The EwA Bug Dashboard is Out! Key Data to Protect and Bring Beneficial Insects 🐝

[Claire O'Neill]

Documenting Urban  Arthropod Networks  🐝 Mapping Urban Ecosystems: EwA Participatory Scientists to Help Decode Arthropod Dynamics It's out! A few years back, we reimagined our reporting approach, creating the EwA Bug Dashboard to illustrate the extent of our work and help reveal the hidden world of urban insects through collaborative research. Our latest update aggregates 2024's data, offering a unique look into local arthropod ecosystems. Dive into EwA's comprehensive data stories, where participatory science meets rich ecological analysis!  ▫▫▫ EwA conducts four distinct arthropod surveys, complementing national and academic protocols with our specialized methods designed to fill critical sampling gaps. This complementary approach captures intricate plant-arthropod relationships across local ecosystems that might otherwise go undetected, and allows the exploration of ecological dynamics such as the ones highlighted in our preliminary analysis of EwA Buggy data below☟ [Buggy Data Stories] | Full EwA Dashboard accessible [here]  Key highlights: Detailed views of pollinator interactions and seasonal variations 4,428 EwA Buggy fully annotated records from 2,735 surveys    Over 30,000 arthropod⇔plant associations documented in EwA iNaturalist projects Hundreds of flower-visiting insect species identified I want to make a special mention of EwA Buggy that provides documentation protocols for tracking precisely arthropod interactions and associations with their host plants, providing deep insights into local "Bug" dynamics.  For instance Buggy data can help with:  Quantify host-plant usage patterns Analyze arthropod composition Evaluate pollinator networks Support climate change research But is it used? Yes, it is already! Buggy formally started a year and a half ago, and in 2024, our data directly contributed baseline data to Somerville's Pollinator Action Plan.  By connecting community observers with scientific methodology, we're building a comprehensive understanding of urban ecological relationships. This is science democratized! #CitizenScience #Biodiversity #Arthropods #NativePlants #Pollinators - Claire (aël/æl)Earthwise Aware | PresidentBiodiversity & Climate Program Director✉ claire...@earthwiseaware.org✆ +1 781-883-5970 | LinkedIn Profile Earthwise Aware ⓘ earthwiseaware.org | ✉ EwA Newsletter Signup  🧡  Thank you for being an EwA #ScienceForAll Ambassador! Unsubscribe