Final Species Lists

This is the final update for the Middlefork Savanna BioBlitz 2008.

How is it possible this list is still growing when the "blitz" was in June? For a variety of reasons, not every subject collected during BioBlitz was positively ID-ed on site that day. As those species were determined, they were added to the official tally.

This final update includes 30 aphid species identified by David Voegtlin and Doris Lagos of the Illinois Natural History Survey and two fungal species identified by Patrick Leacock of The Field Museum, Cerrena unicolor and Cordyceps anamorph sp.1. There were also some updates made to other tables. This final report also eliminates duplicates caused by spelling errors. Final, final count: 1,105 species.

• Vertebrates (128 species)
• Invertebrates (512 species)
• Vascular Plants (386 species)
• Non-vascular Plants (79 species)

Many thanks to all who participated.

Official count tops 1,000

Data submitted since the end of the event has brought the species inventory at Middlefork Savanna up to 1,054 species - and still growing.

Data continues to trickle in as participating taxonomists finish sorting and keying things out.

Bird count: 82 species, 1,713 individuals

Final tally just in: 1,713 birds comprising 82 species.

Notables included Wilson's phalarope, king rail, least bittern, bald eagle. Any others? Note in comments, please.

Expecting to top 1000

The last count of the day leaves us at 957 species.

The breakdown at 3:30 was:

• 457 invertebrates
• 127 vertebrates
• 57 non vascular plants
• 208 vascular plants

Here comes the rain. We're packing it in. We are confident after all is said and done, field totals will top 1000 species.

815

Curent count: 815 species.

• Invertebrates: 379
• Vertebrates: 121
• Non Vascular Plants: 57
• Vascular Plants: 258

Surprises logged overnight

9 a.m. We're just about to inch past the 500 mark on the species count, surpassing the previous inventory at this site of 466 species.

The first birding group back this morning reported an interesting find: a rare butterfly. The 2" Silvery Checkerspot will likely be "one of the better butterflies" reported today.

Actual birds of note: a juvenile sandhill crane (an endangered species in Illinois), king rail, and least bittern are happy finds. Two birding groups are just returning with data.

Tiny Insects Rule the Night

11 p.m. The sound of a lone coyote howl breaks the stillness as I walk back to the tally tent for an update. Mental note to make sure Canis latrans is on the list.

The tally tent is mostly quiet, save for a million mosquitoes and, ironically, the insect station. The folks from the Illinois Natural History Survey are busy emptying the evening's take into petri dishes and prepping them for ID.

To tell certain kinds of leafhoppers apart, you need a peek at ... well ... their private parts. That's no simple task when the animal is only 2 mm long. The insect must be soaked overnight in a solution of potassium hydroxide, which turns its exoskeleton transparent. Tomorrow, it'll reveal the full monty under a microscope and be added to the database.

Current species count is 201: 20 invertebrates and one vertebrate added. Many teams have yet to report.

173

At 9 p.m., the species count is 173: 50 invertebrates, 44 vertebrates (including this guy), 22 vascular plants and 57 non-vascular plants. Most field teams were still collecting data, so the numbers should go up much further once they're in and entered in the database. Stay tuned.