London Participates in the City Nature ChallengeÌý

This spring from April 25 to 28, Londoners were out and about participating in London's third annual City Nature Challenge!ÌýÌý

The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is an international effort, encouraging people to find and document plants, animals, and fungi in their cities! Using iNaturalist, the CNC is a bioblitz-style competition, where cities are in friendly contest with each other to see who can make the most observations of nature.ÌýÌý

As a part of the CNC, local organizations organized hikes through green spaces in London. Hikes were led by local naturalists and were focused on a variety of topics, including birdwatching, insects, biodiversity, and a Water Blessing led by Chippewas of the Thames First Nation!ÌýÌý

The UTRCA led a family nature walk through Fanshawe Conservation Area and over 20 community members learned all about local insects, plants, and aquatic species. The Friends of Medway Creek led a family nature walk through the Medway Valley Heritage Forest in partnership with the Museum of Ontario Archaeology and, although it was a chilly day, we learned all about local species such as trilliums!Ìý

In 2025, Londoners excelled and even beat our stats from last year, coming 3rd in Ontario, 8th in Canada, and 38th globally (out of 669 cities worldwide)! Together, we recorded 5,012 observations and 841 species from 184 observers!Ìý

Missed the City Nature Challenge in 2025? Don't worry, we'll be back again in 2026! In the meantime, become an iNaturalist expert and download the app to your phone. We're looking forward to seeing which species you observe!Ìý

Thank you to TD Friends of the Environment Foundation for supporting this project!Ìý

If you have any questions about the City Nature Challenge, please reach out to April Scholz, Community Partnership Specialist, scholza@thamesriver.caÌý