Boston Area City Nature Challenge 2025

The City Nature Challenge is a fun worldwide collaborative bioblitz with cities across the world to observe the most species (April 25 - April 28) and then ID them (April 29 - May 4)! We'll be documenting urban biodiversity within the I-495 corridor, out to Stellwagen Bank, including Cape Cod and islands. It’s simple, it’s fun, and it contributes to scientific data helping to better understand our world and our non-human neighbors!

Here's how to Join the Boston Area City Nature Challenge:

Step 1: Download the iNaturalist app and create an account.
• Download the app (easiest): Android App (Google Play) iOS App (iTunes), or use iNaturalist online.
iNaturalist "Getting Started" Guide

Step 2: Record your observation with a photograph and upload the photo to the app.
• Join the "City Nature Challenge 2025: Boston Area" project.
• Making observations around your house but don't want to share the exact location? Here's how to obscure the public location of your observation.
• Check out the "Boston Area Biodiversity" project for the latest observations, including yours!

Step 3: Confirmation
The iNaturalist community discusses and confirms the identity of the observation and lets you know.

Get Involved

The Boston Area City Nature Challenge is a collaborative project. Learn more about our effort here or email us at cncboston@gmail.com.

Get social with the City Nature Challenge! Facebook |Twitter | Instagram

The City Nature Challenge is being organized on a global scale by the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Banner photo credits: Boston (Pixabay © Species images sources (CC-BY-NC)) | Mining bee © Claire O'Neill | Sessile bellwort and American Oystercatcher © Daniel Onea