Nice highlight @PLOSBiology of the role and importance of organism identifiers at #iNaturalist. That is, the experts putting in the time to figure out the taxon of the animal in my and your photos.
My huge appreciation to these experts, particularly in #entomology, for they often take the time to educate me and point me to resources for identifying #nativebees #insects #arachnids and more.
The number of observations submitted to the #CitizenScience platform @inaturalist is outpacing the rate at which the organisms can be identified. @...
@PLOSBiology Important counterpoint: #entomology needs funding, like a lot, and by yesterday. see:
@albertcardona John Ascher has been my hero since I started posting on BugGuide, and now iNaturalist. It always feels extra validating to get an identification from him.
@PLOSBiology And notice the call out to the #iNaturalist project "Bees concentrating nectar" and its associated paper by Zach Portman, John Ascher & Daniel Cariveau in 2021, titled "Nectar concentrating behavior by bees (Hymenoptera: Anthophila)" https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13592-021-00895-1
Zach Portman and John Ascher are #entomology experts specialised in #bees who have identified hundreds of #insects among my #iNaturalist observations. Thanks so much!
An example of a #nativebee concentrating nectar: Nomioides minutissimus, a ~3 to 4 mm long solitary bee observed on a beach in Catalonia. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/120366203