Author: Newsroom
Los Angeles, CA (May 5, 2025) — The City Nature Challenge (CNC) results have arrived! The landmark 10th annual community science initiative saw 102,945 people across 669 cities in 62 countries on 6 continents document more than 3.3 million wildlife observations. More than 73,765 species were observed, with the Common Dandelion as the most popular around the world, while the Western Fence lizard retained its title as the most common in Los Angeles County.
The global event called on current and aspiring community scientists, nature and science fans, and people of all ages and backgrounds to observe and submit pictures of wild plants, animals, and fungi during the stretch of April 25 – 28. Participants submitted the photos using free mobile apps such as iNaturalist, and the initiative as a whole underscores the power of community science to track real-time changes in our planet’s biodiversity.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I expect the City Nature Challenge to grow and become the largest annual biodiversity census in the world, “ says Lila Higgins, co-founder of the City Nature Challenge and Senior Manager of Community Science for the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County. “It is amazing that over the course of 10 challenges, more than 364,000 community scientists have come together to gather more than 12 million observations around the world. This data is essential for the fight against biodiversity loss and to help us protect species.”
After launching the City Nature Challenge in 2016 with just 1,000 observers across a pair of California cities, the Challenge — hosted by the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) and San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences (CAS) — broke numerous records in 2025. Since its inception, City Nature Challenge has collected over 12 million urban biodiversity observations of 110,000+ species and engaged over 364,000 people.
Despite the cold and rainy conditions in the area during the weekend of the City Nature Challenge, Los Angeles County still managed to put up some impressive statistics in this year’s initiative.
“The City Nature Challenge happened at a particularly difficult time for many in Los Angeles County, with wildfires and government concerns leading to a general feeling of instability,” says Amy Jaecker-Jones, NHMLAC’s Community Science Program Manager and CNC Global Manager. “It would be understandable if these issues pushed nature to the periphery of life, but what we saw is that — even on a rainy weekend — thousands of people experienced the healing power of nature and did their part to reciprocate by contributing community science data that will help researchers, land managers, and policymakers protect our precious biodiversity.”
Los Angeles County by the Numbers
Observations: 27,067
Species: 2,803 (including 88 rare/endangered/threatened species)
Observers: 1,514
Los Angeles County Highlights
Putting the “City” in City Nature Challenge
- A common raccoon (Procyon lotor) caught reaching through a fence to grab food out of a container. Observed by two iNaturalist users–heleena2, © Heleena D and bdimare, © bdimare.
Rare, Endangered, Threatened, or Endemic
- A Hemphill’s Westernslug (Hesperarion hemphilli) which, according to NHMLAC’s Malacology Curator Jann Vendetti’s comment in the observation, “That’s one of our hard-to-find natives! Arguably, the only native slug to LA County!!” Observed by iNaturalist user @rochellekhoffman, © Rochelle Kuan Hoffman.
- A great photo of a white pygmy-poppy (Canbya candida), an endemic plant in California, that has limited distribution and is fairly threatened in California, according to the California Native Plant Society. The observer has set a penny behind the tiny plant to show scale. Observed by iNaturalist user keirmorse, © Keir Morse.
- A San Clemente Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis ssp. clementae) which is listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List. This particular subspecies is endemic in Los Angeles County. In this year’s City Nature Challenge, four subspecies of island fox were observed, all on different Channel Islands, highlighting the role of islands in isolating populations, which can lead to species differentiation over time. Observed by iNaturalist user arielg, © arielg.
I Found My Thrill on Elephant Hill
- A mating pair of southern alligator lizards (Elgaria multicarinata), a rare observation according to NHMLAC Herpetology Curator Greg Pauly. This has been the driest start to the rain season on record in Southern California, leading to lower than usual sightings of mating alligator lizards. This observation is particularly exciting because it happened during the “Elephant Hill Community Nature Celebration and Habitat Survey,” a collaboration between NHMLAC and community partners Save Elephant Hill, Coyotl + Macehualli, Heroes of Elephant Hill, Test Plot, Anawakalmekak, Northeast Trees, Audubon Debs Park. Observed by iNaturalist user hogpotato, © The Hog Potato.
Hard to Identify
- A bee (not yet ID’d to species) which has generated conversation on iNaturalist based on its morphological characteristics, making it difficult to classify and identify to species. Observed by iNaturalist user fowlivia, © Olivia Miseroy.
