The Lost Ladybug Project

Across North America ladybug species composition is changing.  Over the past twenty years native ladybugs that were once very common have become extremely rare.  During this same time ladybugs from other parts of the world have greatly increased both their numbers and range. This is happening very quickly and we don’t know how, or why, or what impact it will have on ladybug diversity or the role that ladybugs play in keeping plant-feeding insect populations low.  We're asking you to join us in finding out where all the ladybugs have gone so we can try to prevent more native species from becoming so rare. Find out more...

Southern California Squirrel Survey

The Southern California Squirrel Survey  is a community science research program to catalog the occurrence of squirrels in the greater Southern California region. We welcome photo submissions of all the above species, but we hope you’ll tell us more about your observations. Was the squirrel vocalizing, eating, or interacting with another animal? In what kind of habitat was it seen? The more detailed the observation, the better.

Although squirrels are well-known to people, they are often overlooked. Not many people realize that eastern fox squirrels are not native to California. Similarly, the decline of the native western gray squirrel has gone unnoticed. The aim of the Southern California Squirrel Survey is to learn more about the distribution and behavior of these species, as well as the many other understudied species in our regions, such as the northern flying squirrel Find out more...

Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern California  (RASCals)

The goal of the Reptiles and Amphibians of Southern California (RASCals) community science project is to improve our knowledge of native and non-native reptiles and amphibians in Southern California*. Southern California is home to 22.5 million people and has experienced dramatic urbanization and habitat modification. Museum specimens provide a historical record of where particular species were found in the past, but we need more information on exactly where these species are found today. This is why we need your help in documenting reptiles and amphibians throughout Southern California. Observations will allow us to test how the ranges of various species have responded to habitat modification. So we care about observations from less urbanized places and also observations from heavily urbanized places such as downtowns, schools, neighborhoods, and backyards. Find out more...