Indy Urban Bioblitz: The Results

Did you know that here in our city you can find more than 500 unique species of plants, animals, and insects?  It’s true, cities can be home to surprisingly high levels of diversity and yet few formal species surveys and assessments are done. During the fall of 2016 a group of over 75 scienteists, naturalists, students, and citizen volunteers came together to put on the Indianapolis Urban Bioblitz. A bioblitz is most often described as a 24-hour biological survey to document the flora and fauna present in an area. Those who participated were divided into 14 different classification teams in order to identify the incredible biodiversity here in the city of Indianapolis. In total there were five hundred ninety species documented despite the rainy and cloudy conditions during the 24-hour period.

The Indianapolis urban bioblitz covered around 176 acres and were focused in areas along three of ROW’s waterway focus areas; those being Fall Creek, Pogue’s Run, and Pleasant Run. The areas of focus were largely chosen based on where ROW and partners had done ecological restoration work such as the removal of invasive plants, mainly Amur Honeysuckle, and the planting of native plant species. These waterways were also chosen due to the banks and the area around them serving as prime ecological habitats.

Want to know more? Visit Indiana Academy of Sciences website and read a full report on the 2016 Indy Urban Bioblitz or follow the links below to learn more about the methods used for gathering and identifying different flora and fauna, information on specfic species found in Indianapolis, and more!