aureleah_aurita's Journal

Science Across NC promoted a BioBlitz during City Nature Challenge and it was a great introduction into iNaturalist. I logged so many things I'd never even seen before and it taught me to be more aware of the details in nature around me. There are so many critters everywhere you look if you look closely. I learned what assassin bugs and antlions are! @as_is_the_sea brought me to salt marshes, gardens, and maritime forests and I learned so much about those ecosystems as she taught me how to use iNat. I learned that I find it very difficult to tell plants apart, but maybe one day that will change :)

This is the beginning of my iNat journey and the start of a long-time hobby.

Observations from NC BioBlitz April 29-May 2, 2022.

I've always had some basic familiarity with NC seashells thanks to my local aquarium but I didn't start beach combing until April 2022. When I started, I was excited to learn how to ID moon snails using the umbo. I got bored with all the arks being the most common intact shells, but still haven't tried to learn the difference between transverse, blood, incongruous, ponderous, etc. I hope to soon.
I have yet to find a shark's tooth!

Observations are what I've found on the beach near me

When Science Across NC created Mushroom Quest to encourage mushroom observations from Sept 23-26, I decided it was time to get really into mushrooms, haha! Back in Biology 2, my professor tasked us with going to out to find mushrooms from each of the major groups so I had already had a basic familiarity with them.

Armed with A Field Guide to Mushrooms of the Carolinas by Bessette, Bessette, and Hopping, I started practicing identifying almost every mushroom I come across, even the frustrating brittlegills and those darn blue-staining boletes. One day I'd love to get a microscope with a camera to upload spore pictures... One day.

I've learned there are many puffballs of different shapes and that most white fairy rings I see are poisonous green-spored parasols.

Puffballs were my favorite until I finally found a Lactarius mushroom! I've always loved watching videos of people nicking the gills to see the latex bead up

Observations of fungi I've stumbled across

Edited to add: As I learn, I’m mostly using Michael Kuo’s MushroomExpert website and the book A Field Guide to Mushrooms of the Carolinas by Bessette, Bessette, and Hopping. When I’m referencing information to one of those sources in my own notes of observations I’ll put (Kuo) or (BBH) to indicate where I got the info from