Ημερολόγιο της/του Illinois Botanists Big Year 2021

Ιανουάριος 16, 2022

Illinois Botanists Big Year 2021 Results!

And the winner is...
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Abel Kinser (@abelkinser) with 853 species!

As of 16 January 2022, @abelkinser had 1,581 Research Grade observations of 853 plant species in Illinois for 2021. Congrats!

2021 Illinois Plant Stats

6,741 observers
86,910 Research Grade observations of plants - 41% by people who had joined this project
2,089 species
2,010 identifiers

The Illinois Botanists Big Year is an annual friendly competition of the Illinois Native Plant Society to see how many species you can find in a single year in Illinois. The main goals of the project are to spark discovery in people of any age and experience, encouraging them to stop to look at plants they might have otherwise have passed by, as well as to create connections and build camaraderie among plant enthusiasts, share knowledge, and contribute to a growing database of the flora of Illinois. The year 2021 was its fifth year: 132 people joined the project.

The Illinois Botanists Big Year only looks at Research Grade observations (those that have identifications that have been confirmed by at least one other person), a rough tool to ensure a level of data quality. For 2021, only 48% of the qualifying observations of plants have reached Research Grade in Illinois so far.

Big thanks to the hundreds of people from around the world who dedicate so much effort to helping sort and identify Illinois plant observations, particularly @abelkinser this year, who has made almost twice as many IDs as anyone else, and the folks who made a huge push within the past couple weeks @j_p3 @tkoffel @maryah @nellse @brothernorbert @t_e_d @cwarneke and others! Without the dedicated work of so many identifiers iNaturalist would not function.

Compared to our last identification update:

Date	January 1st	January 10th	January 16th
Unknowns (no ID at all)	3,768	1,941	44 - heck yeah (help identify)
Plants	81,720 Research Grade and 96,970 Need ID	83,524 Research Grade and 96,807 Needs ID	86,910 Research Grade and 94,082 Needs ID (help identify)
Needs ID at rank family or coarser	10,101	10,280	10,940 - increased in part because so many "unknowns" were coarsely identified as plants (help refine)
Needs ID obs by ILBBY 2021 participants	22,572	21,937	21,380 (help identify)
Identifiers	2,732 people. Of those, 308 people have made 50 or more IDs on IL plants observed in 2021, 197 made 100 or more IDs, 75 made 300 or more IDs, and 21 people made 1,000 or more IDs.	2,755 people. Of those, 311 people have made 50 or more IDs on IL plants observed in 2021, 200 made 100 or more IDs, 76 made 300 or more IDs, and 21 people made 1,000 or more IDs.	2,767 people. Of those, 311 people have made 50 or more IDs on IL plants observed in 2021, 201 made 100 or more IDs, 82 made 300 or more IDs, and 24 people made 1,000 or more IDs.

Most Species

@abelkinser – 853
@mmasell – 808
@elfaulkner – 785
@adriansydor – 723
@dennis_nyberg – 705
@brdnrdr – 630
@sedge – 629
@danielpohl – 625
@sanguinaria33 - 602
@wildlandblogger – 586

Most Observations

@brdnrdr – 2,914
@johnhboldt – 1,998
@abelkinser – 1,581
@danielpohl– 1,486
@mmasell – 1,416
@wildlandblogger– 1,312
@sedge – 1,286
@elfaulkner – 1,211
@dennis_nyberg – 1,132
@grantfessler – 1,110

Most IDs

Most identifications for other people (IDs on plant observations in Illinois in 2021):

@abelkinser – 11,296
@j_p3 - 6,525
@bouteloua – 5,872
@adriansydor – 5,098
@elfaulkner – 3,170
@grantfessler– 2,525
@tkoffel – 2,477
@sedge – 2,455
@wildlandblogger – 2,298
@greensnake879 – 2,283

Most "Improving" IDs

The number of times they were first to make the ID that the community subsequently agreed with (improving IDs on plant observations in Illinois in 2021):

@abelkinser – 1,238
@j_p3 – 1,003
@bouteloua – 954
@elfaulkner – 501
@adriansydor – 486
@k2018lena – 420
@greensnake879 – 385
@sedge – 394
@wildlandblogger – 309
@rynxs – 306

Niches

The Sedgehead: Most species in the genus Carex: @sanguinaria33 with 55 species!

