The RI Natural History Survey presented its initial findings on the twenty-fifth annual Rhode Island BioBlitz at Middletown Town Hall on Thursday night. This BioBlitz, which took place on June 7-8, 2024, surveyed the biodiversity at the Norman Bird Sanctuary, making the Middletown sanctum one of two repeat locations a BioBlitz has been held (the other repeat being Roger Williams Park). The first time the sanctuary was surveyed for biodiversity was in 2001 at the second annual BioBlitz. The twenty-three-year gap between the two surveys gives Rhode Island officials, scientists, conservationists, and the general public the ability to compare datasets tailored to one specific Rhode Island site and begin to make hypotheses about the health of the local environment over a long period of time. 

“A BioBlitz is an effort by volunteers to find as many species as possible within twenty-four hours on one piece of land,” explains Dr. David Gregg, the executive director of the RI Natural History Survey. The idea was created in 1997, and Rhode Island started leading expeditions in 2000. The Rhode Island BioBlitz is the longest running BioBlitz in the history of the event. 

While the purpose of a BioBlitz is, of course, to catalogue local biodiversity, the RI Natural History Survey views the BioBlitz as a way to further other goals of citizen science projects, which include: to introduce everyone to the idea of (hands-on) conservation; to form a welcoming community of people interested in nature, conservation, and backyard ecology; to encourage communication about the environment; to engage with science and with nature; and to get kids outdoors, learning and exploring. 

What nature can support is the limit in trying to document as many species as possible. “Does this place support this organism” is the question to ask when considering documenting a species during the BioBlitz. Or, for a more specific rule, the RI Natural History Survey counts cultivated plants, but not annuals or crops. The key test to think about whether this specific organism would still be at this specific place if humans were no longer there (no human intervention). 

Even with that limit in place, the 2024 BioBlitz broke multiple records. In total, 1,426 species were found on Norman Bird Sanctuary Property (about 250 acres of land, which is relatively small for a BioBlitz, according to Gregg) through the efforts of 395 participants and volunteers. The species count was “a good hundred species more than the next BioBlitz,” and Gregg credits the record-breaking number of volunteers to Norman Bird Sanctuary’s fantastic “brand” as a conservation area and a beloved community hub. In terms of student participation, about 52 kids from kindergarten through grade six, 20 seventh and eighth graders, 24 undergraduates, and 10 graduate students were dedicated to the community science project. 

Comparing the 2001 survey to the 2024 survey at the Norman Bird Sanctuary, the total number of species found increased by 85 percent. Only one species of moss was found in 2001 compared to 79 different species from this past BioBlitz. Likewise, there was a 500 percent increase in the species of spiders found, and a 160 percent increase in crustaceans. “This is a broadly diverse place,” Gregg explained. “A lot of taxa broke records.” He also noted that the vascular plant count seemed to have decreased between the two datasets, but admitted that the 2001 survey included Oakland Forest, which might a source of the discrepancy. 

To keep discovery efforts similar across the different types of organisms, participants were split up into teams, who then reported in their findings. The moth team found 246 species of moths, a new record. At this, Gregg reminded the audience that “every species correlates with a niche,” so discovering 246 species of moths at the Norman Bird Sanctuary means that there are 246 niche habitats (for moths). Some of the moths found included the beautiful Green Marvel – which Gregg personally referred to as the “Mint Chocolate Chip Moth” – the Abbott Sphinx, and the Trumpet Vine Sphinx moth. The latter is native to the South, were trumpet vines grow. Through the efforts of this BioBlitz, the RI Natural History Survey documented that Rhode Island is becoming the northern tip of the moth’s range. 

“Rhode Island is the boundary between cold northern and warm southern,” Gregg explained, which can be increasingly seen as climate change makes its impact felt, and as ranges for different organisms are expanding and contracting. The state’s latitudinal spot, diversity of habitats, and unique weather patterns and climate make Rhode Island the “last hang-on” for both Southern and Northern species. 

