7 spot ladybird on fly agaric, Coccinella 7-punctata, adult, Amanita muscaria, Sheffield - Paul Hobson
Spot 60 Species
Celebrate our 60th anniversary by counting 60 species!
Unleash your inner citizen scientist!
Over the last six decades, Somerset has been impacted by huge declines in biodiversity, and will continue to be impacted by the effects of climate change. If we don't notice wildlife declines, we run the risk of losing species forever. There are gaps in our knowledge that we need YOUR help to fill.
As part of our 60th anniversary celebrations, we're challenging you to unleash your inner citizen scientist by signing up to iNaturalist and spotting 60 species between 29th April and 30th September 2024.
Follow the steps below to start the journey to make wildlife count.
Ubley Warren Nature Reserve - Matt Sweeting
Plan your visit
Visit your local nature reserve and get counting between 29th April and 30th September 2024.
Adrian Clarke
Download spotter sheets
Choose from a huge selection of spotter guides to help identify what you see.
We need more people taking notice of what they see – whether that's in their garden, a local green space or on their travels around the county.
Why count species?
The first Somerset State of Nature report was published last year, which provides an important benchmark of how wildlife is faring across our county.
One of the key recommendations from the report was that we need to build on our current recording expertise and knowledge through citizen science activities and nature counts, just like this one.
Your support as our eyes and ears on the ground will help us ensure that we don't miss important wildlife trends, and can help us to identify ways to protect species and their habitats before we lose them forever.
Get counting!
You might think that we'd only be interested in records of rarities, but records of widespread species are just as important, from butterflies to hedgehogs, to the birds and the bees.
Below are some of our suggestions that you could spot, but there are countless species across Somerset to discover.
Get out and about and record what you see!