The Grassmaster: Most species within the family Poaceae: @abelkinser with 66 species!

The Compositor: Most species within the family Asteraceae: @elfaulkner with 122 species!

The Sporophyte: Most species outside of flowering plants, Magnoliophyta): @abelkinser with 71 species!

The Most-observed Plant

Again - Trillium recurvatum, prairie trillium, with 1,124 RG observations.

Observation by @julieu in Winnebago County

The 100 sp. Club

Botanizers who made Research Grade observations of over 100 species of plants in Illinois in 2021 (not restricted to people who joined the project): @abelkinser @adriansydor @benzerante @big_al_xo @bob375 @bouteloua @brandoncorder @brdnrdr @canelasincera @carolt-80 @caryaovata @cathyph @chartreuse @christinebosacki @cmidden @crwrcwamt @d_coulter @danielpohl @dennis_nyberg @dorwageld @dziomber @eattaway92 @elfaulkner @ewarden @grantfessler @greensnake879 @hazelnutman @hortusmax @illinoisbotanizer @irmela @isoetes @j_p3 @jackassgardener @jj_mcluckie @joelmc @johncebula @johnhboldt @jonidenker @jophophora @k2018lena @k3outdoors @karibou20 @kkucera @laniarius @marensr @mattnugent @maureenclare @micahbowman @mmasell @mn2010 @mrostrowski @mwistrand @outdoorsie @parksisters @paulroots @pfshannon @prairie_fairy @prairiebeeman @r_vanherik @randall228 @rarecatsnake @redadmiral98 @reduviidae @ruthmetterhausen @rynxs @samwilhelm @sanguinaria33 @sara_614 @schizachrium @sedge @seversondells @sidchan282 @skrentnyjeff @ssinn @swgpotter @taco2000 @tom_lazar @tony695 @tonyg @ungulateunion @vnevirkov @wildlandblogger @wildlifeduke @woodridgejeff @zoology123

Species New to Illinois on iNat

Dozens of species new to iNat in Illinois this year. A few listed below:

Non-flowering plants
Monocots excluding Poales
Poales (grasses, sedges, rushes, and friends)
Plants in Asterales (sunflowers and friends)
Plants in Lamiales (mints and friends)
Plants in Rosales (roses and friends)
Plants in Fabales (peas and friends)
Plants in Caryophyllales (pinks and friends)
Plants in Malpighiales (nances and friends)
Plants in Ranunculales (buttercups and friends)
Plants in Gentiales (gentians and friends)
Plants in Brassicales (mustards and friends)
Plants in Apiales (carrots and friends)
Plants in Fagales (beeches and friends)
Plants in Boraginales (borages and friends)
All other (eu)dicots except the groups above

Some Plant Pic Picks

Asclepias meadii (Mead's milkweed) by @abelkinser in Saline County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/85159409

Ranunculus harveyi (Harvey's buttercup) by @nebseivad in Randolph County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/73905996

Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh) by @mmasell in DuPage County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/74189202

Allium tricoccum (wild leek) fruits by @sedge in Vermilion County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/68743197

Conopholis americana (bearcorn) by @elfaulkner in Lake County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/80173562

Physcomitrium pyriforme (bladder moss) by @mmasell in Lee County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/73792802

Asimina triloba (pawpaw) buds by @grantfessler in McLean County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/72806824

Valerianella umbilicata (navel-shaped cornsalad with syrphid buddy) by @sanguinaria33 in Kankakee County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/87326934

Lupinus perennis (wild lupine) by @bonsaisai in Lee County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/79686615

Shepherdia canadensis (buffalo-berry) by @psweet in Lake County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/72450354

Liatris cylindracea (cylindrical blazingstar) by @jingyilu in Cook County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/87662442

Hymenocallis occidentalis (woodland spiderlily) by @bob375 in Massac County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/89413415

Hibiscus laevis (halberd rosemallow) by @prairie_fairy in Champaign County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/94388972

Verbesina alternifolia (wingstem) by @staceygluchman in Kane County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/91923596

Rhexia virginica (Virginia meadowbeauty) by @joshklostermann in Lee County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/100196198

Silene ovata (ovate catchfly) by @illinoisbotanizer in Hardin County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/96837154

