BioBlitz Santa Barbara
Presented by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
and the Claire Bell Fund
Have you ever wondered how many different kinds of organisms live in your back yard, on the street in front of your apartment, or in that empty lot down the block? Probably a lot more than you might imagine. Take a moment and look closely at the world around you. How many different kinds of plants do you see? Some might look similar but if you look closely you will see the differences — not all grasses are the same. Turn over a large rock and look for the variety of organisms that like that dark place. Look in a leaf pile for more. Listen quietly to the different bird songs. In short order, you might surprise yourself at the variety of organisms you find.
BioBlitz Santa Barbara was a special opportunity to see and count the astounding biological diversity that surrounds us. During a 24 hour period on May 11–12 we brought together field biologists from a wide range of disciplines to count as many species as possible in a natural area along Mission Creek. At the end of that 24 hour period we had collected 941 taxa of organisms in our 18 acre study area — the most detailed picture of the spring flora and fauna of a region of California that has ever been made. Learn more.
- When: 3:00 pm May 11 – 3:00 pm May 12, 2007
- Where: Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Mission Creek and oak woodland corridor
