During a BioBlitz event we find and identify as many species as possible in a specific area over a short period. Scientists and volunteers survey to get a snapshot of an area’s biodiversity. Biodiversity refers to all the variety of life. The more variety the better the diversity.
Scientists identify and count as many species as possible in a 24-hour period. The biological survey identifies the many species that live in Busey Woods. A Busey Woods BioBlitz occurred twice: June 24-25, 2005 and September 27-28, 2019.
- 2005: 1,326 species. Nearly 1,000 species were unique to the 2005 June survey. The plant hopper, Pissonotus aphididioides Van Duzee [photo #1] was a new addition to the state species list.
- 2019: 884 species. Nearly 650 were unique to the 2019 September survey. Two species of small minnow mayflies, Apobaetis Etowah and Procloeon viridoculare, [photo #2] were new species for Illinois.
- 328 species were found during both 2005 and 2019.
Busey Woods BioBlitzes Species Count
| |
2005 |
2019 |
| Invertebrates (not insects) |
127 |
68 |
| Insects |
611 |
321 |
| Plants |
415 |
327 |
| Fungi |
62 |
63 |
| Birds |
56 |
71 |
| Fish |
30 |
16 |
| Mammals |
13 |
13 |
| Amphibians |
2 |
3 |
| Reptiles |
0 |
2 |
| Total: |
1316 |
884 |
(Left to Right) Photos by: John Schneider, CDFW, and Jason Neuswanger
Using iNaturalist
Smartphone technologies and apps such as iNaturalist make collecting photographs and biological information about living things easy to use in a BioBlitz. High quality data uploaded to iNaturalist become part of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, a database used by scientists.
iNaturalist Video Tutorial
Busey Woods: Quick Forest Facts
Busey Woods is a 59-acre remnant of Big Grove, a large woodland area that grew along the drainage of the Saline Branch and the Salt Fork of the Vermilion River. This grove, an island of trees in the midst of a prairie sea, once extended from Urbana to Rantoul and from the Saline Branch to the Salt Fork. It was originally an area comprising 10 square miles of trees surrounded by wet tall grass prairie growing on soils of glacial origin. Busey Woods and a section of the district's Weaver Park are the only surviving parcels of the Big Grove that are open to the public.
Staff at the Anita Purves Nature Center use Busey Woods for a number of programs that meet the environmental educational goals established by the Illinois State Board of Education. In addition, 20,000 visitors use the woods on self-guided tours annually. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources recognizes Busey Woods as a Watchable Wildlife Site.