Pteridium aquilinum (bracken fern) by @maureenclare in Lake County https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/91342613

happy botanizing,
—@bouteloua (cassi saari)

Posted on Ιανουάριος 16, 2022 0323 ΜΜ by

bouteloua | 5σχόλια | Αφήστε ένα σχόλιο

Ιανουάριος 11, 2022

5 more days to ID

Five more days to add IDs before the official data pull for the Illinois Botanists Big Year 2021! Here are some ID stat updates:

Date	January 1st	January 10th
Unknowns (no ID at all)	3,768	1,941 - nice! (help identify)
Plants	81,720 Research Grade and 96,970 Need ID	83,524 Research Grade and 96,807 Needs ID - the latter hasn't gone down much because so many "unknowns" have subsequently been identified as plants! (help identify)
Needs ID at rank family or coarser	10,101	10,280 - see comment above! (help refine)
Needs ID obs by ILBBY 2021 participants	22,572	21,937 (help identify)
Identifiers	2,732 people. Of those, 308 people have made 50 or more IDs on IL plants observed in 2021, 197 made 100 or more IDs, 75 made 300 or more IDs, and 21 people made 1,000 or more IDs.	2,755 people. Of those, 311 people have made 50 or more IDs on IL plants observed in 2021, 200 made 100 or more IDs, 76 made 300 or more IDs, and 21 people made 1,000 or more IDs.

Help with quality control

Can you help check these links below for any documentations that were a first for Illinois on iNaturalist in 2021? You'll often find species on here that are the result of computer vision errors as well as observations that should be marked captive/cultivated. Fixing these helps sort the wheat from the chaff and keeps range maps representative of wild organisms. Many thanks to all who help with quality control!!

Non-flowering plants
Monocots excluding Poales
Poales (grasses, sedges, rushes, and friends)
Plants in Asterales (sunflowers and friends)
Plants in Lamiales (mints and friends)
Plants in Rosales (roses and friends)
Plants in Fabales (peas and friends)
Plants in Caryophyllales (pinks and friends)
Plants in Malpighiales (nances and friends)
Plants in Ranunculales (buttercups and friends)
Plants in Gentiales (gentians and friends)
Plants in Brassicales (mustards and friends)
Plants in Apiales (carrots and friends)
Plants in Fagales (beeches and friends)
Plants in Boraginales (borages and friends)
All other (eu)dicots except the groups above

Posted on Ιανουάριος 11, 2022 1239 ΠΜ by

bouteloua | 24σχόλια | Αφήστε ένα σχόλιο

Ιανουάριος 01, 2022

An ILBBY 2021 Update

Monarda fistulosa (wild bergamot) by @oakmastermetz in Winnebago County

Looking for a co-pilot(s)

Each year I resolve to do monthly updates of the Illinois Botanists Big Year (ILBBY) and each year I kind of trail off mid-summer when things get super busy. I would love a co-pilot or 2 on this project. If you're interested please email me at cassisaari@gmail.com :)

Time to ID

You know the drill. Participants have until January 15th, 2022 to finish uploading and helping with identification, after which the results from 2021 will be announced.

As of 1 January at around noon, here are our stats:

Unknowns (no ID at all): 3,768 (help identify)
Plants: 81,720 Research Grade and 96,970 Need ID (help identify)
Of the Needs ID obs, 10,101 are identified at a rank coarser than family, like "plant" or "dicot". Can you help refine them to family or lower, like "grasses" or "sunflowers"?
If you want to focus specifically on people who joined the ILBBY 2021 project, here's a link to help identify their 22,572 observations that still need ID
Identifiers: 2,732 people. Of those, 308 people have made 50 or more IDs on IL plants observed in 2021, 197 made 100 or more IDs, 75 made 300 or more IDs, and 21 people made 1,000 or more IDs. The top IDer so far is @abelkinser far and away, with more than twice as many IDs than anyone else (11,264). Rockstar!

Ways to help with the backlog:

Add an ID. Even a "coarse" identification like at rank kingdom or family can help bring it to the attention of identifiers of these groups.
Mark as captive/cultivated if appropriate. The keyboard shortcut on the Identify page is x.
Use the Frequently Used Responses for issues that commonly pop up.

