iNaturalistUK user, Peachysteve, provides advice on recording these under recorded fungi.

The summer may be over but there is still plenty to record. Fungi like warm, moist, and stable conditions and that’s why Autumn is the peak time for them. As the summer heat fades and the rain comes, the soil reaches a Goldilocks state, not too hot, not too cold, not too wet, not too dry.

The UK is globally important for a group of grassland fungi restricted to ancient grasslands, these are the CHEGD fungi, the best known of which are the Waxcaps. Many of these species are on the IUCN’s Red List.

If you look at the European records on iNaturalistUK you’ll see that the vast majority are made in the UK. Despite this they are still hugely under recorded. They are currently afforded very little protection and are extremely threatened by habitat loss. Grasslands are often seen as low importance habitat and a blank slate for development or enhancement. Low nutrient grasslands are the least productive so are earmarked for land use change, and yet they are also the most diverse and may support globally important communities. We are losing important sites before we even know we have them. That’s where the power of citizen science recording comes in. By posting your records on iNaturalist, and with the help of expert identifiers, we can identify important sites across the country. Some Local Record Centres are already making use of this, like the Lancashire Waxcap Project.

So please get out in old grasslands, they could be meadows, pasture or the grounds of historic buildings, and look for Clubs, Corals, and colourful Waxcaps. Make sure to identify them as fungi to help them get to the right person for ID or confirmation.

A good picture is essential to a safe ID.

Crimson Waxcap – Hygrocybe punicea (c) peachysteve

When it comes to fungi, it’s important to show certain features clearly. For mushrooms a shot which shows the cap, stem and gill attachment is vital for a good ID.

A single image of a group of fungi with one or two upturned can show this well. If there is only one specimen then you will need to pick it to show the gill attachment. If you really can’t bring yourself to pick it then you may get a reasonable image with your front facing camera.

If you know you have a Waxcap but aren’t sure of the exact species then you may want to download Peachy Steve’s UK Waxcaps app*. Only available for android phones.

Together we can make a difference for nature.

*This app has been developed by peachysteve and is not related to iNaturalist in any way.

The NBN Trust are delighted to announce the 35 individuals and organisations who have been shortlisted as Finalists of the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording 2024.  The winners will be announced on Thursday 21 November, at the NBN Conference in Liverpool. Many of these nominees are iNaturalistUK users and or use the observation data added to iNaturalistUK. Read more about them on the NBN Trust website. 

Thankyou to everyone who took the time to nominate. If you think you know someone or a group who should be nominated look out for the opening of next years nominations in early 2025.

iNaturalistUK user, Nigel Sawyer, provides some valuable technical tips on how to submit the best photo you can to help your observations reach research grade.

27th July – 11th August 2024

With the ocean covering over 70% of the earth there is an incredible amount of sea life to be discovered this National Marine Week! Marine data is always under represented and this is a great opportunity to explore and record the marine life around the British Isles. Why not take part in many of the organized events across the country or take some time to explore the coast and record your findings with iNaturalist this week?

There are some amazing animals to be found in our rock pools at this time of year and the warmer waters always bring an increase in jellyfish sightings. Jellyfish are cnidarians, a phylum distinguished by their stinging cells, known as cnidocytes. Their gelatinous bodies contain a nervous system in the form of a nerve net and although they have no brain they do have sensory organs. Jellyfish are able to maintain their orientation and balance by using a specialized organ called a statocyst and they are able to sense changes in light through their ocelli, very simple eyespots.

We have many different species in the UK such as the commonly found Compass jellyfish, Chrysaora hysoscella (below), but this month iNaturalist has also seen some more unusual sightings of the Whitecross jelly, Staurostoma mertensii, being recorded. The data collected will help researchers understand changes in climate and the health of our oceans.

Notes

If you have any queries about the survey or haven't received a link to the survey please contact the research team iNatUK-survey@exeter.ac.uk

The survey link is personal to you so please do not share it. The email will come from noreply@qemailserver.com

If you have created an account after 01 June 2024 and / or affiliated to iNaturalistUK site after that date you can still take part. Contact the research team with your iNaturalist details. iNatUK-survey@exeter.ac.uk

The survey is due to be sent out in late July with regular reminders to ask people to complete the survey. It is anticipated that the final response date will be in October.

