A resource of Biophilia: Pittsburgh, #bioPGH is a weekly blog and social media series that aims to encourage both children and adults to reconnect with nature and enjoy what each of our distinctive seasons has to offer. 
 

The morning may have started out rainy, but nature enthusiasts of all ages brought the energy and sunshine to this year’s BioBlitz this past weekend!

What is a bioblitz?, one might ask. In the most traditional scientific sense, a bioblitz is an event that unites scientists and community members to identify as many living things in a given area over a set time frame. It truly is a mad dash, or a “blitz,” to quickly identify everything possible. Scientists can then use the data to better understand the health of the local ecosystem and keep a record of the living things in the study area.

Our BioBlitz and Family Fun Festival combines the science of a bioblitz with the joy of celebrating wild wonders. All day Sunday, the front of lawn of Phipps was bustling with an assortment of local scientists and naturalists, all sharing their work and chatting about the biodiversity of wild Pennsylvania. If you weren’t able to join us for the big day, check out what the excitement was all about!

Local Scientists and Naturalists
A variety of local researchers and naturalists were present from universities and non-profits across the city. Each of them brought activities and demonstrations to help demonstrate their work, many led themed nature walks into Schenley Park throughout the day to explore birds, snails, spiders, plants, fungi, and everything in between! There were also animal ambassadors from Stormy Oaks Nature Conservancy and two botanical illustration classes to merge the worlds of art and science – not to mention sharpen those observation skills.

High school programs coordinator Alyssa Mulé makes exciting finds in an owl pellet!

Budding young naturalists chat with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy staff.

Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club members setting out specimens.

One of the tiniest finds of the day - an ice thorn snail! Thanks to the shell-ebrity himself, Dr. Tim Pearce of the CMNH for finding this little leaf litter critter!

Dr. Michelle Valkanas of Penn West University

Data Collection
The key of a bioblitz is the total data collection! With the exception of 2020, BioBlitz has recorded of the biodiversity of Schenley Park since 2016, as you can see from the graph below:

There is some variation year to year depending on what scientists were present.

The complete species list is below! If you’re reading this home, how might these species counts change if we held this event at different times of the year? What groups might stay the same? Which ones would be different? Which groups might more or fewer species at a different time of year?

Birds
Haemorhous mexicanus, House Finch
Buteo jamaicensis, Red-tailed Hawk
Colaptes auratus, Northern Flicker
Bubo virginianus, Great Horned Owl
Passer domesticus, House Sparrow
Quiscalus quiscula, Common Grackle
Hylocichla mustelina, Wood Thrush
Cyanocitta cristata, Blue Jay
Cardinalis cardinalis, Northern Cardinal
Turdus migratorius, American Robin
Sitta carolinensis, White-breasted Nuthatch

Invertebrates
Aceria negundi, box elder pouch gall mite
Agromyzidae, Leaf-miner Flies
Amynthas agrestis, Jumping worm
Aphaenogaster tennesseensis, Tennessee Collared Ant
Arion, Arion Slugs
Armadillidium vulgare, Common Pill Woodlouse
Asphondylia solidaginis, 
Baetis, Blue-winged Olives
Caecidotea, American Waterslaters
Carychium exile, Ice thorn snail
Celastrina, Holarctic Azures
Chironomidae, Non-biting Midges
Coccinellidae, Lady beetle
Colonus sylvanus, Sylvan Jumping Spider
Dibolia borealis, Northern Plantain Flea Beetle
Diptera, Flies
Dorcus parallelus, Antelope Beetle
Dugesiidae, Planaria
Dytiscidae, Predaceous Diving Beetles
Gammarus minus, scud
Harmonia axyridis, Asian Lady Beetle
Heterosternuta, 
Idia diminuendis, Orange-spotted Idia Moth
Illinoia liriodendri, tuliptree aphid
Insecta, Insects
Leucauge venusta, Orchard Orbweaver
Lipaphis alliariae, Garlic Mustard Aphid
Liriomyza arctii, Burdock Leafminer
Liriomyza carphephori, 
Lithobius forficatus, Brown Centipede
Lycorma delicatula, Spotted Lanternfly
Marpissa lineata, Four-lined Slender Jumping Spider
Melanoplus scudderi, Scudder's Short-winged Grasshopper
Millipede
Odontopus calceatus, Yellow Poplar Weevil
Odontota dorsalis, Locust Leafminer
Pachypsylla celtidismamma, Hackberry Nipplegall Psyllid
Paraphidippus aurantius, emerald jumping spider
Phidippus putnami, Putnam's Jumping Spider
Polycentropodidae, Tube Maker Caddisflies
Simulium, Common Blackflies
Stenelmis
Toxomerus marginatus, Margined Calligrapher
Trichoptera, Caddisflies
Vanessa atalanta, Red Admiral

