Not 'just' a fern

 The annual Bioblitz on iNaturalist took place this past weekend - from Friday to Monday. The objective of the Bioblitz is for observers to log their observations of fauna and flora of their region to contribute to the database of diversity for the area.

I'm part of the Great Southern Bioblitz - Garden Route region. On Saturday, my mom and I did a little walk - maybe 300m down and then back up, scoring 24 observations of different plants (a drop inthe ocean compared to the high scorers).

This time last year, I saw my first wild orchids along the trail that I chose to visit to capture some Bioblitz observations. I was really hoping to spot more. I got lucky finding two - a Satyre (with flowers) and a Disa (flower buds).

My big score was actually in the fern department.

I've never been big on ferns. Sure, they are green, leafy and pretty, but I've never really paid them much attention. 

The little that I remember about ferns from school is that they are ancient with evidence of ferns in the fossil records going back millions of years before the dinosaurs, and that they have spores, not seeds, underneath the leaves.

A quick search reminded me of the weird lifecycle of ferns, another interesting characteristic of these plants. No other plant has two separate living structures in their lifecycle.

Not knowing much about types of ferns, my identification skills are somewhat limited to the domestic sword fern, maiden-hair fern and tree fern. And then there is the common bracken, a type of fern, that grows all over the place. I tend to ignore ferns, not bothering much to photograph them for iNaturalist.

My mom saw 'our' one and exclaimed, "A tree fern," encouraging me to take photos of it. I did.

I didn't really plan to log the observation. Afterall, it was 'just' a tree fern type fern. On Wednesday night, wanting to contribute more to the Bioblitz, I decided to log it.

I logged it as Class Polypodiopsida, which is the 'Fern' class. I then scrolled through dozens of photos of types of ferns, settling on the Knysna Wood Fern as the closest candidate. There were only a few photos from one observation. In South Africa. I made a note about the almost rectangular-shaped pinnules and that Amauropelta knysnaensis - Knysna Wood Fern looked like the closest option. 

I went to bed.

The next day, I had a response from an identifier who knows his ferns. His response said simply, "It is!".

This 'just a fern' log is now the second observation logged for this species not just for the Garden Route, not just for South Africa, not just for Africa, but for The World!

Base of the Knysna Wood Fern

Uncurling frond of the Knysna Wood Fern

This is it, the Knysna Wood Fern

Frond of the Knysna Wood Fern

Close-up of the pinnules of the Knysna Wood Fern

Back of the pinnules of the Knysna Wood Fern.

This is the real purpose of iNaturalist.

Sure, there are more of these fern individuals that exist, but they haven't been logged. The purpose of observations is to collect data on species, distribution, seasonality, flowering, fruiting, and frequency. The more citizen scientist observers you have out there, collecting the data, the better the boxes will be ticked.

There will be biases because observers are selective in what they want to photograph and log. A non-descript, small green hard-to-identify plant will be overlooked in favour of a flowering plant; and then you get people like me who mostly ignore the plants in favour of fungi. Having more people, each with different preferences, I like to think that so much more will be covered.

I didn't do much for this Bioblitz - a short outing with my mom; but I'm glad I did something. Only one other guy when out to the same area (another trail nearby) and I saw a lot more than I photographed. 

With this fern as a notch in my observation belt, when I took the dogs out on Thursday evening I decided to pick fronds from any of the ferns that I encountered to be able to closely compare them. I was astounded by the diversity.

Within about 300m, next to trails that I regularly take, I found these (and a few more):

Each one different - and there were more. Note the sori (clusters of reproductive structures) on some of the pinna and pinnules. Just fabulous. 

I must have about 12 or 13 different ferns that I brought home and photographed. I haven't tried to identify them yet but I certainly do have a whole new appreciation for ferns.

Big fungi find today and City Nature Challenge 2022

It has been slow on the fungi-finding front these past few months with occasional sightings of interesting things - above the normal split gills, cinnabar brackets and the like, which are present year-round.

Today, I scored.

We did a Vagabond social outpaddle this morning on the Touws River in Wilderness. The top end of the river connects with the Half-Collared Kingfisher Trail, which I've done twice. Near the kayak stop, I remembered seeing jelly fungi in the area, so I went to take a look.

OMG! So many wood ear fungus. An explosion. Magnificent. In the same spot there were a number of other fungi, most of which I knew or recognised.

Then, this evening I took the dogs out. The overcast morning had turned into a magnificent afternoon - cool and clear. We took a trail up through the forest and all along this one I found hundreds of fungi. I have never before seen so many individuals. The abundance was incredible. They looked to mostly be pine ring (Lactarius deliciosa), which is edible. I'm not 100% sure of the identification but it is the most likely. 

Further up I found one of my favourites - sticky bun (I love the dough-like texture of the cap) and then more and more others. The poor dogs had to be patient.

The annual City Nature Challenge 2022 on iNaturalist comes up from 29 April to 2 May and marks one year since I discovered iNaturalist and almost a year since I discovered the world of fungi, which are abundant here on my doorstep in the forests around George. I've learned an incredible amount this past year and I know that I've barely covered an ice crystal in an iceberg of what there is still to learn. 

