Get ready for an adventure like no other as the City Nature Challenge kicks off on April 26 until April 29th! Started in 2016 as a friendly rivalry between Los Angeles and San Francisco, this international event has blossomed into the largest bioblitz in the world, inspiring people from all walks of life to explore and document the wildlife in their own cities.

Led by the Community Science teams at the California Academy of Sciences and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM), the City Nature Challenge (CNC) is a four-day global habitat survey where cities come together in a collaboration-meets-friendly-competition to showcase their local biodiversity. It’s a chance for us to see what can be accomplished when we all work toward a common goal of understanding and coexisting with nature.

Are you up for the challenge? Here’s how you can participate:

  1. Find Wildlife: Head out into your city and discover the incredible diversity of wildlife all around you.
  1. Take a Picture: Use the iNaturalist app to photograph the plants and animals you encounter. It’s easy and free to use!
  1. Share Your Observations: Upload your photos to iNaturalist and share them with the global community of citizen scientists.

Join tens of thousands of people from around the world in the 9th annual City Nature Challenge and help us put nature in LA on the world map! If you are free on April 27th you can visit the Natural History Museum to learn how to use iNaturalist on family-friendly nature exploration walks in the Nature Gardens. Who are our nature neighbors at the Natural History Museum of L.A. County? We need your help to find out! 

This event is great for all ages and will be in both English and Spanish, admission and parking are included. Learn more on the event here. Don’t miss this chance to be part of something big. Let’s uncover the wonders of LA’s urban wilderness together!

If you happen to snap any amazing wildlife pictures for the City Nature Challenge we’d love to see them too! Send us pics at lastormwater@lacity.org and highlight your pictures on social media!