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In seven metropolises across the country, nature lovers are getting a taste of what the city has to offer this week. Downloadable scavenger hunts, a dragonfly talk, and a walk in an old growth forest are just a few of the activities going on during Nature Block Party, a celebration of National Urban Biodiversity Week, which ends Sunday.
The events, an outgrowth of NYC Wildflower Week, “reconnect people to the nature around them to boost appreciation of the local ecology and native biodiversity that make it possible and enrich our urban lives,” says founder Marielle Anzelone, a botanist and urban ecologist.
This weekend, Los Angelinos can cup a bug in their hand at the 2012 Bug Fair (chefs will also be in attendance to cook up a insect snacks). Earlier this week a mycologist pointed out a park’s fungi to New Yorkers. And in Seattle volunteers can get their hands dirty pulling invasives and planting native flora.
“We think the relationship between a city and its nature is vital,” says Anzelone. “We created Nature Block Party as a new national collaborative project to engage urbanites with their local nature. Collectively, we are leveraging participation to create a louder voice for urban nature.”
For more information, visit Nature Block Party’s website. And if you can’t make any of the events, join one of its partners, Project Noah, and help catalogue the plants and animals that live just outside your window.