywhere I’ve been and everything I see. We teach students how to use it in class! It’s really amazing to see how communities and individuals are using it to gain a deeper relationship with the Earth.

(Photo of Grace by Madelyn Sobel.)

- follow Grace on X!

- check out the most-faved powdery mildew observations on iNat! There are some other pretty sweet microscope photos there.

Our Observation of the Week is this Golden-rumped Sengi (Rhynchocyon chrysopygus), seen in Kenya by @desiredarling!

“The chase of the golden-rumped Sengi started in December 2023 when we stayed in Zanzibar and found the exquisite black and rufous Sengi on the hotel grounds where we stayed,” recalls Desiré Darling, who lives with her husband Gregg in St Francis Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa. “We started researching sengis in Africa and found that Arabuko-Sokoke Forest would be the best place to see the golden-rumped Sengi.”

With some help from their daughter they booked an accommodation in Watamu, Kenya, so they could visit the forest multiple times, and headed north. 

After securing our guide, Rafiki, we were off at 5:30 am to the forest. We saw and photographed many special birds during our visits there: African pitta, Sokoke scops-owl, Sokoke pipit, Green tinkerbird, Amani sunbird etc.

The Sengi, being very secretive and easily spooked, was seen on numerous occasions but either half obscured or too far away. Our lucky day was the third day when this was our target species to photograph. As usual, Rafiki delivered and we had beautiful but brief views as the sengi he/she foraged close by!

I must admit I heard our guide and driver talking about the oldies (myself 68 years and hubbie 71 years) and wondering if we would be able to react fast enough and steady enough to get a decent photo!! Well, I did!

Averaging about 56 cm (20 in) in length, the golden-rumped Sengi is the largest member of the family Macroscelididae and hunts through the leaf litter for insects and other invertebrates. As its common name suggests, its rump is golden colored, which draws attention to this more protected area of its body. It’s listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Species, threatened primarily by habitat loss. 

Desiré (above) says that both she and Gregg are 

keen naturalists and our holidays are always planned around nature. Birds, butterflies, dragonflies, orchids, mammals and reptiles are always high on the list to photograph. We both use Inaturalist to confirm if the species we are looking for has been seen and during which months.

We’re excited to announce a new pilot aimed at boosting retention by increasing identifications on observations from new users. This experiment is designed to explore whether more engagement from the identifier community can encourage new users to stay engaged with iNaturalist.

If you’ve been active in the last month and have made between 25,000 and 50,000 identifications —you may notice a new panel on the right side of your dashboard on the website. This panel is an invitation to join the pilot. You can dismiss it if you're not interested. (Note: when we first launched this experiment on Oct 22 the criteria was top 500 IDers, the criteria was changed on Oct 28, see comments below)

How It Works

By opting in, starting the following day and continuing each day you participate, you’ll receive a list of up to 30 observations from new users that we think you’re well-suited to identify.

These observations are selected based on criteria we developed for the Observation Accuracy Experiments, matching identifiers with observations of taxa based on at least 3 improving identifications. In some cases iNaturalist’s species suggestions are being used to determine the taxa. We hope your expertise can help elevate some of these observations to Research Grade status. If you can't identify any, feel free to ignore them, the set will refresh daily.

Your participation is greatly appreciated, and we explain more about the goals and expected outcomes of this experiment below.

Goals of the Experiment

We’ve noticed an interesting trend among new iNaturalist users. New users who achieve at least one Research Grade observation in their first week have a 25% retention rate—meaning they return to the platform a week after joining. In contrast, those who don’t achieve a Research Grade observation have a much lower retention rate, topping out at 10%.

To break this down, the graph below categorizes new users into five groups and shows their respective 1-week retention statistics:

• 0 observations: Users who end their first week with no observations.
• 0 observations without errors: Users who only have observations with submission errors (e.g., missing location data).
• >0 captive obs, 0 wild obs: Users who submit only captive observations, such as houseplants, without any wild observations.
• >0 Needs ID obs, 0 RG obs: Users with observations that need identification but haven’t yet achieved Research Grade status.
• >0 RG obs: Users with at least 1 Research Grade observation.

What stands out is the sharp difference in retention between the >0 Needs ID obs, 0 RG obs group and the >0 RG obs group. The key difference? Whether the iNaturalist identifier community has elevated at least one of their Needs ID observations to Research Grade.

While actions like posting an observation or fixing errors require effort from the new user, transitioning from Needs ID to Research Grade depends entirely on the community of identifiers. It’s likely that attention from the identifier community is crucial for driving new user retention, and this is something we’d like to test.

Why This Experiment Matters

We’ve previously run experiments to encourage new user behavior—like sending reminder emails to users who haven't posted observations or have incomplete submissions—but these email nudges haven’t led to statistically significant improvements in retention.

This pilot shifts our focus to the identifier community. By increasing identifier attention on new user observations, will timely identifications have a more meaningful impact on retention than outreach emails to observers?

