iNaturalist

An oblong fish with rusty red-colored spots pokes its head out of a rocky crevice.

An oblong fish with rusty red-colored spots pokes its head out of a rocky crevice.

Caneva's Blenny (Microlipophrys canevae) can grow to be about 7.5 centimeters (~3 inches). They're also pretty much always like: 👁️👄👁️

📷 cccrll on iNaturalist
📍 Italy
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A black, white, and red patterned chameleon perches on a branch and reaches out its little front legs.

Chameleons = never not iconic. Here's one endemic to Madagascar: the Carpet Chameleon (Furcifer lateralis).

📷 hsde66 on iNaturalist
📍 Madagascar
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

The flower has three bright orange petals.

First described in 1923, these photos might just be the only ones of a living plant of the species.

Paul's hand sits behind the bright orange flower to help the camera focus.

The flower has three bright orange petals.

This outrageously orange Mastigostyla macbridei — spotted at 3000m elevation — represents just the third record of the species in 95 years!

📷 paul-gonzales on iNaturalist
📍 Peru
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

You're looking at a species of flatheaded mayfly, the Orange Cahill (Stenacron interpunctatum), sitting on a porch window. Who says insects can't be photogenic?

📷 beth_magda on iNaturalist
📍 Canada
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

Check out our new paper exploring the incredible uses of @inaturalist.bsky.social data in biodiversity research!

Anyone around the world can contribute directly to science — and every iNaturalist observation you share helps build a global dataset that would be impossible to create through traditional scientific fieldwork alone.

➡️ FINDING NEW SPECIES: People have shared images on iNaturalist that have led to formal descriptions of new-to-science plants, sea slugs, insects, and more!

➡️ UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE: iNaturalist data contributes to studies examining how climate change affects a wide variety of organisms, whether that’s looking at habitat suitability, organisms’ range shifts, or other environmental impacts.

➡️ STUDYING BEHAVIOR & BIOLOGY: Many studies use iNaturalist data to document everything from habitat preference to color variation to plant-pollinator interactions to breeding behavior.

➡️ MAPPING NATURE: Community observations on iNaturalist help scientists track where species occur, document range expansions, identify nonnative species in new regions, and create regional species checklists.

This new paper documents a tenfold increase in research papers using community-collected iNaturalist data over just five years: tr.ee/89Ot3I

According to the study, here are four key ways that iNaturalist data directly powers science 🧵⤵️

Sunbirds have thin, curved bills and tubular tongues to help them feed on nectar. The species pictured here — a Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica) — is native to and only found in India!

📷 sunnyjosef on iNaturalist
📍 India
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

Close-up photograph of an earpick fungus. The small mushroom has a dark brown, round cap covered with fine bristly hairs. It grows on a thin, hairy stem. Underneath the cap are tiny tooth-like spines.

Several earpick fungus mushrooms. Each has a dark brown, round cap covered with fine bristly hairs that grow on a thin, hairy stem. Underneath the caps are tiny tooth-like spines.

Several earpick fungus mushrooms. Each has a dark brown, round cap covered with fine bristly hairs that grow on a thin, hairy stem. Underneath the caps are tiny tooth-like spines.

Earpick fungus next to a camera that displays a close-up of the underside of a cap. The mushrooms are very small in comparison to the handheld camera.

Consider this otherworldly fungus as your sign to look closer at leaf litter! Earpick Fungus (Auriscalpium vulgare) grows on the fallen leaves, needles, cones, and bark from conifers.

📷 grace_stark on iNaturalist
📍 United States
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A small yellowish-brown frog perches on a leaf.

A small yellowish-brown frog perches on a leaf.

Until the photos here were shared, the only iNaturalist records of this frog (Litoria corbeni) were audio recordings! You never know what you might find out there. 👀

📷 florent_pouzet on iNaturalist
📍 Australia
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