For the City Nature Challenge, I'll log observations of items other than fungi and aim to expand my species count and my general knowledge of what is out here. I'll be aiming to find items that I've never seen before so that I have fresh species identifications on my iNaturalist log.

The iNaturalist app is great for quickly uploading from your phone. I like to use the browser version on my laptop when I'm searching to identifications.

The City Natural Challenge is a global initiative. There are many regions in Southern Africa that participate so become a citizen scientist and hop on board.

Of course, observations can be logged throughout the year, and not just in this one week. But take care... It is addictive (in a good way, of course).

Great Southern Bioblitz 2021 - Garden Route

I went tramping around the trails above George to observe and log flowers and fungi for the Great Southern Bioblitz Challenge 2021 - Garden Route.

While I appreciate the flowering plants, I do not usually photograph them as I prefer to keep my focus on fungi. In 2.5hrs I captured 85 items (only 3 of them the same in different areas), which took me a few hours to log. My total had been on about 115 observations over the six months that I've been on iNaturalist (an item or two every few days), so Sunday's sightings bumped my total considerably.

On Monday evening, I bagged another bunch of observations on a dog walk to land a tally of 104 observations contributed to the challenge. I've got a number of observations that still need clarity on Genus and species identification or confirmation. I have also delighted in actually being able to help other people confirm their identifications or to suggest an identification. I'm learning.

Thank goodness for the feature recognition and classification suggestions of iNaturalist.org - I would not otherwise have a clue what to name many of the flowers or where to classify them.
The Bioblitz window was only open for four days. There is a time limit (maybe 10 days) for people to log and label their observations and then the results from the participating regions will be out.

Here are some of my observations for the challenge:

I love fungi

 I've got the bug. Bad. Like real bad. Like I can't stop thinking about fungi.

Of course, they have always been around - something you see especially on forested trails. Mushrooms and lichens. I was always charmed by the mushroom 'bumps' under the pine needles in the Lakenvlei forests where I hosted my Forest Run event. I wasn't hugely moved by mushrooms. They were just interesting and fun to uncover on my visits there.

Then, in early April I saw my first stinkhorn fungus. And then another. I keep an eye out for them. 

At the beginning of May I discovered iNaturalist. I'd seen a poster about a City Nature Challenge and decided to participate, especially as I'd jumped back into doing some repeat photography. 

And then, just like that, a switch was flipped. iNaturalist appeals to me on many levels. 

• I enjoy volunteering, assisting and contributing. 
• I am community orientated. 
• I have a background in science and research. 
• Citizen science appeals to me.

I also identify with the incredible functionality of this platform. Anyone can observe, photograph and record sightings of fauna and flora, generating a massive database of information on diversity, distribution, seasonality and frequency. Researchers can pull from this data for their studies. There is no way that they would be able to generate the data on their own.

The iNaturalist software has this great feature where it suggests possibilities for the identification of your sighting when you upload a photo - much like facial recognition. It is brilliant. 

After discovering iNaturalist.org, I logged a few observations - like the two chameleons that I saw and photographed. And then a couple of flowers and an agama that I saw while away near De Rust. 

This whole time, I'm thinking about iNaturalist and the overwhelming number of things that I could log. Birds, trees, flowers, insects... A person could turn themselves inside out. I knew that I would need to pick something to focus on. But what?

I'm no good at birds - you need to sit around to photograph them. That doesn't work for me. When I'm out, I'm walking or running or paddling. 

The Proteas and Ericas and other fynbos are abundant with incredible diversity. I enjoy seeing them and sometimes stop to look closer at a flower. They're interesting but that's it. 

Insects too require more focus to find.

Fungi, on the other hand, they are just there. Everywhere it seems.

After getting back from De Rust, I began noticing more different fungi. Was it that I was being more observant or are there really more around? It seems the latter is probably the case.  I've just taken a look on iNaturalist at the seasonality of a number of different types of fungi in South Africa and it seems like April and May are high points. I also spend time in environments that are ideal for fungi.

I really, really, really like fungi. Not so much the regular mushroom type of fungi, but the other stuff like jelly fungi, slime molds, anything with nice colours and, of course, stinkhorns.

Some of my recent fungal finds.

Diversity is huge. Fungi offer a huge range in colour, size and shape and yet their classing is pretty good so that you can narrow in for identification. And I see them everyday.

I've been photographing them and logging my observations on iNaturalist. Yesterday I went out with the dogs and I didn't plan on photographing anything - but I couldn't resist and so got home with four observations to log - three of them new-to-me species.

The other night I took advantage of a book sale on Takelot so I ordered my first book on fungi. It arrived today. "Field Guide to Mushrooms & other Fungi of South Africa" by Gary B Goldman & Marieka Gryzenhout. It is magical.

