Join this citizen science project and help document arthropods at Bernheim

When you are out exploring Bugfest this year, add a new critter encounter to your list: wild insects and their friends! BugFest will be held on September 19 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. From Thursday, September 17 to Sunday, September 20, the education and interpretation team will also host a bioblitz to learn about the arthropods that call Bernheim home.

Arthropods are a group of animals that have jointed legs, an exoskeleton, and are bilaterally symmetrical. Arthropods include millipedes, centipedes, crustaceans, arachnids, and insects. A few examples of arthropods include butterflies, beetles, dragonflies, ants, spiders, honeybees, crabs, and scorpions.

“A bioblitz is a communal effort to record as many species within a designated location and time period as possible,” according to iNaturalist, one of the largest community science platforms. Bioblitz events can take many forms, but the thing they all share is a goal of connecting people with nature.

For the Bernheim Bugblitz, you can independently explore Bernheim’s over 40 miles of trails, photograph any curious crawlies you find, and upload the images to the iNaturalist app or website.

Don’t worry – knowing what species you see isn’t required. Just tag the organism with the closest match you know of (for example, “spider” or “cricket”) and nature enthusiasts from all around the world will help you figure out what you found.

• Blue ghost firefly (Phausis reticulata) – https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/369214662
• Widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) – https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/377197853
• Luna moth(Actias luna) – https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/369849863

“Surveys give us an idea of what we have. In order to protect something, you have to know you have it,” says Bernheim’s research coordinator, Kelly Vowels, highlighting the importance of community science for conservation.

Any images taken within Bernheim will automatically be added to the 2026 Bernheim Bugblitz project, and researchers – including Kelly Vowels – can use the results to study insects, arachnids, and other arthropods within the forest!

Want to check it out before Bugfest? The project page is now live! Visit https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/bernheim-bugblitz-2026.