Ready to start seeing the natural world in a whole new way? During this cafe you’ll learn how to up your skills as a naturalist and community scientist by developing a keener eye for spotting the unusual, the tiny, and the unexpected in the urban environment. Learn how to use iNaturalist – a widely used app and website that allows anyone to document the living world around them – to not just help you identify new discoveries, but to make meaningful observations of the incredible diversity of plants, animals and fungi in a way that contributes to science. In preparation for the Chicagoland City Nature Challenge, local researchers and iNaturalist super observers from the Field Museum and University of Chicago will offer tips for finding more species, recognizing overlooked organisms, and documenting observations in ways that can help others identify them.   

Presenters:

Will Yaegar, University of Chicago 

Jing-Yi Lu, Field Museum