Other teams had various amounts of success. The beetle team found 112 species, and another team documented 91 species of flies, which sounds like quite a bit, but was, in fact, a mildly deflating number to see. “A bunch of people who were looking for flying insects were surprised they didn’t get more,” Gregg said. Potential cause of the low level of insects could be the two large fields of swallows that inhabits the front sections of the Norman Bird Sanctuary. 

There was a large bee team at the BioBlitz who used the event as an opportunity to continue the state’s efforts to atlas bees and pollinator insects; they found 40 species of bees and wasps on the property. Also found were 21 species of ants, 24 species of fish (16 saltwater, 8 freshwater – numbers that did not satisfy nor impress Gregg), 5 types of turtles, 8 amphibians, and 15 mammals that included raccoons, deer, and the Southern flying squirrel. Participants from URI, Roger Williams, Salve Regina, and Wheaton College documented a whopping 75 species of algae.

The birding team had a strong turnout of participants. “This is a site that is stewarded for bird conservation, and we had good bird teams [at both Norman Bird Sanctuary BioBlitzes],” Gregg said, referencing the turnout for the 2001 BioBlitz. This team documented a total of 92 bird species, including rare ones like the piping plover, bobolinks, and osprey; compared to the survey in 2001, that is an increase of 12 bird species and it could correlate to successful continuous stewardship of the land. 

Vascular plants were recorded at 282 total species, with maybe two species (one is still in question) on the rare list. “This is diversity, not rarity,” Gregg explains. But while finding rare species can be exciting, the overall diversity of the site can be even more encouraging; the sheer number of different plant species at Norman Bird Sanctuary showcases the good ecological health from a site that has been used for various purposes over the centuries – from wild land to sheep farming and corn production, to vineyards and orchards to bird conservation efforts and land stewardship. 

Gregg did note that 40 species on the vascular plant list were invasive. The Norman Bird Sanctuary has had an ongoing battle against invasive species for years. Some of the invasives were known offenders, like the three kinds of privet and the Amur corktree. Others were more surprising, like the chocolate vine, which is a “relatively new invader,” the Russian olive, and the tree of heaven, also known as “the primary host plant for the spotted lantern fly.” Despite the worrisome significance that the tree of heaven was found on the property, Gregg noted that a recent study found that if the spotted lantern fly does not feed on the tree of heaven, birds will eat them. The invasive insect is only unpalatable to birds and acquires its toxicity if they eat from the tree. Cut down the tree and stop one invasive problem may prove helpful in solving the other. 

Finally, Gregg reported that the BioBlitz documented 69 species of fungi and 62 species of lichen. The fungus teams had struggled to find deep, warm humus in the woods, and therefore struggled to find some larger varieties of mushrooms. The lack of humus might be because the woodlands on the property are a relatively new forest, and because privet and other invasive plants have shallow root systems that lock out nutrients and moisture from seeping deeper into the soil. The lack of humus and the mushrooms species that thrives in its presence is a sign of a less than healthy forest floor. 

These findings, however, are preliminary, and all conjectures made from them are only observational hypotheses. More research is required to answer questions like “What might be impacting soil health?” “What is the long-term trend of bird diversity?” “How is the changing climate affecting the biodiversity of the Norman Bird Sanctuary and the state?” and “Why did the BioBlitz not find even more aquatic species (especially fish)?” For concrete answers, deeper studies are needed, and Gregg recommends venturing into the more remote, hard-to-get-to areas of the sanctuary to continue surveying the biodiversity of the area. 

The 2025 RI BioBlitz will be held June 6-7 at the Steere Hill Preserve in Glocester off of Route 44. The “big parcels of old forest” and the remoteness of the site should make the upcoming BioBlitz a “blockbuster” in terms of species count. Those who want to participate should plan ahead and be aware of the tough conditions this remote location will bring: there will be no power or water, so volunteers and team members should come prepared.  

Some photos of the presentation follow;