Spotted by Youth
- A brahminy blindsnake (Indotyphlops braminus) that according to the user’s comment in the observation, “I work at a preschool and the kids found this amazing creature!” The brahminy blindsnake is a small snake commonly mistaken for an earthworm and was introduced to Los Angeles County. The keen-eyed preschoolers who spotted the tiny snake surely had their nature eyes on! Observed by iNaturalist user capercaillie_clover, © capercaillie_clover.
That’s a Lot of…
- A mass of millipedes (not identified to species yet) with a lot of legs observed by a new iNaturalist user at NHMLAC partner, LA County Parks, Whittier Narrows Natural Area in South El Monte. Observed by iNaturalist user damien151536, © damien151536.
- Canada goose (Branta canadensis) with a lot of babies! More than 50 goslings crowd near an adult Canada Goose at Echo Park while two other adult geese float nearby. Large groups of goslings like this are called a crèche, where multiple adults care for groups of young. Observed by iNaturalist user lunaraura, © Lau.
Fabulous Photos
- This double-crested cormorant (Nannopterum auritum) performing a high-wire act and balancing on one foot. Observed by iNaturalist user ki6h, © M.R. Perry.
- This beautifully lit photo of a mariposa lily (species not yet confirmed) by a new iNaturalist user. This endemic and vulnerable flower (with Catalina Harbor in the distance) has limited distribution and is fairly threatened in California according to the California Native Plant Society. Observed by iNaturalist user eb29817, © eb.
World by the Numbers
Observations: 3,310,131
Species: 73,765+ (including more than 3,338 rare/endangered/threatened species)
Observers: 102,945
Most observed species globally: Common Dandelion
Cities: 669
Countries: 62
World Highlights
Putting the “City” in City Nature Challenge
- This Green lizard (Lacerta viridis) basking above Vienna sticks its tongue out at the photographer. The green lizard is highly endangered in Austria and is threatened by the degradation and destruction of habitat due to intensive agriculture. Observed by iNaturalist user vivihko, © vivihko.
- A City Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in Hull, England that wandered into the observer’s house. According to the observer, “I left the door open while working late so I could listen to the tawnies, turned round and there she was! She’s in the garden every day, but this was a first.” iNaturalist user hootinghoopoe commented on the post, “It’s like she knew the CNC was on!” Observed by iNaturalist user andys78, © Andy Steele.
Rediscovered after 160 Years!
- Phidiana unilineata in Visakhapatnam, India was observed by a community scientist intent on documenting intertidal biodiversity and spotted during nighttime tidepooling. This nudibranch species was first described in 1864 and likely hasn’t been documented in more than 160 years. iNaturalist made it their observation of the day on May 2. Observed by iNaturalist user srichakrapranav, © Srichakra Pranav Tamarapalli.
Endangered, Rare, or Threatened
- Almanegra de Urrao (Magnolia urraoensis) in Caicedo that is endemic in Colombia and listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List. They are declining due to agriculture, logging, and wood harvesting. Observed by iNaturalist user jhonfreilejon96, © Jhon Montoya.
- Long-tongued Bat (Choeronycteris mexicana) in Mexico City that is threatened in Mexico and is listed as near-threatened globally on the IUCN Red List. Threats include residential and commercial development, agriculture, and mining and quarrying. They can extend their tongues as much as a third of their body length, which comes in handy when feeding on nectar and pollen from plants such as agave and cactuses. Stable populations of these food sources are important for the bats’ survival. In southern Arizona, they can be found at hummingbird feeders as well. Observed by iNaturalist user e_g27, © Eduardo.
- Dusky Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus) spotted in Klang Valley, Malaysia, which is listed on the IUCN Red List as endangered. Threats include housing, logging, wood and pulp plantations, roads and railroads, and hunting and trapping. Observed by iNaturalist user ash_foo, © Ash Foo.
The City Nature Challenge is a community-based collaborative event that harnesses scientific data to regenerate ecosystems and reverse biodiversity loss. By observing and documenting local wildlife, community scientists give insight into the biodiversity of urban areas throughout the world.
In 2025, the Challenge tallied more than 3.3 million observations, including over 63,000 rare, endangered, or threatened species and engaged almost 103,000 observers.