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Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass
Protecting, Restoring, and Sharing Nature in the Bluegrass

Floracliff Nature Sanctuary is a 346-acre nonprofit nature preserve located in the Kentucky River Palisades region. Our mission is to care for the sanctuary property, ensure its protection as a nature preserve and promote public education of the natural history of the Inner Bluegrass region.

Floracliff is only open for guided hikes and events. We offer a variety of programs, volunteer and research opportunities, and hands-on workshops to interested individuals and groups. Please see our Events page for more details.

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Guided hikes available via scheduled programs or private tours by appointment; Please send messages to info@floracliff.org

A plant, an animal, and a fungus seen at Floraclif

A plant, an animal, and a fungus seen at Floracliff this week:

1). Flower of the eastern prickly pear cactus, Kentucky’s only native cactus. This plant is found on rocky outcrops on Floracliff’s uplands. While a colony of prickly pear can bloom for days or weeks, individual flowers bloom for only one day. Our native bees are often seen visiting the flowers for pollen and nectar.
2). Eastern pondhawk dragonfly: This one was found near one of our upland ponds, which they use to breed. Adults are aggressive hunters of other insects.
3). Pink fringed faery cup: This beautiful fungus is pretty small, so can be easily overlooked. It may be confused with the stalked scarlet cups, but the hairs on this one make it easy to distinguish. It can be found on decaying hardwood twigs and logs.
📷: Beverly James

At first glance, this insect looks like an ichneum

At first glance, this insect looks like an ichneumon wasp. However, it’s Necydalis mellita, a longhorn beetle whose very slender body and short elytra give it a fantastic disguise! This is a great example of Batesian mimicry, where a non-harmful species has evolved to mimic a harmful one, providing protection from predators. This beetle is also a new record for our species list and was the first Kentucky observation of this species on iNaturalist. To date, at least 275 beetles have been documented at Floracliff, thanks to a survey conducted by Paul Baker.
Photo: Beverly James

We’ve been seeing a number of zebra swallowtails

We’ve been seeing a number of zebra swallowtails lately, both adult butterflies and caterpillars. The butterflies are seldom seen far from their hostplant, the pawpaw tree. Pawpaws are found in rich, deciduous forests and bottom lands, but are also planted in urban landscapes. They produce annonaceous acetogens, chemicals that protect the plant from many herbivores. That chemical protection gets passed on to the feeding caterpillar and persists through the swallowtails’ adult phase.
Butterfly photo: Josie Miller:
Caterpillar photos: Beverly James

Two exciting arrivals this week at Floracliff: Bro

Two exciting arrivals this week at Floracliff: Brood X periodical cicadas and monarch butterflies!

📷: Lisa Morris, adult cicadas; Beverly James, cicada cases and monarchs

Today’s the day - Kentucky Gives Day! Donations

This red-spotted glyph moth (Maliattha concinnimac

This red-spotted glyph moth (Maliattha concinnimacula) found at Floracliff by @kentucky_nature_preserves zoologist, Shelby Fulton, was an exciting find during the #citynaturechallenge. It is the first Kentucky observation of a red-spotted glyph on iNaturalist. While there are records of it elsewhere in the state, it is considered uncommon to rare in Kentucky, and the hostplants used by this moth are unknown according to guides. There is still much to learn about this beautiful species!

The grand prize 4-day City Nature Challenge winner

The grand prize 4-day City Nature Challenge winner for Lexington is iNaturalist user kzim, used collectively by the Zimmerman family. The Zimmermans worked together to document wild species throughout Fayette County, making 229 photo observations and documenting at least 111 species. Their favorite finds were the greater bee fly, the juniper apple rust, the rose-breasted grosbeak, and the big-eyed toad bug, all featured here with a few more highlights. Kudos to you, Zimmermans, and THANK YOU for contributing to community science in Lexington!

1. Greater bee fly at Raven Run
2. Juniper apple rust at Raven Run
3. Rose-breasted grosbeak in northeast Fayette County
4. Big-eyed toad bug at Floracliff
5. Wild hyacinth at Raven Run
6. Rainbow darter at Floracliff
7. Tufted globe tail in northeast Fayette County
8. Toad eggs at Floracliff
9. Eastern cottontail at the Arboretum
10. Eastern carpenter bee at the Arboretum

#CityNatureChallenge

One of the 4-day challenges for the City Nature Ch

One of the 4-day challenges for the City Nature Challenge was to find and photo-document or get audio recordings of at least 12 different birds in Fayette County. The winner of this challenge is iNaturalist user wardrransdell. Ward submitted 67 photo observations of birds and documented 42 species during the City Nature Challenge, including migratory songbirds, waterfowl, woodpeckers, and more. Here are a few highlights:

1. Young eastern screech owls at the Arboretum
2. Bobolink at Talon Winery
3. Wood duck at Jacobson Park
4. Green heron at Jacobson Park
5. Baltimore oriole at Jacobson Park
6. Chestnut-sided warbler at a Lexington yard
7. Scarlet tanager at a Lexington yard
8. Pine siskin at Floracliff

Thank you for your participation and contributions to community science, Ward!
#citynaturechallenge

Monday’s daily challenge for the City Nature Cha

Monday’s daily challenge for the City Nature Challenge was to post two fungi species (including lichens). The challenge winner is iNaturalist user betty204, who shared this rough speckled shield lichen. This species is pretty common throughout the region.

