Welcome to the 2nd Annual Nature Scavenger Hunt presented by the Natural History Society of Maryland. Last year, NHSM launched the scavenger hunt as a photo safari leading people all over the state. On this year’s safari, we will take a deeper dive into the natural world via taxonomy. Taxonomy is the science of naming, describing, and classifying organisms and includes all plants, animals and microorganisms of the world. Taxonomy begins with really broad categories called Kingdoms—i.e., Plant, Animal–and gets progressively more specific ending with the species level, i.e. Homo sapien (that’s you and me). During this scavenger hunt, NHSM hopes you will gain a better understanding of biodiversity, discovering the similarities and differences between the species that make up this global web of life.
The competition runs from August 1 through September 30 with the winners announced in October. Use this time now to build a team and/or develop a strategy. Complete on your own or in a team of up to five friends/family members. Awards will be given out in both categories (teams and individual).
The official list and score sheet will be emailed to you upon registration. This competition works on the honor system. It would be great if you can capture as many of your finds on video or photograph as possible. Given the nature (pun intended) of this year’s competition, that may prove difficult. Try your best. If you can’t capture an image – just record as much information about the find on your score sheet. Photos and the score sheets will be collected and tabulated at the end of the competition.
Please address any questions to the Commissioner – bstrong@marylandnature.org.
HAVE FUN!