Naturalist November 2026
A month long challenge for all those interested in the natural world, everyone is welcome!
There are two challenges to join in on, some of which have prizes you can win.
Note that as of this moment, all prizes provided for this event comes from Desiree Zhuk and no other affiliate.
The iNaturalist Challenge
Anyone who has a phone and goes outside can join this challenge. The goal is to use the Seek App and iNaturalist website to record as many plant/animal/fungi species observations as possible throughout the month of November.
How To Join:
Create a iNaturalist Account
Join the Naturalist November 2026 Project
Download the Seek App (owned by iNaturalist)
Pair the app to your iNaturalist Account in settings
Go outside and record your observations! Don’t forget to hit the “post to iNaturalist” button when you do. Your observations will automatically be added to the project, only for the month of November.
The users that win first place in “Most Observations” and “Most Species” will be awarded $50 respectively!
Winners will be contacted through their iNaturalist account within a week of the event being over.
The Artist Challenge
Open to any and all artists, this is a month-long art prompt challenge designed to help you get creative ideas and practice your craft. Any medium allowed: traditional pencil, pen, paints, sculpture, sewing, written works, welded metal, glass blowing, etc. If you can create it, then join in. All skill levels welcome! There is no prize for this challenge, other than your own satisfaction in your creations and the community we build together in this event.
To join just use the prompt list below to create something daily and post it online using the #naturalistnovember and #naturalistnovember2026 hashtags so everyone can see it!
Naturalist November 2026 Prompt List (typed up)
1) Local endemic species
2) Moss vs Lichen
3) Freshwater aquatics
4) Small herbivores
5) Arthropod
6) Elasmobranch
7) Historical species
8) Bioluminescent
9) Invasive species
10) Favorite fungi
11) Drought tolerant
12) Marine mammals
13) Tundra species
14) Microscopic
15) Something that slithers
16) Wetland species
17) Something huge
18) A pretty shell
19) Dry climate
20) Fluffiest friend
21) Detritivore
22) High elevation
23) Something slimey
24) Tropical species
25) The deep seas
26) Feathery friends
27) Cryptic species
28) Carnivores
29) Insects that fly
30) Your favorite species!
Why host this event?
For those who don’t know me, hello! I am Desiree Zhuk, and I am an ecologist. I am a graduate student at SFSU and I love nature and art.
I think one of the best ways to get people caring about our environment, is to help build a relationship with the world around us.
Once you know about a place, about the plants that are there either naturally or cultivated and the animals that live there, you start to build an appreciation for it. A marshland may not look like much, many people pass by it without a thought perhaps even think negatively about it by the fact it may not be conventionally a pretty ecosystem, but once you start stopping by and really looking deeper you start to connect with the world around you. The random plant on the side of the road stops being a nameless weed, and becomes our state flower the California Poppy. That small lizard on the pavement that you see on the way to class becomes a Western Fence Lizard that has a cool blue belly and does fun push-ups on the floor to tell you that he's full of energy and ready to run from a predator. To know your neighbors is to build your community. Once people know even just the names of the plants and animals around them, they start to care about them. Especially knowing that all the observations that you upload to iNaturalist, is being used in real time active monitoring and science! Not only are you connecting to the ecosystem and nature, you are connecting to all the other nature lovers out there as well as the ecologists and scientists that work on these projects. All the artists that join the project can showcase their work to fellow artists and animal lovers, creating a community around just appreciating nature and its bizarre creations.
By joining this project, I hope people walk away feeling closer to nature, even the urban life around you, and take pride in becoming citizen scientists.
Agate Beach Bio-Blitz! November 24, 2026.
Join me on a fun trip to Agate Beach for a bioblitz! A bioblitz is a community event where we try to identify as many species of plants, animals and fungi as possible in a given area. This is an informal, unpaid outing organized by a graduate student. This is not a professional guided tour, lifeguarded activity, or instructional course. Participation is voluntary, and everyone is responsible for making their own decisions about whether they can safely participate.
When: November 24, 2026 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm
Where: Agate Beach (350 Ocean Pkwy, Bolinas, CA 94924)
What to bring: Appropriate attire for tidepools! Closed toe shoes, even waterproof boots or dive booties if you can. Layers layers layers, the coast is unpredictable so bring extra clothes: you might get splashed or slip. Bring a flashlight because we leave when it gets dark, but also so we can spot some cool creatures! Your phone to take photos to upload to iNaturalist to identify what we find, as well as in case of emergency contact.
How to join: Fill out the Participation Form! This way I know how many people are joining and that everyone is prepared.