BioBlitz 2016

Grant Park

June 10-11, 2016


Property Description

Grant Park, a unit of the Milwaukee County Park System, is a 381-acre park located at 42.918056 N 87.845982 W. It is a multi-use park with a golf course, tennis courts, soccer fields, and natural areas. The park contains a variety of habitats (lake shore, bluffs, forests, grasslands, and a riverine corridor), which increased the number of plant and animal species expected to be found and add challenge to the survey. The Warnimont Bluff Fens State Natural Area (an outstanding example of a unique type of natural community with rare plants and animals) is also adjacent to the park. Grant Park is yet another showcase of the amazing diversity that is contained within our neighborhoods.

Interesting Discoveries

  • Carex eburnea, a new sedge record for Milwaukee County.
  • Iowa Darter, a fish not previously reported from Oak Creek.
  • Many individuals of the invasive Round Goby, which is known to displace native species.
  • Calledapteryx dryopterata (Brown Scoopwing moth), a species for which few WI records exist.
  • Agrotis stigmosa, a moth of open, dry sandy habitats, found at the beach at the south end of the park.
  • A few non-native (but also not harmful or pest) moths: Pasiphila rectangulata, Apamea unanimis, and Noctua pronuba.
  • Two new beetle species records for Milwaukee County (and these are only the second collections in the state!): Agonum galvestonicum and the non-native Harpalus rubripes.

General Results

Count   Taxon Change from Reported
976 species found (+8 from reported on site)
14 Fish  
7 Amphibians and Reptiles  
13 Mammals  
34 Other invertebrates  
42 Spiders  +10
82 Birds  
353 Insects  
431 Plants  -2 (synonyms)

Partners

Host: Milwaukee County Parks System

Surveyors

83 surveyors participated from 21 organizations:

  • UW Madison
  • UW Milwaukee
  • UW Oshkosh
  • UW Parkside
  • UW Stevens Point
  • UW Waukesha
  • UW Whitewater
  • Carroll University
  • Carthage University
  • Purdue University
  • Milwaukee County Parks (Natural Areas)
  • Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
  • Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
  • Wisconsin Entomological Society
  • US Fish and Wildlife Service
  • US Forest Service
  • Friends of Grant Park
  • Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
  • Urban Ecology Center
  • Wehr Nature Center

Educational Activities Partners

  • Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
  • US Forest Service

Event Photos