Today’s episode is all about biodiversity!

Biodiversity means the variety of life, and is measured by counting the number of different kinds of living things in a particular place. You can do a backyard biodiversity survey in your yard or on your street: give yourself a set amount of time and write down every different kind of plant, animal, or fungus you can find! If you don’t know its name, that’s OK, just write down what it looks like.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: -Paper -Something to write with. -(Advanced version): a phone or iPad with the “Seek” app downloaded. Use the app’s camera feature to identify species! Do you think the biodiversity of your backyard would be the same or different in summer? In winter? If you want, you can save your list of species, and go back in a few weeks and do the survey again to compare!

Thanks to my friends at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum for inspiration! They’ve also developed a FREE printable coloring book graphic novel about the biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert, find it here: https://www.desertmuseum.org/center/e…

This production is brought to you by the University of Arizona’s Community and School Garden Program, and the world’s best field assistant, Penny.