City Nature Challenge
Welcome to the City Nature Challenge 2026
Join us for City Nature Challenge 2026, the first to be run in Exeter!
Over the weekend of the 24th-27th April 2026, record wildlife you see in our beautiful city, to contribute to one of the biggest community science events in the world. You can contribute by taking photos or sound recordings of wild plants and animals, or by helping to identify other people's records. The identification period where you can upload your records and verify other people’s photographic records is between April 28th - May 10th 2026. We are recording our wildlife using iNaturalist - a free recording app available on both Android and IOS devices.
Our project page is all set up and ready here - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2026-exeter.
We are planning events during the weekend at the University campus and across the city which we will share on this page and on the project journal.
Events happening
Watch this space – events will be added soon!
Biodiversity Recording Resources
If you’re new to wildlife recording, there are many useful tools and guides to help you get started.
Getting Started with iNaturalist
iNaturalist provides clear guidance for beginners, including how to upload observations and make valuable contributions to biodiversity datasets.
iNaturalist and UK Biological Recording
Many UK recorders use iRecord, but good‑quality iNaturalist observations will also flow into the UK’s national recording databases. More information is available on the iNaturalistUK pages.
To help ensure your observations can be used by the UK’s National Biodiversity Network, guidance on producing high‑quality records is available here.
Tips for Taking Verifiable Wildlife Photos
Some species are easier to identify than others, and each taxonomic group has key features that experts need to see. The resources below explain what to include in your photos:
- Plants - the Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland (BSBI) offers advice on how to take useful plant photographs for identification.
- Fungi - fungi can be difficult to identify from photos alone, but the RHS "Find a Fungi" project provides helpful guidance.
- Bumblebees - detailed advice on photographing bumblebees to support accurate identification can be found here.
- Birds and Mammals - for these groups, sound recordings are often extremely helpful and can be uploaded alongside photos. Tracks and other field signs, such as footprints, can also be recorded if they are clearly identifiable.
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Local organisers and supporters
