With large areas of the city protected in reserves, Wellington is known for being rich in biodiversity. But beyond the highly-visible kākā, tuī and pōhutukawa, how well do you know the plants and animals with which we share the city? Wellington recently competed in the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge, an annual competition to see which city can record the most species during a four day period. Science Researcher Lara Shepherd thinks what we found lurking in our backyard might surprise you…
This is the second year Wellington has entered the City Nature Challenge. Given that we recorded 1537 species last year, would there be anything new and exciting left to find this year?

Amazing life forms – from colourful fungi to flamboyant sea slugs










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New records on iNaturalist for Wellington
A number of species were recorded on iNaturalist for the first time in Wellington City during the Challenge. Unsurprisingly most are small animals, fungi or plants that are easily overlooked. Here are some of our new records:









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Interesting finds


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Thank you to everyone who made observations and the experts who identified them. Christchurch had the most observers and observations of the New Zealand cities that participated this year and Wellington recorded the most species.