A bioblitz is an intensive biodiversity survey, often by amateur observers via iNaturalist. BiodiversityWorks (Martha's Vineyard) and the Linda Loring Nature Foundation (Nantucket) are partnering to pit their islands for most observations and species. Open to all! July 24–August 7, 2026.
Learn More & RegisterCatalogs of Martha's Vineyard species in selected taxonomic groups.
Species ListsThe Martha's Vineyard Atlas of Life Project in iNaturalist compiles observations from across the Island and surrounding waters, contributed by people like you.
Recent Observations
The eight carrion beetle species known from Martha’s Vineyard may have an image problem, but these insects are as interesting as they are important.
Springtails – the subclass Collembola – are a common but often overlooked group of arthropods on Martha’s Vineyard. Building on previous work by multiple observers, a recent wave of Collembola observations have helped clarify our knowledge of this group.
Recent observations bring the Vineyard’s Orthoptera checklist to 71 species.
Held on July 17-18, 2026, BiodiversityWork’s fourth annual bioblitz of Correllus State Forest logged a record number of observations and species. The event was a fitting celebration of the biodiversity of this incredible Department of Consevation and Recreation property.
For the fifth consecutive year, BiodiversityWorks and The Trustees of Reservations conducted a bioblitz of Long Point Wildlife Refuge, a spectacular conservation property on the Vineyard’s south shore. In addition to the bioblitz, this year’s event feature our first-ever “moth ball,” a family-friendly public event celebrating and education about the Vineyard’s moths.
Photographer and teacher Chris Baer explains his fascination with finding and documenting the obscure wildlife that surrounds us all.
The family Syrphidae, also known as "hoverflies" or "flower flies," may be the easiest group of flies for beginners to learn about. Syrphids are often brightly colored and easy to spot, and their habit of visiting flowers to feed on pollen or nectar makes them easy to find. They are also ecologically important, with adults functioning as pollinators and the larvae of many species feeding on aphids. This family is well represented on Martha's Vineyard, and a number of rare of otherwise interesting species have been documented here. Keep reading to learn more about this fascinating and important group of insects!
Keep Reading
Searchable database of photographs and sound recordings, with more than 100 million observations contributed by more than 5 million users worldwide. Observations from Martha’s Vineyard automatically add to the Martha’s Vineyard Atlas of Life project.
Keep your bird lists and make your sightings available to researchers with this platform developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. eBird compiles more than 100 million bird sightings annually.
Help advance butterfly science and conservation by contributing your sightings to this international project. Keep your personal records and explore sightings from other observers.
Co-founded by BiodiversityWorks and the Betsy and Jesse Fink Family Foundation, the Martha's Vineyard Atlas of Life seeks to create a living catalog of biodiversity on Martha's Vineyard and an active community working to conserve it.
