Help scientists by photographing nature near you for one weekend in April!

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust is inviting people across the county to get ready for the world's largest BioBlitz!

A BioBlitz is a community science event where people work together to identify as many species of plants, animals, and fungi as possible.

The world's largest BioBlitz is called the 'City Nature Challenge.' This year it takes place from Friday 24 to Monday 27 April. Community scientists can take photos on their phone using the free app called iNaturalist. Or they can take photos on a camera and submit their sightings through the iNaturalist website.

Anyone can take part, no matter where you live in the county. Families, dog walkers, runners, gardeners, and students can all be scientists for the weekend. You do not need to be a nature expert or have any special equipment - the app or website will help you identify what you photograph. To take part, people can sign up with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and they will get advice on how to download the app. They will also get free ID sheets and a digital bee poster and recommendations on nature reserves to visit during the event.

The event is hosted locally by Staffordshire Ecological Records, who will use the information from the event to track wildlife in Staffordshire.

Ecological Data Officer, Fern Brown says "By putting on your scientist hat once a year, you can help get a lot of nature information fast, and make a big difference. Last year Staffordshire made more than 12,000 records in four days!

"These records help us learn a lot about how wildlife is doing. It lets us track where species are thriving, or where some wildlife may need help. It can give us clues about seasonal weather patterns in relation to plants. And sometimes we even discover rare bugs that we haven't seen in the county before."

"It's also a lot of fun. You don't need a lot of time, just a casual photo on your daily dog walk helps a lot. Or, if you're looking for an excuse to get outside and explore, you can rise to the challenge and take part each day during the event. There are lots of beautiful places in the county to discover. We hope you'll join us in this fun, but necessary, research for wildlife."

The challenge is free to take part. Visit Staffordshire Wildlife Trust's website to sign up. https://www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/staffordshire-city-nature-challenge-2026

Editor's Notes

Contact: Christine Harding, 07494 852379 or Sarah Davison, mobile 07399 116058 at comms@staffs-wildlife.org.uk

Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, a registered charity, is the leading nature conservation body in Staffordshire. We have protected the wildlife and wild places of Staffordshire since 1969. We carry out conservation projects all over the county to protect and restore our special landscapes and wildlife. Our vision is to create a Staffordshire where nature thrives and inspires.

Working with partners and communities is a key part of our work to improve the wider landscape to make it a better place for wildlife. Bringing people and wildlife together in harmony is critical. We educate people on wildlife and create opportunities for people to get close to nature and feel inspired by their local wild places. Offering volunteering, educational and activities is a big part of our work.

Staffordshire Ecological Records, is the county’s recording office for ecological records. Originally established as the Staffordshire Biological Records Centre in 1974 as a project within the City Museum and Art Gallery, it is now hosted by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust at their office in The Wolseley Centre, near Stafford.
staffs-ecology.org.uk/
info@staffs-ecology.org.uk

The City Nature Challenge, started in 2016 as a competition between Los Angeles and San Francisco, the City Nature Challenge (CNC) has grown into an international event, motivating people around the world to find and document wildlife in their own cities. Run by the Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM), the CNC is an annual four-day global bioblitz at the end of April, where cities are in a collaboration-meets-friendly-competition to see what can be accomplished when we all work toward a common goal.
www.citynaturechallenge.org/