Celebration and reflection - results of our awards night

City Nature Challenge six weeks on seems like a distant memory but its worth reflecting back on our efforts and achievements.

This year was the first time we had held an awards night and it was a fantastic night. One of the desired outcomes of our planning this year was to bring our digital community together in real life and this night definitely achieved this.

Award winners
Most observations - Jupal04
Top local identifier - liamcassidy
Most observations by a New iNat user (last 3 months) - Climber73
Most species - Boytouchgrass
Find a pest award -SeamusMoran
Most funky fungi -JennySaito
Bodacious bird observation - NoahFenwick
Most perfect plant find - Mark Nixon
Most inspiring invertebrate find - FrankAshwood
Lincoln vs UC campus competition - Lincoln Uni
Special mention - power couple Maximus-prime and ruralroamer
Special mention influencer - agoranomos
Children’s University (Under 12) - Alex Taylor

As well as the numbers tally, this year's City Nature Challenge told some interesting stories...

Changing environments

The big signal that is clear from this year's data is how nature has been responding to the long hot dry summer we've had. Over 1700 species that we've seen in past CNC events in the city were not found this year. Together they paint the picture of an unusual year for the city's nature. It's been hot and dry. Our fungi show this most clearly. No basket fungus this year, despite being one of our most distinctive fungi, and 32 observations being made by 30 observers in 2023.

New and rare species

Senecio esleri
This is an Australian species well established in northern NZ that was first detected in the South Island in Christchurch in August 2021 (found on iNat NZ). It's still only known from Christchurch in the South Island and Noah's observation during the 2024 CNC is the 6th observation of this species.

Selaginella kraussiana
The CNC 2024 got the 14th observation of this weed fern from Christchurch District, by @seamusmoran on UC's campus.

Isolepis setacea
Bristle-leaf bullrush seen on Mount Herbert by William Reinders. This is only the 19th record on iNat from the whole of NZ of this unusual small wetland naturalised plant.

Aphis lugentis
The American ragwort aphid is now spreading in the city. This Senecio specialist aphid was found for the first time in NZ in April last year, in Auckland and Christchurch (during the Christchurch CNC). Until this year's CNC, it had only been seen in Christchurch by Jon Sullivan and only feeding on the European groundsel Senecio vulgaris and the South African gravel groundsel Senecio skirrhodon. Since the CNC 2024, it's been found by five more observers and is now confirmed to be feeding on the native Senecio quadridentatus. We wait anxiously to see what it will do to our endemic Senecio species on Banks Peninsula and in the Southern Alps.

Periegops suterii
Banks Peninsula's unusual 6-eyed spider, an officially At Risk species, and only observed 11 times previously on iNat NZ, was found by Julia Palmer in Riccarton Bush! There are historical records of it been seen there several decades ago.

Maniho
The spider Maniho was found in the built city, by both Julia Palmer and Frank Ashwood. It's previously only been observed on iNat at McLeans Island and south-eastern Banks Peninsula in the wider Christchurch area.

Salticidae n. sp.
A possible new species of jumping spider, previously only known from a tree fern in the UK was found at University of Canterbury by @frankashwood. This discovery saw Frank go out again with a beating tray looking for more so that we can figure out if this is really the same species.

Emberiza cirlus
Noah Fenwick got the 15th and 16th records on iNat for the Christchurch District of a cirl bunting, a rare relative of the yellowhammer.

See you again next year!

Posted on June 13, 2024 10:42 PM by smankelow