Residents are encouraged to participate in the lockdown version of the City Nature Challenge which will run from Friday April 24 until Monday April 27.Â
To take part, participants simply have to upload their findings on the iNaturalist app.Â
As part of the challenge, residents have to discover insects, plants, reptiles, and animals at their residences, be it in a flat, or a garden.
The City Nature Challenge will not be a competition this year, but rather a community building exercise during a period where most global cities are adhering to various lockdown restrictions in response to Covid-19.Â
It is an opportunity for Capetonians and the rest of the world to take part in one challenge over the same weekend as they discover their natural environments at home.
The City has created a helpful checklist of species commonly found in gardens and suburban areas during autumn in Cape Town.Â
Some of the plants, birds, insects, reptiles and mammals that can be commonly found during Cape Town’s autumn season include the:
– Cape Honeysuckle and Bietou Bush flower;
– Red-Eyed Dove and Southern Double-collared Sunbird
– Cape Autumn Widow Butterfly
– House Mouse and Grey Squirrel
– Marbled Leaf-Toed Gecko
– Cape Rain Spider and the White Italian Snail
In order to participate in the challenge, participants need to download the iNaturalist.com app, register and share their observations by uploading all their findings on the app. Observations can be recorded anywhere within the City of Cape Town borders. Participants also stand a chance to win some spot prizes.
