Share

4 people facing the camera with binoculars, all wearing different coloured anoraks.

Credit: John MacPherson/2020VISION

Staffordshire City Nature Challenge

Join us for the world's largest bioblitz!

The City Nature Challenge is an annual global event to see how many wild species people can spot over four days.

From 24–27 April 2026, every wildlife sighting you record in the free iNaturalist app helps build vital ecological data that supports conservation in Staffordshire and beyond.

A young child wearing a blue coat and holding a stick, with another child in a pink dress wearing a denim jacket standing behind them.

Credit: Tom Marshall

How to take part

  1. Download the free iNaturalist app to your phone.
    Use the links below to download the app.
     
  2. Record as many species as you can in Staffordshire between 24-27 April.
    Simply take a photo of a wild plant or animal, and iNaturalist will help you to identify it.
     
  3. Once the challenge is over, experts will help identify sightings to be made into records.
    If you’re a confident nature enthusiast, you can help identify species in the app!
     
  4. Results of the challenge will be announced on 13 May.
    Last year, we made over 12,000 observations - can you help us beat that this year?

Download iNaturalist for Android 

Download iNaturalist for Apple iPhone

A heron, which is a bird with long legs, an orange beak and a grey body, in the foreground. Behind, there is a woman reading on a bench. With a group of 3 people walking in the distance.

Credit: Terry Whittaker/2020VISION

What is the City Nature Challenge?

City Nature Challenge takes place every year all over the world to see how many wild species people can spot over the space of four days. This year, it takes place between 24-27 April.

The results will announced on 13 May. The records are collated in the iNaturalist Recording System and the leader board is updated in real time!

How does it benefit Staffordshire's wildlife?

As well as an activity that gets us out seeing the wonderful wildlife in our towns, cities, and countryside, it also provides organisations like Staffordshire Wildlife Trust vital information that can help protect wildlife across the county. Species observations generated during the City Nature Challenge will help us map changes in the distribution and population of our wildlife.

Who can join in and what wildlife can I record?

You don't need to be a wildlife expert or professional birdwatcher. Anybody can take part! No specialist equipment is needed, you just need to be able to download the iNaturalist app onto your phone. You can record any wild animals or plants you encounter - trees, fungi, and flowers all count!

The white flowers of blackthorn blossom

Blackthorn © Chris Lawrence

Our participation is supported by our colleagues at Staffordshire Ecological Records (SER).

The City Nature Challenge is coordinated globally by Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

If you have any questions about the Staffordshire Nature Challenge, please drop an email to the team: 
info@staffs-ecology.org.uk