Eleven-year old Rocky D. from Melbourne’s northern suburbs is this year’s National Schools’ Citizen Science B&B BioBlitz Superstar!
Posting almost 1,500 observations including birds such as a galah, a dusky moorhen and red-rumped parrot, plants such as the slender thistle, strawberry clover, golden wattle and ivy leaved violet, insects such as the plantain moth and the Australian emperor dragonfly, and numerous fungi such as the yellow navel and the mica cap, Rocky blitzed it completely! We wanted to showcase Rocky as he is such an inspiration!
We chatted to Rocky about his experiences this year and why he enjoys citizen science so much:
PlantingSeeds: What is it that you love about citizen science?
Rocky: I just love taking photos of nature and I am very interested in conservation. Every day is citizen science day as my mum and I go for regular nature walks so I spend an hour to 30 minutes taking photos. Learning about plants, fungi and other species is really interesting and it makes me feel great to help science.
PlantingSeeds: When did you become interested in citizen science?
Rocky: I became interested last year when mum organised a walk and talk for the City Nature Challenge. I saw something that I didn’t recognise – it was a mushroom that grows on a wattle – and took a photo and it was uploaded to iNaturalist. Someone identified it as wattle gall rust fungus. I thought that was amazing as I thought it was an insect gall (growth).
PlantingSeeds: What observations did you take for the BioBlitz that you thought were really cool?
Rocky: There are so many. Some insects included sawfly larva, a plant would be the scilly pygmyweed, and a bird would be an emu.
PlantingSeeds: How many citizen science events have you participated in?
Rocky: I have organised three birdwatching, two fungi walks and a couple of waterbug surveys. I have also participated in many other nature surveying and planting events.
PlantingSeeds: Have you inspired your friends to become citizen scientists?
Rocky: They seem to love the fungi observations. And there are a few that have continued recording observations on iNaturalist.
Rocky’s mum, Maria, says that she has seen a shift in interest in citizen science among Rocky’s friends. ‘They get enthusiastic as Rocky is so knowledgeable and he can, for example, point out the difference between introduced and native species.’
Rocky is homeschooled and both he and his mum have organised a number of citizen science homeschooling events. Says Rocky: ‘Sometimes we have 10 kids, sometimes 60. It's great to teach everyone about the amazing world that many people don't notice’.
It is no surprise to hear that Rocky is interested in work in conservation, including planting and native habitats. In the meantime, he and his mum have planted a beautiful native garden in their backyard, with plants selected to be habitat for the small bush birds of the area. They have also crafted insect hotels out of recycled materials to attract native bees.
