The fifth Annual BioBlitz will be held at the Ashton Prairie Living Laboratory, 3310 Hawkeye Park Road in Iowa City on Saturday, July 12, from 9 to 11 a.m.

BioBlitz organizers invite people of all ages to help collect, observe, and record the biodiversity (plants, animals, and fungal life) at Ashton Prairie. Last year, Master Gardeners brought along their kids and grandkids to the event.

The findings inform a major research project and will contribute to the fifth data point in a multi-year documentation of how diversity changes at this site over time. The collections, maintained by the UI Museum of Natural History, are accessible for comparative data analysis for generations. 

The activity is free; registration is required.  

Participants can examine insects using professional microscopes, learn how to identify a variety of species using an iNaturalist app and the naked eye, and come to understand how the collections and observations contribute to more research and ecological health.

Contributors will learn from Living Laboratory leaders about their vision for the prairie.

No experience is required, and families are welcome. The activity will take place rain or shine.

The annual event hopes to see new and returning young scientists, who will grow along with the

biodiversity at the prairie in the coming years. More information about the activity will be shared with those who register.

Parking is available in the University of Iowa Hawkeye Commuter Lot (Lot 85 on virtual maps). Follow the signs to the event site.