Wildlife explorers are expected at the UConnStorrs campus this weekend for a 24-hour "BioBlitz."
"A basic BioBlitz is an event where naturalists with a diversity of expertise come together and identify as many species of plants, animals, fungi, and microbes as humanly possible in a given place during a period of 24 hours," said Tim Farkas, an ecologist at UConn, and one of the organizers of the event.
The 2015 BioBlitz is free and open to the public. Farkas said children and adults of all ages -- and expertise -- are welcome. When the 24-hour "blitz" is over Farkas hopes more than 2,500 different species can be identified.
If darting around looking for animals in the forest isn't quite your thing, Farkas said they'll be a lot of more relaxed hands on events, too. There's a nature walk, a nighttime owl prowl, classes on how to keep a nature journal and an "unconventional petting zoo."
"It won't be goats and cows," Farkas said. "There's going to be caterpillars and maybe other critters -- I'd say largely insects. I think it's going to be pretty fun."
The Bioblitz runs from 3:00 pm Friday to the following Saturday afternoon.
