I’m looking forward to an exciting month of field excursions, and I hope to see you all out there!
Please be careful to share the link to this page only with field work friends who can be trusted with some of the sensitive locations we’ll be visiting, in order to protect our rare and endemic species!
FYI: the nocturnal bioblitz event Val and I are hosting September 19 is almost sold out, so snag your spots soon! (Our permit is only for 50 people, so registration is required.)
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POTENTIALLY Wednesday, September 9 and maybe Friday the 11 also
- Glowworm and Firefly Survey at Blue Spring
- I don’t expect to see much/any adult firefly activity, but the glowworms (firefly larvae) are very active this time of year.
- Observations will be submitted to the Xerces Society Firefly Atlas and iNaturalist.
- Must be registered as a Florida State Park volunteer: https://volunteers.floridastateparks.org/pages/app/INDIV
- If you’re interested, let me know once you’ve completed your volunteer application so I can add you to the team!
Thursday, September 10 at 7pm
- Glow Getter Firefly Survey at Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge
- Observations will be submitted to the Xerces Society Firefly Atlas and iNaturalist
- Here are the results from August’s survey at this location: https://ecologyellie.com/2026/08/30/august-firefly-survey-at-lake-woodruff-national-wildlife-refuge/ (password: douglas)
- I anticipate still seeing a decent amount of firefly activity this month!
- Registration required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lake-woodruff-firefly-survey-tickets-1999234481151
Friday, September 11 at 4pm
- Swimsuit Science at Blue Spring State Park
- Wildlife observations we make while swimming in the spring run and then walking around the nearby area will be submitted to iNaturalist.
- (Assuming we find a few interesting invertebrates, I’ll be a “Let’s Go Find Some Bugs” video for my instagram, but your participation in the video is optional!)
- RSVP to Ellie by text at 419-733-9982 AND make a reservation so that you are able to enter the park on that day: https://reserve.floridastateparks.org/Web/#!park/9
Thursday, September 17 at 8:30am
- Springs Watch on the Wekiva (departing from Wekiva Island)
- I’m training to be a leader on this project, so let me know if you’d like to be added to the volunteer list.
- On the 3rd Thursday of each month, we spend the morning canoeing to 8 different spots on the Wekiva to gather water quality data.
- Data is submitted to the Florida Springs Institute
- Overview video can be watched here: https://youtu.be/QzVihDdYHqc?is=PLtkvVuYLhACxTmF
Saturday, September 19 at 8pm
- Nocturnal bioblitz at Wilson’s Landing
- My friend Ranger Val and I will be co-hosting this event with several wildlife stations including a moth sheet and a bat detector.
- We’ll be training attendees on how to make and submit quality observations to iNaturalist.
- Registration required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/evening-bioblitz-at-wilsons-landing-tickets-1998794870263
Sunday, September 20 (timing TBD)
- Red Widow Survey and general bioblitz at Ocala National Forest
- Data and observations will be submitted to red widow researchers and iNaturalist.
- I wrote this post and got some comments sharing some great info about red widows and what data to record: https://www.inaturalist.org/journal/ellietheexplorer/135362-red-widow-questions
- Be prepared for backcountry conditions, as this site is off the grid with no restrooms or other amenities. We will meet next to a main road and caravan to the scrub site.
- RSVP to Ellie by text at 419-733-9982
Wednesday or Thursday September 23 or 24 in the evening
- Possible bioblitz at Lake Woodruff—let me know if interested, and I can send you the sign-up link when/if we plan it!
Saturday, September 26
- Full Moon Hike at Blue Spring Park
- I’ll be one of the hike leaders for this fundraising event. You can join my hiking group if you’d like to attend!
- Registration required – Tickets aren’t available yet, but check back on this page soon: https://www.friendsofbluespringstatepark.org/events-1
Other opportunities this month:
- Val is running Wekiva’s Dragonfly Mercury Project. If you’d like to collect dragonfly larvae from the water to test for water quality, let me know so I can give your email to him for this month’s survey(s)!
- Blue Spring is also launching some Florida Scrub Jay projects, including monthly surveys. If you’re interested in participating in that or other volunteer projects, let me know so we can get you registered and signed up!
Notes for October:
- Let me know if there’s a different event or location you’d like to see from me. (I’m considering adding Bumblebee Atlas surveys to the mix. Any interest?)
- If you’d like to be involved in choosing a date for one of the activities, let me know!
- Any thoughts on having a sort of costume party bioblitz near Halloween? Maybe we all dress up as one of our favorite species?
Ecology Ellie 