BioBlitz: Life in 24 Hours Narrator: Welcome to . It’s a big park in the middle of , DC. Today, this park is going to be the site of a big research project. Dozens of scientists from around the United States, along with hundreds of volunteers are here for something called a BioBlitz. In a BioBlitz, teams of scientists, parents, kids, and volunteers all go to a park and look for examples of everything that’s alive there. They work in teams to count every living thing that they find—from the big animals like deer and rabbits to tiny . But they only have 24 hours to do it.

Boyd Matson: I’m taking credit for the first . Here’s one that’s easy to spot! A luna that blends right into my shirt. I found the first species of the BioBlitz, and it’s a beautiful one!

Narrator: National Geographic explorer‐in residence, oceanographer , is at the BioBlitz.

Sylvia Earle: The thing about the BioBlitz is that it brings out the kid in everybody.

Narrator: Sylvia Earle likes the BioBlitz because people discover and appreciate the living things in their own community. Dr. Stuart Pimm, an ecologist from Duke University, is certainly excited about the event. He studies .

Dr. Pimm: The extraordinary thing about this BioBlitz is just how much stuff there is here! This is really where the wild things are. There really is a huge amount of stuff in this city park!

Narrator: Park rangers are there to help. Here, they are helping a group to catch caterpillars, , and butterflies. are an important part of the BioBlitz. One reason is there are a lot of them. They also come in a great variety of color, shapes, and behaviors. It’s easier to see how special they are when you look at them close up. Photographer David Littschwager usually takes photos of endangered species, but at the BioBlitz he’s taking photos of insects.

David Littschwager: We see a lot of pictures of lions and tigers and bears, but you don’t often see a portrait of a nice and close. Some people don’t like spiders, but I have great affection for them. But I like them to stay on the glass.

Narrator: Littschwager worked all night taking pictures, but he wasn’t the only one who didn’t sleep. People had only 24 hours to find all the living things in the park, so all the participants worked hard until the final minute. And even at the end, there were a lot of plants and creatures that they couldn’t identify. The official count after 24 hours showed 666 different species in Rock Creek Park. But as searchers continue to identify species, that number is going to increase. The real purpose of the BioBlitz is to get people interested in the biodiversity that’s all around them, even in their own back yards. Just ask Gary Hevel, who lives in , a state next to Washington, D.C. In four years, Hevel has identified over 4,000 different species of living things in his backyard. So what are you waiting for? The clock is ticking. Isn’t it time to start counting the living things in your backyard?