Currently at any moment, there are about 4,000 users in their first week in the >0 Needs ID obs, 0 RG obs group. Since we’re only including half of these users (group A from the A/B test), and we are picking up to 3 observations from each included user, that’s a group of about 3,000 observations at any time available to be ID’d. Based on how many identifiers agree to participate, we’ll assess whether it makes sense to make this experiment available more broadly or with other modifications.

Thank you for considering participation in this pilot if you’re eligible. We’re eager to learn from this experiment and will keep you updated on the results!

64% of Americans say that having a will is important — but 68% don’t have a will in place.

October 21st - 27th is National Estate Planning Awareness Week, and this year, we’re reminding our
community that no matter your age or how wealthy you are, you should have a plan in place. With our partner, FreeWill, you can create your plans for free in just 20 minutes online, and protect those you love.

Your iNaturalist account is its own digital legacy to secure. Each member of the iNaturalist community makes unique contributions to our global understanding of biodiversity by adding observations and/or identifications. This week is a great time to create a clear plan for your iNaturalist account and your other assets.

There are two key areas to consider:

1. Securing your iNaturalist account for maximum impact

Your iNaturalist account should be treated as a digital asset in your will and any other estate planning documents. You should describe your wishes for your iNaturalist account, and most importantly, who should be the person to fulfill them. Clarity is important so that your iNaturalist account is set up for maximum long-term impact and isn’t deleted by a well-intentioned person.

In FreeWill, in the section called “gifts” you enter your iNaturalist account as a “property” (the type is “digital”). We recommend you designate loved ones as the primary and contingent beneficiaries for your iNaturalist account. You can unambiguously describe it with these details:

Website: https://www.inaturalist.org
Username: [your username]
User id: [your numeric user id] - (you can find this in the URL of your profile)
Associated email address: [email address]
[Include any guidance, which may include changing some settings for maximum long-term impact]

Outside the United States, you’ll need to consult other resources to make sure that your wishes are legally binding.

2. Supporting loved ones and causes you care about

It’s essential to consider your loved ones in the process of estate planning, including your pets. Many people also take the opportunity to designate charitable gifts to causes that are important to them. We encourage you to consider how gifts from your estate can support biodiversity.

FreeWill makes it easy to designate iNaturalist or any other US nonprofit organization as a primary or contingent beneficiary of your estate. You can choose to either notify the organization about your gift intentions or not.

Create my free will or trust

Nothing you create on FreeWill is binding until it’s signed, so you can take a look even if you’re just curious.

We hope that you will explore these free resources this week to ensure that your legacy for biodiversity is secured for the future.

Species that haven’t been seen for years but may not yet be extinct are urgent conservation priorities. Rediscovering them before time runs out is crucial to directing conservation efforts and resources where they are needed most.

In June, we featured the Search for Lost Birds initiative by Re:wild, American Bird Conservancy, and BirdLife International, which used data from iNaturalist and other sources to highlight 126 bird species that haven’t been observed in the past decade.

Shortly after, the iNaturalist community made an amazing discovery: one of these lost species, the New Britain Goshawk, was unknowingly photographed and posted by @tomvierus in Papua New Guinea.

Accelerating Rediscoveries with Re:wild

We’ve been working closely with Re:wild’s Search for Lost Species program to accelerate these rediscoveries. Together, we’ve revamped the Search for Lost Species projects on iNaturalist, which are actively maintained by Re:wilds’s Lost Species Officer, Christina Biggs (@searchforlostspecies), and her team.

At first glance, there are nearly 500 lost species candidates, observed by over 750 iNaturalist observers, spread across 13 different lost species groups. The Re:wild team is actively investigating these potential rediscoveries, and also highlighting stories such as the rediscovery of the Frosted Phoenix, the "Holy Grail of New Zealand moths", on iNaturalist. By coordinating with Re:wild, we aim to better surface these finds and ensure they receive the conservation attention they deserve.

How can you help?

You can contribute to the search by reviewing observations in the Search for Lost Species projects. Here's how:

1. Taxonomic issues

Some lost species according to Re:wild’s taxonomy may be lumped with more common species on iNaturalist. For example, the bird Glaucidium castaneum from the original lost bird list is considered a subspecies of Glaucidium capense on iNaturalist, which is not lost. If you encounter species listed due to taxonomic discrepancies, please mention @searchforlostspecies and suggest their removal.

2. Misidentifications

If you have expertise in any of the species groups and suspect that an observation of a lost species candidate is misidentified, please add a disagreeing ID and explain why.

3. True rediscoveries

If you've ruled out taxonomic issues and misidentifications and believe an observation represents a genuine rediscovery, leave a comment explaining your reasoning. Mention @searchforlostspecies and suggest they add it to the Rediscovered Lost Species project.

Supporting Biodiversity Through iNaturalist

We’re excited to collaborate with organizations like Re:wild, who are leveraging iNaturalist to fulfill their mission of protecting and restoring biodiversity. Together, we can make a difference in rediscovering species that the world thought were lost forever.