The Natural History Museum is celebrating the first anniversary of its transformed gardens with a free BioBlitz event for nature enthusiasts.
Guests of all ages can take part in the family-friendly BioBlitz event, which takes place on 28 July and is described as a fast-paced wildlife survey – part science, part scavenger hunt.
During the BioBlitz event in the museum‘s Nature Discovery Garden, guests will get to team up and record as many different species as possible in a set time.
Highlights will include pond dipping to discover toads and newts, and field surveys to identify and log the garden’s plants and animals.
Also, guests will be able to survey the garden’s smallest animals with DNA barcodes, with all observations contributing to real scientific research.
For the event, the Nature Activity Centre in the new gardens will be fully equipped with tools such as microscopes and ID guides.
Family-friendly wildlife survey
Jessica Wardlaw, community science programme developer at the Natural History Museum, said the event is “a brilliant way to connect with nature right here in the heart of London, and every observation made on the day will contribute to real scientific research”.
She added, “Activities like this are vital for helping us understand how nature is changing and how we can protect it. Plus, it’s a lot of fun.”
Data collected during the BioBlitz day will be fed into the Natural History Museum’s data platform, built using Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud technologies.
The platform helps the museum’s team of scientists to collect, enrich and share multiple biodiversity data types alongside environmental data from a range of sources.
The Natural History Museum’s new gardens opened last summer.
The institution has transformed five acres of green space around the building in South Kensington into two living galleries – the Nature Discovery Garden and the Evolution Garden.
In more news, schools in England are taking part in biodiversity research through a new education and nature initiative led by the Natural History Museum.
Images courtesy of Natural History Museum