View a quick tutorial on how to efficiently use the Identify page here.

Arnoglossum plantagineum (prairie plantain) by @dennis_nyberg in Cook County

I also wanted to share this from @dennis_nyberg:

Early 2021 I decided to participate in iNaturalist and specifically in the ILBBY. I have spent a lot of time in remnants in all parts of Illinois, but especially in Palos and Calumet regions of Cook Co. over the last 40 years and I wanted add to the documentation of the diversity and beauty of Cook County south of 87th St (a town line). The plant diversity has been considerably enhanced by ecological restoration efforts of the FPCC and the Chicago Park District over the last 10 years. I wanted to give their efforts a 'shout out'.
I decided not to obscure locations for two reasons. First, locations to within 20m are far more valuable to science than obscured locations and second specific locations show getting off trails and roads really measures the diversity of a natural area. I did visit areas of Cook south of 87th that I had heard about but had not visited ever or within the last 20 years. People need to get off trails and out of parking lots.

These initial goals were expanded with time. The competition inspired me to try to get as many species as possible. Up until 2021 I was only interested in 'weeds' that invaded natural areas. In 2021 I decided to be more interested in garden and urban weeds (Hegewisch is a part of Chicago that has diverse weeds). As I got more interested in the competition I studied the map and saw that the east edge of IL from Vermillion to Wabash Counties had few observations. I knew Tom Hintz was Superintendent of Lincoln Trail SP and I had heard lots about Beadle Barrens so I decided on a trip to SE IL. I also noted that Hancock and Adams Counties (where my wife had served a church in Tioga and I had visited a number of remnants) were also not represented well on iNaturalist. I did not get to west central IL but I plan to write a journal entry on my trip to SE IL. As well as documenting plant species I already knew about I have learned new species and visited new sites. iNaturalist was a highlight of 2021.

Finally, join the 2022 project! https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/illinois-botanists-big-year-2022/join

happy IDing,
cassi

Posted on Ιανουάριος 01, 2022 0630 ΜΜ by

bouteloua | 2σχόλια | Αφήστε ένα σχόλιο

Ιούνιος 05, 2021

June 2021 ILBBY Update

Lupinus perennis (wild lupine) by @bonsaisai in Lee County.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/79686615

2021 Illinois Botany on iNat

As of the end of May 2021 we've got...
4,827 observers
74,248 Needs ID or Research Grade observations (34,489 or 46.5% Research Grade)
1,251 species (Research Grade)
1,215 identifiers - help identify!

Leading for number of species in the Illinois Botanists Big Year (ILBBY) is now @adriansydor at 503 species. Following up are @wildlandblogger, @abelkinser, @johnhboldt, @elfaulkner, @grantfessler, @brdnrdr, @sedge, @mmasell, and @skrentnyjeff.

Thanks a billion to @williambee @wildlandblogger @wetlandfan @wdvanhem @vvoelker @tsn @trscavo @trh_blue @tom_lazar @thomasfriedrich @tararat @taco2000 @subaya @stephsandwich @spiritconnection @someplant @sedge @rynxs @ryneboi @rnelson15 @rgraveolens @rarecatsnake @rafaelurbinacasanova @rachelperezudell @paulswitzer @partspermillion @oxalismtp @naturalist_zeb @mrostrowski @morelock37 @mmmmbugs @mmasell @mjpapay @missgreen @micahbowman @matthias55 @marltrotter @lilphoebe @lcplinske @lallen @kurt170 @ksandsman @kkucera @kennedy9094 @k2018lena @jonidenker @joedziewa @jillianneece1 @jfgaskin @j_p3 @irenejhf @igor_kuzmin @hmsii @hazelnutman @greensnake879 @grazing @grantfessler @finndalaymo @ewarden @evan8 @else @elfaulkner @dziomber @dennis_nyberg @davidschwaegler @davidenrique @danielpohl @danielatha @d_coulter @crwrcwamt @conboy @choess @chase-prairie @chartreuse @charco_pluff @chanmmm @cellodottone @caryaovata @brothernorbert @breanddave @brdnrdr @bradoberle @batgirl @aphili8 @apgarm @alex_abair @albach @adriansydor @abelkinser who all made more than 50 IDs in May on other people's Illinois plant observations.