Rhode Island’s 9th annual BioBlitz
Organized by RINHS with event partner Roger Williams Park Zoo
and local host The Westerly Land Trust
Grills Preserve, Westerly, RI
3 p.m. Friday, June 6, to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 7
With a total of 1,111 species counted over the 24 hour period by 115 participants, this was a record breaking year! Some especially interesting finds this year include:
- Carex styloflexa (Bent Sedge): A regionally rare plant that has never been observed in RI
- Thalictrum revolutum (Waxyleaf Meadow-rue): Previously listed as state historic, had not been observed in RI since 1921
- Other rare plant finds include: Asclepias tuberosa var. tuberosa (Butterfly-weed), Asclepias amplexicaulis (Clasping Milkweed), Aster macrophyllus (Big-leaved Aster), Rhododenron periclymenoides (Pinxter), Quercus prinoides (Dwarf Chestnut), and Pyrola chlorantha (Pyrola) [all species of concern; click here to see all rare species observed during this Bioblitz]
- Over 133 species of fungi (70 lichens and 63 non-lichenous fungi) and 68 species of mosses and liverworts
- Some birds of note included the Whippoorwill, Red-Shouldered Hawk, and Yellow-billed Cuckoo
- Other listed animals observed were the Black Rat Snake and the Dusted Skipper (both species of concern)
- 64 species of non-native plants and 9 non-native animals were tallied (represent 13% of total plant, and 2% of all animals observed during event; click here to see a list of all non-native species observed)
Data Downloads:
Photos taken during the event
About the Grills Preserve
Owned and stewarded by The Westerly Land Trust since its acquisition in 2003, Grills Preserve is a 482+ acre parcel located south and west of the village of Bradford, RI. and between the Pawcatuck River and the railroad tracks. You’ll find more than 2 1/2 miles of river bank, extensive fresh water wetlands, oxbow ponds and bogs, intermittent streams, upland forest, late successional habitat and a high hill with exposed bedrock, all accessible by easily walked trails.
