Each year, cities across the globe gear up for the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge – a thrilling four-day race to document the most wildlife observations, uncover the widest array of species, and rally the highest number of participants. It’s a celebration of biodiversity, citizen science, and the unexpected wonders hiding in urban ecosystems. As Wellington marks its fifth year in this competition, Science Researcher Lara Shepherd shines a light on some of the most intriguing discoveries made during the most recent challenge.
This year, over 2,700 species were recorded in the Wellington region from over 18,000 observations. Plants were the most popular subjects, followed by insects. As in other years, kawakawa (Piper excelsum) was our most observed species.
Unsurprisingly, most of the observations were centred in the most populated areas, but the distribution of observations stretched farther across the region compared to last year, hinting at a growing curiosity for exploring nature in all corners.
Notable finds
The two most exciting discoveries in Wellington were a fish and a fungus gnat – with both being the first ever records of these species on iNaturalist! Sophie Mormede recorded the Ocellate Triplefin (Apopterygion oculus) during a dive in Wellington Harbour. This rare fish is only found in Aotearoa and was only described in 1994.
Luca Davenport-Thomas recorded this undescribed fungus gnat (Epidapus sp.) at Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush. Most fungus gnats fly, but this species is completely wingless.
Sea holly (Eryngium vesiculosum) is a threatened plant species in the carrot family. Anita Benbrook recorded a new population of this species on the south coast of Wellington.
This colourful moth, recorded by Christopher Stephens, is the first Green Broom Pug (Pasiphila melochlora) recorded from the southern North Island. This species is only found in Aotearoa, and its larvae are dependent on native broom.
The black fungus Atichia glomerulosa grows on plant leaves. Melanie Newfield’s record is only the fifth iNaturalist record of this species worldwide (and the third from Aotearoa).
No Portuguese millipedes were recorded in Wellington during last year’s City Nature Challenge. However, this year there were 17 observations of this exotic species! Is this a result of recent media attention? Or perhaps it reflects an increase in millipede numbers compared to last year? iNaturalist will be a useful tool for recording the spread of this species in Wellington and beyond.
A flock of turkeys on the loose is not something you see every day in Wellington. Nigel Charman recorded this flock on Happy Valley Road. Perhaps they are a new tool to control the Portuguese millipedes?
Stunning photos from beneath the waves
These are a selection of striking underwater images taken in Wellington during the Challenge.
Beautiful images from the land and sky
These are some of my favourite photos from on land.
Thank you to everyone who made observations and the experts who identified them. Christchurch had the highest number of observations out of the New Zealand cities, Wellington recorded the most species and Wellington and Christchurch were tied for the most observers.
Globally, over 3 million observations were made of over 70,000 species. Most importantly, the number of participants increased globally from 83,000 in 2024 to nearly 100,000 this year. Participation also increased in Wellington with 358 observers this year, up from 285 last year.