Plants
Acer negundo, boxelder
Acer pseudoplatanus, sycamore maple
Achillea millefolium, common yarrow
Actaea racemosa, black cohosh
Actaea racemosa, black cohosh
Adiantum pedatum, northern maidenhair fern
Aegopodium podagraria, Goutweed
Aegopodium podagraria, Goutweed
Aesculus, buckeyes and horse-chestnuts
Alliaria petiolata, garlic mustard
Amblystegium, 
Ambrosia artemisiifolia, common ragweed
Ampelopsis glandulosa, Porcelain Berry
Anomodon minor, Dwarf Anomodon Moss
Arctium minus, lesser burdock
Arctium, burdocks
Arisaema triphyllum, Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Asarum canadense, Canadian wild ginger
Asclepias exaltata, poke milkweed
Asclepias syriaca, common milkweed
Asimina triloba, common pawpaw
Barbarea, wintercresses
Bryoandersonia illecebra, spoon-leaved moss
Carex sparganioides, bur reed sedge
Carpinus caroliniana, American hornbeam
Catalpa speciosa, northern catalpa
Celastrus orbiculatus, Oriental bittersweet
Celtis occidentalis, common hackberry
Cercidiphyllum japonicum, katsura tree
Cercis canadensis, eastern redbud
Chelidonium majus, Greater celandine
Cirsium arvense, creeping thistle
Claopodium rostratum, Yellow Yarn Moss
Collinsonia canadensis, citronella horse balm
Conopholis americana, American cancer-root
Crataegus mollis, downy hawthorn
Cryptotaenia canadensis, honewort
Cymbalaria muralis, Ivy-leaved toadflax
Cyperaceae, sedges
Cystopteris tenuis, Mackay's Fragile Fern
Cystopteris, fragile ferns
Dactylis, cocks-foot and orchard grasses
Dichanthelium clandestinum, deertongue
Dichanthelium polyanthes, roundseed panicgrass
Epipactis helleborine, Broad-leaved helleborine
Erigeron annuus, annual fleabane
Erigeron philadelphicus, Philadelphia fleabane
Euonymus fortunei, wintercreeper
Fraxinus americana, white ash
Geranium wallichianum, Purple-vein geranium
Glechoma hederacea, ground-ivy
Gleditsia triacanthos, honey locust
Hackelia virginiana, virginia stickseed
Hygroamblystegium varium, tangled thread moss
Impatiens pallida, pale jewelweed
Koelreuteria paniculata, golden rain tree
Leonurus cardiaca, common motherwort
Lepidium virginicum, Virginia pepperweed
Mazus pumilus, Japanese mazus
Melilotus officinalis, Yellow Sweetclover
Morus alba, white mulberry
Nabalus altissimus, tall rattlesnake root
Orthotrichum stellatum, Starry Bristle Moss
Oxalis stricta, upright yellow woodsorrel
Parietaria pensylvanica, Pennsylvania pellitory
Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Virginia creeper
Paulownia tomentosa, princess tree
Penstemon digitalis, foxglove beardtongue
Persicaria longiseta, low smartweed
Phedimus ellacombeanus, yellow stonecrop
Pilosella caespitosa, meadow hawkweed
Pilosella caespitosa, meadow hawkweed
Plagiomnium cuspidatum, Woodsy Thyme-moss
Plagiomnium, Thyme and Allied Mosses
Plantago major, greater plantain
Plantago rugelii, American plantain
Podophyllum peltatum, mayapple
Polytrichum commune, Common Haircap Moss
Ptychostomum capillare, Capillary Thread-moss
Quercus alba, white oak
Ranunculus, buttercups
Rhodotypos scandens, jetbead
Rhynchostegium confertum, Clustered Feather-moss
Rubus phoenicolasius, wineberry
Sanicula odorata, Clustered Sanicle
Sedum acre, Biting Stonecrop
Silene noctiflora, Night-flowering Catchfly
Sisyrinchium angustifolium, narrow-leaved blue-eyed grass
Solanum dulcamara, bittersweet nightshade
Sonchus asper, prickly sowthistle
Staphylea trifolia, American bladdernut
Staphylea trifolia, American bladdernut
Tanacetum parthenium, feverfew
Tradescantia ohiensis, Ohio spiderwort
Trifolium dubium, Lesser hop trefoil
Trifolium pratense, Red Clover
Woodsia obtusa, blunt woodsia

