Lynn White aims her phone camera at a fuzzy caterpillar perched on a plant at Bull’s Run Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum in Middletown.
“What’s this?” she asks, before snapping a picture on the iNaturalist app. The app records White’s observation and identifies the insect as a Virginian tiger moth.
Starting this week, citizen scientists are documenting as many species of plants and animals as possible at Bull’s Run. They’re participating in a “bioblitz,” or period of intense biological surveying, hosted by the Butler Soil and Water Conservation District.
"It's a way of getting people out in nature and involved," said White, who is the conservation district’s education and volunteer specialist.
She says anyone is able to participate by taking a walk in Bull’s Run, photographing the plants and animals they see, and uploading the pictures to iNaturalist. The app uses crowdsourcing to help identify species.
How citizen science helps maintain habitat in the park
Bull’s Run will use the bioblitz data to inform its land stewardship plans, says naturalist Melissa Proffitt.
“When we look at what native species do we need to plant, we would compare that to the frequency that we're finding (them),” Proffitt said. “Also, if people find species that are invasive — so they're not supposed to be here — it helps us know what we need to target as far as removal so that those invasive species are not outcompeting our native species.”
She says the nature sanctuary and arboretum held another bioblitz this past spring. Volunteers documented 150 species through more than 250 observations.
“We're looking forward to seeing if we find any different species doing it in the fall, in a different season, to see, are we seeing an increase in the number of different species that we see? And, just being able to compare that data,” Proffitt said.
How to participate
The fall bioblitz runs September through October.
Any observations recorded on iNaturalist at Bull’s Run Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum, 3909 Rosedale Rd, Middletown, OH 45042, will automatically count toward the bioblitz.
You also can join the "Fall 2025 Bull's Run Arboretum BioBlitz" project via iNaturalist.
You can download iNaturalist from the app store on your phone, or access the website at www.inaturalist.org.
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