Waterberg Academy's Journal

One week to go to document the life, big and small, you see around you at school.

There are now 346 observations of 117 species. This is a considerable jump since last week’s analysis.
The five most active observers (within the school grounds) are:

• David2748 (51 observations; David Rorich)
• Catypid_WA_Gr_7 (47 observations)
• Mauriza_Kruger_wa_Gr8 (34 observations)
• Wbakobus (32 observations)
• Daniel_Eagar_WA_Gr6 (20 observations)

Plants are still the most commonly photographed organisms (65 species) followed by insects (a big jump to 30 species) and birds (10 species). I don’t know if it has rained there much, but there seems to be a lot of new and interesting observations, especially of insects and vertebrates, especially reptiles.
Photos of the week (based on my judgment alone):

The best picture this week, without doubt was of a long spinneret spider by mauriza_kruger_wa_gr8 (https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/168046832 ). Amazing use of her phone camera’s macro lens capabilities.

One the insect front, this close up of a fly by andre368 is also worthy of mention (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/100755133 )

And as a plant scientist I have to include a plant picture. This one of Dicerocaryum senecioides by david2748 is worthy of some comment (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/100847600 ). While not photographed by david2748, plants in this genus have interesting fruit – flattened capsules with 2 long spines pointing upwards… just waiting for a soft hoof or foot to stick into. They get dispersed this way, and when the animal (or human…) removes them, they can then split and shed seed which germinates. This is a seed dispersal system (or “syndrome”) called podochory ( "podo" = Greek for foot and "chory" for dispersal). No wonder the common name is “Devil’s thorn”… and yes, they are relatives of the famous Devil’s Thorn Haragophytum which is used for pain relief medication (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpagophytum ).

Keep it up everyone! The last week of action looms! Lets see how many more observations and species you can capture in the coming week.

Prof. Nigel Barker

Waterberg Academy iNaturalist project: Update after week 2

Fourteen days into the project! Things are calming down a bit after the initial novelty and excitement.
There are now 276 observations of 91 species, and the number of observers is unchanged at 36. This is an increase of only 39 observations, but 23 species.

The five most active observers (within the school grounds) are:
• Catypid_WA_Gr_7 (34 observations)
• Wbakobus (32 observations)
• David2748 (27 observations; David Rorich)
• Daniel_Eagar_WA_Gr6 (20 observations)
• Mauriza_Kruger_wa_Gr8 (17 observations)

Plants are still the most commonly photographed organisms (59 species) followed by insects (18 species) and birds (6 species). Those of you trying to photograph birds face a challenge as often you cannot get up close, and zooming in or cropping the pictures can result in a pixelated or blurry image, but well done for trying – keep it up!

Photos of the week (based on my judgment alone):
The common dandelion, Taraxacum (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/99965029 ) by David2748. I lovely clear close up of this common weed. You are learning to use your camera well and possibly crop your pictures too.
 
This picture of a common locust by muuri_mutshekwa_wa_gr11 is great! (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/99520619). If you look at it on a computer and zoom in you can see amazing details of the eyes and markings Remember, try and crop the pictures so the main subject of the picture is emphasised.

Finally, mauriza_kruger_wa_gr8’s series of three pictures of a dwarf geckgo is wonderful, and again, cropping it would have increased the visual impact (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/99445296 )

Keep it up everyone! In week two there is a definite improvement in the pictures, and I get the feeling some of you are starting to see the smaller, less conspicuous things around us - Mosquitos, flies etc. However… No scorpions yet?

Prof. Nigel Barker

Seven days into the project, and I can report the following:
237 Observations of 68 species within the school grounds, with 36 people posting observations, most of whom are learners.

The five most active observers (within the school grounds) are:
• David2748 (22 observations; Davis Rorich)
• Wbakobus (21 observations)
• Catypid_WA_Gr_7 (21 observations)
• Daniel_Eagar_WA_Gr6 (20 observations)
• Mauriza_Kruger_wa_Gr8 (15 observations)
I cannot tell from their user names what grade the top 2 observers are in but it looks like the more active participants are in the lower grades! The most active observers in the school area are also very active in their own time when not at school and are posting observations from their home and elsewhere.

The project Waterberg Academy iNaturalist project now has 52 followers – mostly learners and staff but some other regular iNaturalist supporter from the Waterberg and Gauteng area.

Plants are the most commonly photographed organisms (46 species) followed by insects (12 species).
Photos of the week (based on my judgment alone):

Insects: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/99438354 Petovia marginata By Mariza Kruger. A beautifully clear set of pictures.

For its cuteness value: https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/165583951 Galago moholi by Gemma Leonard. What is the story behind this picture? Was it alive? Normally these are very shy and are unlikely to sit in someone’s hand.

Best plant picture: lyandi_vdm_wa_gr9 https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/164881531 While the picture could be improved by cropping and or zooming in more, this little legume (probably of the genus Lotononis) is an interesting find.

Keep it up, and start looking for the smaller things too – and if and when it rains then a lot more life will start to appear.
Prof. Nigel Barker

The learners of the senior grades or the Academy will be introduced to iNaturalist by Nigel Barker (Dept. Plant & Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria) on 22nd October.

The project will be launched at the school on Friday the 22nd October, and Prof. Barker and some colleagues will visit the school and spend an hour talking to the Grade 6-11 learners and providing hands on training in how to use the app and maximize on the learning experiences it can offer. This will be done outdoors in the school grounds.

The contributions made by the learners to iNaturalist for the school grounds will be monitored, and feedback will be provided to the Head of the School on a weekly basis, indicating (for example) number of plant, insect, vertebrate etc. species recorded, most interesting observation, best photograph, etc. This information can be included in announcements at assemblies, and in the School newsletter.

The project will run from 22 October to the 19th November (4 weeks) and at the end of this period, book prizes will be awarded to the leaners for the following categories (all restricted to observations made on the Academy Grounds):

• Most interesting (e.g. rare, unusual, novel etc.) species recorded
• Most plant species recorded
• Most insect species recorded
• Most vertebrate species recorded
• Best photographer (most consistent and informative set of pictures submitted)

While this project will only run for 4 weeks at the school, learners are obviously encouraged to continue to use the app wherever to travel and live, but for this project, the area of focus will be the Waterberg Academy property. Observations made by learners beyond the school property and the time frame for the project will also be valuable, as they will contribute to our greater understanding of the biodiversity of the region.