Comic. The Most-Observed Animal and Plant in Each State on iNaturalist. (Not the most common species in the state, just the one people have reported the most times.) [labeled map of the US] WA: Mallard/Western Sword Fern. OR: Mule Deer/Western Ponderosa Pine. CA: Western Fence Lizard/California Poppy. HI: Green Sea Turtle/‘Ōhi’a Lehua. ID: Mallard/Big Sagebrush. NV: Common Side-Blotched Lizard/Creosote Bush. MT: White-Tailed Deer/Common Yarrow. WY: American Bison/Sticky Geranium. UT: Mule Deer/Utah Juniper. AZ: Ornate Tree Lizard/Saguaro. CO: Mule Deer/Great Mullein. NM: Mule Deer/Creosote Bush. AK: Moose/Fireweed. ND: American Bison/Prairie Rose. SD: American Bison/Hoary Vervain. NE: American Robin/Common Milkweed. KS: Ornate Box Turtle/Amur Honeysuckle. OK: Pond Slider/Eastern Redcedar. TX: Northern Cardinal/Pinladies. MN, WI, IL: Common Eastern Bumble Bee/Common Milkweed. IA, MI: White-Tailed Deer/Common Milkweed. MO: Brown-Belted Bumble Bee/Amur Honeysuckle. AR: Three-toed Box Turtle/Chinese Privet. LA: Green Anole/Baldcypress. IN: American Robin/Amur Honeysuckle. OH: Eastern Pondhawk/Virginia Springbeauty. KY: Common Box Turtle/Amur Honeysuckle. TN: American Robin/Christmas Fern. MS: Northern Cardinal/Pale Pitcher Plant. AL: Gulf Fritillary/American Sweetgum. GA: Green Anole/American Sweetgum. FL: Brown Anole/White Beggarticks. NY: Eastern Gray Squirrel/White Snakeroot. PA: White-Tailed Deer/Garlic Mustard. WV: White-Tailed Deer/Great Rhododendron. VA: White-Tailed Deer/Eastern Poison Ivy. MD: White-Tailed Deer/Wineberry. DE: Fowler’s Toad/American Pokeweed. NC: Eastern Gray Squirrel/Christmas Fern. SC: Northern Cardinal/American Sweetgum. NJ: Spotted Lanternfly/Common Mugwort. VT: Common Eastern Bumble Bee/Eastern White Pine. NH: White-Tailed Deer/Eastern White Pine. MA: Common Eastern Bumble Bee/Eastern White Pine. CT: Common Eastern Bumble Bee/Striped Wintergreen. RI: American Herring Gull. ME: American Herring Gull/Canadian Bunchberry.

iNaturalist Animals and Plants

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A southern elephant seal scrunches up into a banana-like posture with its face and tail.

Two elephant seals doze on the sand.

Southern Elephant Seals (Mirounga leonina) are always a mood.

📷 oscarkokako on iNaturalist
📍 New Zealand
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

National Moth Week Exploring Nighttime Nature

🌙 #NationalMothWeek 2025 is July 19–27!

Learn more and find an event near you: tr.ee/X83tlb

📷 Sumac Micromoth (Holcocera chalcofrontella) by matthewgage on iNaturalist

📷 Painted Tiger Moth (Arachnis picta) by flea on iNaturalist

📷 Ridings' Fairy Moth (Adela ridingsella) by becksinsects on iNaturalist

📷 Poplar Micromoth (Semioscopis inornata) by marc_belisle_usherbrooke on iNaturalist

📷 Spanish Moon Moth (Graellsia isabellae) by dreamtime-nature-photography on iNaturalist

📷 Diva Hemerophila (Hemerophila diva) by chris_rorabaugh on iNaturalist

We’re about halfway through #NationalMothWeek, and people all around the world are sharing their moth photos on iNaturalist! What about you? 👀

To celebrate, here are seven very good moths. ⤵️

📷 Three-striped Longhorn (Adela trigrapha) by lyndas on iNaturalist

Thanks to iNat community member yayemaster for sending this observation our way!

A close-up of a fern with ridged leaves.

Right now, you're looking at the first known iNaturalist observation of the fern family Cystodiaceae! This species' scientific name is Cystodium sorbifolium.

📷 msundue on iNaturalist
📍 Malaysia
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A moth with triangular-shaped, iridescent wings with white spots perches on a rock.

A moth with triangular-shaped, iridescent wings with white spots perches on a rock.

Meet the first iNaturalist record of a Karoo Maiden (Amata karroana), a species of moth!

📷 col_karoo on iNaturalist
📍 South Africa
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay #Mothing @mothweek

The longer you look at moss, the more incredible it gets. Here's a closer look at Slender Cruet-moss (Tetraplodon mnioides).

📷 marceau_c on iNaturalist
📍 Austria
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay

A sea slug with a translucent body and bright blue cerata crawls along a patch of algae.

This Crowned Aeolis (Facelina auriculata) photo is special for more than just its striking blue colors — it's also among the first iNaturalist observations of the species in Canada.

📷 hunterefs on iNaturalist
📍 Canada
🔗: www.inaturalist.org/observations...
#ObservationOfTheDay