The observation period for the City Nature Challen

The observation period for the City Nature Challenge ends at 11:59 PM this evening, and we are impressed with all the observations of wild nature that have come in so far! If you’ve just been exploring, taking photos, and haven’t yet had time to upload your observations, there is still time. You have until May 9th, 11:59 PM to share your Lexington observations on iNaturalist for them to count toward the City Nature Challenge. Final results will be announced by the lead City Nature Challenge organizers on May 10th, and we’ll share them here soon after. THANK YOU to all who have participated in discovering, documenting, and sharing our local biodiversity!
#citynaturechallenge

Sunday’s daily challenge for the City Nature Cha

Sunday’s daily challenge for the City Nature Challenge was to find and document three different birds and two different mosses. The winner of the bird challenge is iNaturalist user sally_horowitz, who captured this American redstart and orchard oriole at Jacobson Park as well as a cedar waxwing in a Lexington yard. The winner of the moss challenge is iNaturalist user lzmorris, who documented this moss that we think is a Grimmia sp. at Raven Run Nature Sanctuary. We will happily take any input from moss experts out there! Thanks for documenting our local biodiversity.

Saturday’s daily challenges for the City Nature

Saturday’s daily challenges for the City Nature Challenge were to find and document 1 reptile and 2 different species of butterflies. The reptile challenge winner is iNaturalist user waywardwes, who found this common five-lined skink at Castlewood Park. The butterfly challenge winner is iNaturalist user naba-centralky, who spotted a red-banded hairstreak and an Eastern tailed blue butterfly at the Arboretum. Nice finds!

Yesterday’s daily challenges for the City Nature

Yesterday’s daily challenges for the City Nature Challenge were to find and document 5 different species of insects and 1 amphibian. The insect challenge winner is iNaturalist user kzim, whose insect observations included this common whitetail dragonfly and flower weevil beetle. Both were found at Raven Run Nature Sanctuary. The amphibian challenge winner is iNaturalist user danpatrick, who found this spring peeper at Floracliff during the nighttime exploration program. Nice work!
#citynaturechallenge

Luna moths and a small-eyed sphinx moth were highl

Luna moths and a small-eyed sphinx moth were highlights of tonight’s nighttime exploration program for the City Nature Challenge.
#citynaturechallenge

The City Nature Challenge begins at midnight! We h

The City Nature Challenge begins at midnight! We hope you’ll join us for this 4-day global community science event. Lexington is participating with hundreds of cities around the world to document biodiversity in and around urban areas using iNaturalist.

Knowing what species are in our city and where they are helps us study and protect them, but the only way to do that is by all of us – scientists, land managers, and the community – working together to find and document the nature in our area. By participating in the City Nature Challenge, not only do you learn more about your local nature, but you can also make your city a better place – for you and other species!

The City Nature Challenge encourages observations (photos or audio recordings) of wild nature rather than cultivated nature. Planted trees and flowers are not considered wild, but the birds, insects, lichens, and fungi attracted to them are wild. Self-seeding plants are also considered wild. Have fun exploring! Here are a few wild species we have seen this the past week in Fayette county. You might see them, too:

1). Juniper hairstreak
2). Eastern bluebirds
3). Eastern milksnake
4). Brown-belted bumble bee on purple phacelia
5). Pepper and salt skipper, a new butterfly for Floracliff’s species list
6). Common five-lined skink
7). Dryad’s saddle
8). Pawpaw flowers
9). Orange wing moth
10). Mining bee (wild) on black chokeberry (cultivated)

Photos: 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10 by Beverly James: 2 by Ward Ransdell; 5 by Dan Patrick; 6 by Josie Miller; 9 by Leslie Patrick

Reposted to correct a date. For the upcoming Cit

Reposted to correct a date.

For the upcoming City Nature Challenge, which starts Friday, we have created daily and 4-day challenges for finding and documenting a variety of wild species. Each participant who meets a challenge will be entered into a raffle to win a prize. Thanks to Wild Birds Unlimited and Wild Ones - Lexington for contributing prizes!

To learn more about the City Nature Challenge, visit floracliff.org
#citynaturechallenge

Some recent highlights from the trail cameras post

Some recent highlights from the trail cameras posted at aquatic habitats:

1) green heron
2) American mink, a new species for the trail cameras (thanks to Dr. Luke Dodd, EKU, for the ID!)
3) wild turkeys
4) Opossum
5) blue jay
6) raccoon

Floracliff’s forest floor has been putting on qu

Floracliff’s forest floor has been putting on quite a display for this past week’s guided hikes. Pictured here:

1) Twinleaf and mayapple foliage
2) Wood poppies and bishop’s cap
3) a view of the diversity
4) Wood poppy and bent trillium
5) view of the Clara Wieland Wildflower Trail
6) large-flowered bellwort with wild blue phlox, Jacob’s ladder and false rue anemone
7) Sessile trillium
8) Jacob’s ladder and false rue anemone

Today’s wildflower hike featured at least three

Today’s wildflower hike featured at least three different colors of nodding trillium, also known as bent trillium (Trillium flexipes)

Take the City Nature Challenge! Floracliff is exci

Take the City Nature Challenge! Floracliff is excited to bring this community science event to Lexington. We'll be joining hundreds of cities around the world for this global collaboration and friendly competition to document urban biodiversity from April 30th to May 3rd. Anyone can participate by using iNaturalist to share observations of wild nature throughout Fayette County.

More information, including resources for educators: floracliff.org

#citynaturechallenge

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