Help Document Reston’s Wildlife During the 2025 Bioblitz

Contributed by Reston Environmental Advisory Committee

Photo by Ana Ka (Capital Nature)

On Saturday, Sept. 13, the Environmental Team from Reston Association (RA) will lead a community-wide Bioblitz across Reston’s natural areas. First launched in 2018, the Reston Bioblitz returns this year with an opportunity to build on previous results—and you can be part of it.

A Bioblitz is an organized event in which scientists, naturalists, and volunteers work together to record as many species as possible within a set period and location. These parameters—duration, focus, and area—are determined by the organizers. While many Bioblitzes last 24 hours, some may run longer or target specific types of species, such as only insects or only plants. The purpose can vary too: from compiling a full species list for an under-studied area to searching for a few key indicator species.

The 2025 Reston Bioblitz will document all species observed within Reston during the 24-hour period from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 13. Participants will use the iNaturalist app, which will automatically gather all observations tagged during the official time window through a dedicated project page.

RA staff and volunteers will concentrate their efforts on Reston’s natural areas, but anyone in the community can contribute observations made throughout town.

You’re invited to join the effort! Throughout the day, there will be opportunities to accompany RA Environmental Team members, scientists, and naturalists to observe and record wildlife—including plants, butterflies, dragonflies, fish, fungi, moths, reptiles, amphibians, and more.

As plans are finalized, additional details will be shared via RA News, social media, and reston.org. To sign up or learn more, contact RA at naturecenter@reston.org or call 703-476-9689, ext. 3.

Be part of something wild—and help Reston better understand and protect its biodiversity.