Tag: citizen science

Bee on sunflower

Room for Pollinators

by Lisa Strange
November 7, 2025

A pollinator hotel is a simple way to help native bees and wasps by giving them a safe place to nest and spend the winter. These beneficial insects are vital for pollinating crops and wild plants, yet their numbers are declining due to habitat ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS,
Tags: #TaylorCounty, Citizen Science, Florida, Florida Master Gardener Program, Gardening, Pollinator Gardening, Pollinators
photo of dead elm covered with golden oyster mushrooms.

Golden oyster mushrooms cultivated, sold in Florida: Scientist urges caution

by Lourdes Mederos
November 3, 2025

The golden oyster mushroom, with bright yellow pillowy caps, are a popular buy that are sold in grow-your-own kits as well as standard grocery stores, farmer and gourmet markets. A University of Florida researcher warns it is quietly invading ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Citizen Science, Culinary Connoisseurs, Culinary Mushroom Enthusiasts, Cultivating, Disrupt Ecosystems, Ecosystems, Farmer Market, Fungal Communities, Fungal Diseases, Golden Oyster Mushrooms, Gourmet Market, Grocery Stores, Grow-your-own Kits, Human Activities, Inaturalist, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive, Invasive Species, Michelle Jusino, Mushroom Observer, News, Research, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatic Sciences, Transporting, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida
screenshot detail showing four tiles of iNaturalist search results

Research-Grade Photos on iNaturalist: How to Find Them and How to Use Them

by Diana Hagan
September 3, 2025

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but it can be challenging to find accurately identified photos of organisms that are also free to use. Fortunately, the photos in some 170 million research-grade observations uploaded by citizen ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Communications
Tags: Citizen Science, Copyright, Creative Commons, EDIS Authors, EDIS How To, Images, Inaturalist, Photo Sources, Photo Usage
iNat_on_phone_with_snake_in_background_credit_blog banner

Science by the millions: How everyday people are revolutionizing global biodiversity research with tech

by Lourdes Mederos
July 28, 2025

A frog croaks from a walking trail. A hiker snaps a photo and uploads it to iNaturalist. That single act — one person, one amphibian and one click — feeds into a growing global dataset that scientists now use to map shifting species ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Agencies, Agricultural Technology Firms, Aquatic Invasives, Biodiversity, BioScience, Brittany Mason, Citizen Science, Conservation, Corey Callaghan, Dataset, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Fungi, Global Ecology, High-resolution Maps, Inaturalist, INaturalist App, Invasive, Lourdes Mederos, Map Shifting, Modeling, News, Observations, Organisms, Photo, Plants, Research Grade, Scientists, Species Ranges, Study, Technology, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Wildlife Ecology And Conservation

Great Southeast Pollinator Census – Hillsborough County

by Tia Silvasy
June 27, 2025

Great Florida Pollinator Census - Hillsborough County Join us for the Great Florida Pollinator Census, a citizen science project where citizens record and upload data on the number and types of pollinators they see for two days on Aug. ... READ MORE

Category: , Conservation, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease
Tags: Citizen Science, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Great Florida Pollinator Census, Greatsoutheastpollinatorcensus, Hillsborough County, Insect, Pollinator Census, Tsilvasy, UFIFASExtension

Great Florida Pollinator Census

by ambernorris
May 29, 2025

Are you fascinated by the buzzing world of bees, butterflies, and other vital pollinators? Do you want to contribute to important scientific research right from your community? Then mark your calendars and get ready to become a citizen scientist! The ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Agriculture, , Clubs & Volunteers, Curriculum, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Wildlife
Tags: 4-h Agent, AI Identification, Ambernorris, Citizen Science, Citizen Scientist, Community Science, Florida 4-H, Google Lens, Great Southern Pollinator Census, Hillsborough County, Hillsborough County Extension Office, Isilvasy, Participate In Pollinator Census, Pollinator Census, Pollinator Identification, UFIFASExtension, Volunteer For Pollinators

Citizen scientists help researchers protect keystone species

by Megan Winslow
April 16, 2025

Range maps for diamondback terrapins – a type of vulnerable turtle species – highlight the entire United States East Coast and Gulf Coast. Until a few years ago, however, the shading hiccupped between Port St. Joe, Florida, and Mobile, Alabama ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Apalachicola County, Baldwin County, Bay County, Bycatch Device, CITES, Citizen Science, Conservation, Convention On International Trade In Endangered Species Of Wild Fauna And Flora, Crab Trap, Environment, Escambia County, Florida Sea Grant, Gulf Coast, Habitat, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Keystone Species, Marsh, Mathilda Ravine, Megan Winslow, Mollusks, Okaloosa County, Orientation, Panhandle, Panhandle Terrapin Project, Pensacola And Perdido Bays Estuary Program, Rick O'Connor, Santa Rosa County, Survey, Threatened, U.S. Geological Survey, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, USGS, Volunteer, Wakulla County, Walton County

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