What I have discovered is that this isn't just about photographing and logging as many as I can. I am a bit attached to a bunch of 'my' fungi. Most are on trails that I regularly roam so I like to visit them regularly. This is perhaps a bit of where my repeat-photography interest comes in because I like to re-photograph the fungi to see how much they grow and change over time. The slime molds are proving especially interesting (3 sites now).

I also have my first 'pet' fungus - and it is the reason that I'm awake at 02h15. I'm not working. I'm writing this blog and watching my new pet. I'll reveal more about it tomorrow.

Fungi. Who would have guessed! I have a lot to learn but with my new book, iNaturalist, people in this community and the power of the internet, I'll be on a steep learning curve over the coming months.

A few days in the Swartberg

Last week, I enjoyed an unexpected but much-needed break with four-nights away in the Swartberg Mountains near De Rust. Located 90-minutes from George, it is a pleasant and easy drive.

Tied to work, my computer and responsibilities, I had no plans for a break - certainly not for another few months. I've really been feeling the weight of the last nine months.

Celliers took a few days off during the school holidays to go camping. He returned a bit refreshed and, knowing that I wouldn't take a break myself, he presented me with the booking and instructions to "pack a bag, you and your dog are going to go tomorrow". He and Magda, his right-hand at the factory, selected a venue and sealed the booking. I was also instructed to leave my laptop behind. I did take it but used it for map drawing and photos, not work.

Of course, I had plans to catch up on reports (that urgently need to be written but I don't get chunks of hours - and too many other things that need to get done - to focus and nail them), emails to send, replies to type... I did as instructed. 

I got a bit bogged down in the morning but left George around noon after answering phones and emails and getting to the shops to get some food for the self-catering place.

The drive out was very pleasant. Rusty is a great car traveller too. I listened to an audiobook and made it through to the Meiring's Rust farm - a few kilometres past the village of De Rust at the entrance to the Meiringspoort pass. 

Celliers and Magda chose well -  a perfect location for me. This place has lots of hiking routes and sits in the Swartberg mountains. It also has no mobile reception or wifi. Exactly what I needed. While I'm quite happy to turn off, having no other option is even better.

The last thing I did before leaving last Thursday was to print off some Google Earth views as maps so that I could explore the area. I don't like aimlessly wandering around.

Shortly after we arrived, Rusts and I went out walking to take our first look at the surrounds. Spectacular! 

On the Friday we did a nice long hike, discovered a flowing stream with crystal-clear water (good drinking and dog cooling). Saturday was rainy all morning so we played with rePhotos and when went out for a muddy exploratory hike in the afternoon. Sunday we went hiking at 7am with a retired guy from De Rust on a route off the maps that I'd printed and also with a section with no paths. We got back at 3pm. It was awesome. On Monday we had an easy morning and then packed to return home, bumping into adventure racing friends Heidi and Stephan in De Rust.

I got some great photos for iNaturalist.org observations - some proteas, succulents and an agama (like a lizard).

The time away was good. I don't know that I'm coping any better with day-to-day stresses and everything that I haven't done is still waiting to be done. But getting away was good for me and spending time with Rusty and being out hiking was brilliant.

Here are a couple of photos from these days away.

First afternoon out. Map, compass, kilometres and kilometres to play in and my dog. All good.

Not tame eland, but not skittish either. They hang with the cattle.

Rusty indulges me.

Big open sky - looking kinda Oudtshoorn direction. The big mountains are behind me.

Trying to take a selfie with Rusty...

 

Looking into Meiringspoort.

We're in the Swartberg mountains - but not on top.

Interesting rock.

Crystal clear.

A pretty, flowing stream.

Southern Rock Agama (Agama atra)

Common Sugarbush (Protea repens) flowers in bloom up in the mountains.

Snake ragwort (Curio repens) -  an unfamiliar succulent growing between rocks up high.

Western Sunbush - Leucadendron sessile (Protea family)

Tired dog.

Celliers, thank you for making me take this break.

Discovering iNaturalist

I recently learned about a City Nature Challenge from a poster stuck up on a window at my local shops. 

The challenge involves photographing any plants, insects, animals, reptiles, fish, fungi over a four or five+day period. You then upload your photo and observations (what, where etc) to Nat Geo's iNaturalist website (www.inaturalist.org). 

This platform exists all the time, not just these few days, and it is global. 

Time-limited challenges are created to get people out to take photos and record observations. For this local, time-limited challenge, observations can be tagged to this specific Garden Route project.

I had not looked at the site until last night. There I discovered an incredible world. I've been looking for interesting things instead of everything-things and on this site everything counts.

I did submit two observations last night - a beautiful mountain tortoise that I saw yesterday afternoon and also a striking pocket of furry, orange Common Lionspaw (Leonotis leonurus) flowers in an area with more black wattle and bracken than anything else.

I had planned to put in some time on the trails this afternoon, now that I understand better how this all works, but ended up leaving for Swellendam for an early morning meeting. While I will miss out on contributing more sightings and identifications to this specific challenge, I can add my contributions throughout the year.

This platform is a phenomenal database for studying distribution, variations, numbers and diversity - all made possible by citizen scientist contributions. 

Amazing.