Nature Explorers: Join the Wisconsin BioBlitz!

Have you ever wondered how many species exist in our environment? From the shores of Lake Michigan to the forests of the Northwoods or the soil in your backyard, Wisconsin is teeming with life – and the Wisconsin Science Festival is launching a statewide BioBlitz project to learn more!

The 2024 BioBlitz is now closed and we are thrilled to report that we had nearly 6,000 observations of 1,420 different species, contributed from 750 observers and 450 identifiers. Thank you to all who participated!  Stay tuned for more information about the 2025 project. 

What is a BioBlitz?

A BioBlitz activity tries to measure as much life as possible within a defined space and time. Interested in bugs? Spend an afternoon counting all the insects at a local park. Teaching a unit on plants? Take your class to count all the flowering species you can find in a nearby meadow. Feeling ambitious? Organize your community to count every species you can find in 24 hours. A BioBlitz can take place in a park, a school, an urban lot or your backyard. The possibilities are endless!

Why participate?

BioBlitzes are a way to bring the community together to celebrate biodiversity while experiencing the wonder of nature in all of its fabulous niches.

Your mission

During the Wisconsin Science Festival BioBlitz, join with people from all across the state from sunrise on Monday, October 14, until sunset on Sunday, October 20. Download the iNaturalist app on your device (optional but encouraged), find at least 10 species in the environment around you and add your observations to the Wisconsin Science Festival BioBlitz project on iNaturalist.

Learn more

Check out our BioBlitzes from previous years.

The Wisconsin Science Festival BioBlitz allows volunteers from the public to professionals to report observations of plants, animals, and fungi seen in Wisconsin. This is part of the Wisconsin Science Festival, which is a weeklong statewide celebration across Wisconsin for people of all ages.

The information you provide may be used by the Wisconsin Science Festival, its partners, or others for any purpose, including to study, manage, and conserve Wisconsin’s wildlife. Data on rare species or personal information you provide may be used to supplement the research efforts of our partners. Reports of federally threatened or endangered species, including date, location, and your name, may be shared with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The photos and observation data that you submit, generalized to the township level, may be displayed on the Wisconsin Science Festival website, under the display name of your choice or as anonymous.

Host a BioBlitz

Interested in hosting or participating in a BioBlitz in October 2024? Connect with us at [email protected] to find out more!

Additionally, we invite libraries throughout Wisconsin to host community bioblitzes during the weeklong Wisconsin Science Festival (October 14-20). Our friends at the Wisconsin Water Library and Wisconsin Sea Grant, who host the annual Great Lakes BioBlitz in the spring, have assembled an amazing bioblitz resource guide with all the important information you need to host your own BioBlitz. 

How to participate?

Observations can be recorded from sunrise on Monday, October 14, until sunset on Sunday, October 20. Download the iNaturalist app on your device (optional but encouraged), find at least 10 species in the environment around you, and add your observations to the Wisconsin Science Festival BioBlitz project on iNaturalist. If would prefer to keep things a bit less technical, there is a basic identification app called SEEK by iNaturalist (no account required) that allows you to make observations and get information back. This app does not feed observations into the larger WI Sci Fest BioBlitz. You could also consider simply going outside with a pen and paper to explore and log your observations for your own curiosity!