Fungi, Lichen, Slimes
Agaricales, Common Gilled Mushrooms and Allies
Allodus podophylli, Mayapple Rust
Amanita amerirubescens, Amanita amerirubescens group
Amanita crenulata, Poison Champagne Amanita
Auricularia, Wood ear fungi
Bagliettoa baldensis, Pileate Pitted-stone lichen
Candelaria concolor, Candleflame Lichen
Candelariella aurella, Hidden Goldspeck Lichen
Candelariella vitellina, Common Goldspeck
Candelariella, Goldspeck Lichens
Candolleomyces candolleanus, Pale Brittlestem
Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa, Common Coral Slime
Chrysothrix caesia, Frosted Comma Lichen
Cladonia coniocraea, Common Powderhorn
Cladonia parasitica, Fence-rail Cladonia
Cladonia peziziformis, turban cup lichen
Cladonia rei, Wand Lichen
Cladonia rei, Wand Lichen
Cladonia, pixie cup and reindeer lichens
Collema subflaccidum, Tree Jelly
Dacrymyces stillatus, Jelly Spot Fungus
Ductifera pululahuana, white jelly fungus
Erysiphe flexuosa, Horse-Chestnut Powdery Mildew
Erysiphe viburni, 
Exidia crenata, American Amber Jelly Fungus
Flavopunctelia soredica, Powder-edged Speckled Greenshield
Fungi, Fungi Including Lichens
Fuscoporia gilva, Mustard Yellow Polypore
Gerronema strombodes, golden-gilled gerronema
Gyalolechia flavovirescens, Sulphur Firedot
Gymnosporangium globosum, Cedar-Hawthorn Rust
Hypoxylon rubiginosum, rusty woodwart
Kretzschmaria deusta, Brittle Cinder
Laccaria laccata, deceiver
Lecanora strobilina, Mealy Rim-lichen
Lecanoromycetes, common lichens
Lecidea varians, Variable Brown Dotlets
Lepraria, Dust Lichens
Lycogala epidendrum, Wolf's Milk
Mycena inclinata, clustered bonnet
Mycena leaiana australis, 
Mycosphaerella fraxinicola, 
Myelochroa aurulenta, Powdery Axil-bristle Lichen
Myelochroa galbina, Smooth Axil-bristle Lichen
Panaeolus foenisecii, Mower's Mushroom
Parmelia squarrosa, Bottlebrush Shield Lichen
Parmelia sulcata, Netted shield lichen
Parmotrema hypotropum, powdered ruffle lichen
Parmotrema reticulatum, Black Sheet Lichen
Parmotrema, Ruffle Lichens
Peniophora incarnata, Rosy Crust
Phaeophyscia adiastola, Powder-tipped Shadow Lichen
Phaeophyscia hirsuta, Hairy Shadow Lichen
Phaeophyscia pusilloides, Pom-pom Shadow Lichen
Phaeophyscia rubropulchra, Orange-cored Shadow Lichen
Phaeophyscia, wreath lichens
Phaeophyscia, wreath lichens
Physcia adscendens, Hooded Rosette Lichen
Physcia millegrana, rosette lichen
Physcia stellaris, Star Rosette Lichen
Physcia subtilis, slender rosette lichen
Physciaceae, rosette lichens, frost lichens, and allies
Placynthium nigrum, Blackthread Lichen
Pluteus chrysophlebius, Yellow Deer Mushroom
Pluteus longistriatus, Pleated Pluteus
Protoblastenia rupestris, Chewing Gum Lichen
Pseudosperma rimosum, split fibrecap
Puccinia andropogonis, 
Punctelia caseana, Moondust Speckled Lichen
Punctelia missouriensis, Mealy Speckled Shield Lichen
Punctelia rudecta, rough speckled shield lichen
Punctelia, Speckled Shield Lichens
Pyxine subcinerea, mustard lichen
Resupinatus, 
Rhytisma acerinum, Black Tar Spot
Rinodina, Pepper-Spore Lichens
Rosellinia subiculata, 
Sarcogyne regularis, Frosted Grain-spored Lichen
Schizophyllum commune, splitgill mushroom
Stereum complicatum, crowded parchment
Stereum hirsutum, hairy curtain crust
Trametes versicolor, 
Trametes versicolor, turkey-tail
Trapelia placodioides, lichen
Trichaptum biforme, violet-toothed polypore
Tubaria furfuracea, scurfy twiglet
Xanthocarpia feracissima, sidewalk firedot
Xanthomendoza fallax, Hooded Sunburst Lichen
Xanthomendoza weberi, Bare-bottom Sunburst Lichen
Xanthoparmelia plittii, Plitt's Rock Shield
Xylaria polymorpha, dead man's fingers

Reptiles
Pantherophis spiloides, Gray Ratsnake

Mammals
Odocoileus virginianus, White-tailed Deer
Tamias striatus, Eastern chipmunk
Sylvilagus floridanus, Eastern cottontail

Thank you to all of our volunteers, exhibitors, and guests who attended BioBlitz! This event wouldn't be possible with the whole community!