Full details of the survey including its purpose and how data will be collected and used will be set out in the survey introduction.

The Data Team at the Marine Biological Association has released a new citizen science web tool, providing data-focused best practices and guidance for creators and users of citizen science data. The tool was developed in partnership with Natural England and funded by Defra and the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme and aims to support the growing volume of valuable data from citizen science projects.

Data management and citizen science guidance from over 60 literature sources across various sectors were compiled to create this interactive guide. It highlights the importance of a data management plan, the role of data archive centres, and the journey data can take to maximize reuse and impact. The guide emphasizes sharing data in standardised formats and under open licenses to inform environmental assessments, management policies and scientific research, both nationally and globally. Further information on broader citizen science guidance is also signposted, should you wish to find out more about non-data elements of citizen science projects.

The guide is organized into six data stages: plan, collect, process, preserve, share, and reuse. Each stage includes a description of suggested activities to ensure high-quality and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data, along with a checklist for implementation. Further information regarding each organisation and project mentioned can be found via links, pop-ups or within the glossary. At the end of some activity sections, case studies are included for projects that demonstrate good examples of the implementation of the activities described, to assist users to put the guidance into practice and make the most of existing citizen science initiatives.

The tool is hosted and maintained by DASSH (The UK Data Archive Centre for Marine Species and Habitats) at the MBA, and is a dynamic resource for the citizen science community https://www.dassh.ac.uk/citizen-science/best-practice.

If you have any feedback or questions, please contact dassh.enquiries@mba.ac.uk.

Over 2,000 plants and animals in the UK are non-indigenous and 10-15% of these are invasive species which are considered to have a negative impact on our native species and a high capacity to spread to natural and semi-natural habitats. Non-indigenous marine species are often accidentally introduced through shipping or arrive naturally on ocean currents.

Invasive Species Week aims to raise awareness of their impacts and of the ways in which everyone is able to help. Recording your sightings via iNaturalistUK supports scientists in monitoring their spread and is an important part of controlling and understanding their distribution.

Some invasive marine species to look out for:

Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus spp.
Slipper limpet, Crepidula fornicate
Carpet sea squirt, Didemnum vexillum
Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis
Wireweed, Sargassum muticum
Wakame, Undaria pinnatifida

Visit the Marine Biological Association’s ‘Wakame Watch’ page for further tips on how to ID Wakame and distinguish it from other common seaweeds https://www.dassh.ac.uk/citizen-science/wakame-watch.

Information on the Chinese mitten crab is also available at https://www.mba.ac.uk/help-track-the-spread-of-the-invasive-chinese-mitten-crab-in-the-uk/.

Many of our migratory marine animals and birds will return to UK waters during the spring, here are a few to keep your eyes open for!
Basking sharks, Cetorhinus maximus, follow their migratory routes back to our coasts where you may see them basking on the surface of the ocean as they feed on zooplankton. They are the second largest fish in the world and are identifiable by their huge triangular dorsal fin. Basking sharks are often spotted off the south west coast, especially around Devon and Cornwall, Wales and the west coast of Scotland where they gather around the Isle of Skye and the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Hebrides.
The Atlantic puffin, Fratercula arctica, is another of our spring visitors. These tiny birds are members of the auk family and will gather on cliff tops and islands where they settle to breed; they will usually produce just one egg and stay with their partner for life. It is thought that there are around 580,000 pairs of puffins living in the UK and you may be lucky enough to see them if you visit places like the Isles of Scilly, the Farne Islands in Northumberland or the Shetlands.
Finally, if you prefer to stay on dry land, our rockpools will be teeming with life for you to record, including all the favourites such as cushion stars and snakelocks anemones to those you have to search a little harder to find, like chitons or nudibranchs. Who will you discover?

Basking sharks are heavily protected in the UK but numbers are now thought to be stabilizing, however the Atlantic puffin is considered to be in decline which makes the data collected by citizen scientists using iNaturalist important as it will help to support the monitoring and conservation of these beautiful animals.

The team at the Natural History Consortium have produced two short videos to help users understand more about

All viewable on YouTube so feel free to watch and share!

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