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Bush Blitz
Bush Blitz
Bush Blitz

Bush Blitz is Australia’s largest nature discovery program

Around three-quarters of Australia’s biodiversity is still waiting to be discovered by science.

Bush Blitz is a unique cross-sector partnership that organises expeditions to document plants and animals across Australia.

Use the above menu to find out more or see our latest news below.

Bush Blitz Croajingolong National Park amazing footage

December 19, 2016December 19, 2016 Bush Blitz

Take a look at some of our great video footage from the Croajingolong National Park Bush Blitz. See zoologists in the field wrangling wriggly legless lizards and venomous snakes; marine specialists diving with playful seals and a beautiful baby humpback who gets up close and personal with our underwater GoPro! Bush Blitz Croajingolong in action […]

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Lucky students share discoveries on Bush Blitz

December 6, 2016December 6, 2016 Bush Blitz

Eight lucky year 10 and 11 students from the Methodist Ladies College in Melbourne, spent a day and a night discovering the hidden wonders of Croajingolong National Parks’ World Heritage. Thanks to the Methodist Ladies College, Bush Blitz has been able to locate base camp for the far east part of the Croajingolong Bush Blitz at the Marshmead field station. […]

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Amazing images from Mallacoota Bush Blitz courtesy of Museum Victoria

November 22, 2016November 22, 2016 Bush Blitz

While the scientists would stumble into basecamp with collecting jars over flowing with specimens and crawl gratefully into bed, David Paul, official photographer of the Museum Victoria, would work into the wee hours of the morning photographing the dazzling array of creatures that had been brought to him. These are just a few of the amazing images […]

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A great turn out for the Mallacoota Bush Blitz Community Day

November 16, 2016November 16, 2016 Bush Blitz

Over 150 people converged on the small seaside town of Mallacoota in east Gippsland last Sunday for the Bush Blitz Community Day. Budding naturalists of all ages enjoyed learning about the terrestrial and marine life that inhabits this wonderful little corner of Victoria. Scientists from the Museum Victoria, and University of NSW, along with staff from […]

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Camp stories from Wingan Inlet

November 14, 2016November 15, 2016 Bush Blitz

Day 1 Two thirds of the way through my first Bush Blitz and I can thoroughly recommend the experience. Helping the scientists to collect, identify and voucher as many specimens as possible is incredible. The standout for me so far is running the camp at Wingan Inlet with Andrea from Earthwatch. We set out on […]

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Bush Blitz dives deep in Mallacoota

November 12, 2016March 14, 2017 Bush Blitz

The Bush Blitz aquatic team has been diving deep around Gabo Island just off the coast of Mallacoota bringing back some amazing images of creatures great and small.  

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bushblitz

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Species discovery partnership by the Australian Government, BHP and Earthwatch Australia
Happy National Wattle Day! 💚💛 Yellow flower Happy National Wattle Day! 💚💛 Yellow flowers might spring to mind, but did you know that wattles (genus 𝘈𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢) can also have red, pink and purple flowers? 𝘈𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘢 didn’t know, Australia is a wattle wonderland, with more than 1073 species growing on the continent. #wattledayaustralia #wattleday #greenandgold #acacia #flowers #plants #flowersofinstagram #australia #bushblitz #biodiversity #nature
G’day Mites! Meet Dr Jenny Beard, a passionate G’day Mites! Meet Dr Jenny Beard, a passionate taxonomist from Queensland Museum who’s made it her life’s work to uncover the secrets of mites! Mite-y Marvels Mites might not win any popularity contests, but these eight-legged arachnids (yep, they’re cousins to spiders!) are some of the most overlooked critters on Earth. But they’re crawling with excitement! Decked out in armour, these invertebrates don’t have a skeleton. Instead, their bodies are protected by a tough exoskeleton. Their super grippy legs help them cling to leaves (and sometimes animals!), while their flattened bodies let them squeeze into the tiniest nooks and crannies to hide from hungry predators. Australia has about 3,000 named species of mites! Bush Blitz Adventures Jenny joined our Bush Blitz to Rungulla National Park in Queensland, Australia where she and her colleague Dr Owen Seeman found eleven species and three genera that were new to Western science! One special mite Prolixus insignis was named after where it was found – living on the sedge Gahnia insignis. Both the sedge and its mite are known only from the low mallee woodlands of Lamington National Park that was badly burned during the 2019/2020 Black Summer bushfires. Now that this tiny mite has a scientific name, researchers can keep an eye on its population and help protect it if needed. A Life’s Work in the World of Mites You might think these are the mites of Dr Jenny’s life, but she’s named and described over 130 species so far! And she’s not stopping anytime soon – Jenny believes there could be more than 200 species hiding on Goodeniaceae plants alone, just waiting to be examined. A Big Thank You This research was supported by the Bush Blitz Taxonomy Research Program, with special thanks to the Ewamian People, Traditional Owners and Custodians of Rungulla National Park, for welcoming the team and joining the adventure. So next time you’re out in the bush, spare a thought for the tiny mites – you might be walking over a whole world of mite-y wonders! 🖊️ @bry_the_fly_guy #RungullaBushBlitz #bushblitz #taxonomy @earthwatch_aus @Parks_Australia @qldmuseum
Schools ahoy! ⚓🚸📢 Applications are now op Schools ahoy! ⚓🚸📢 Applications are now open for schools to join our virtual Floating Classroom onboard the CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator. Live cross with our team of marine scientists as they spend ~35 days searching for species swimming, crawling and floating in the Coral Sea between 13 Oct – 13 Nov 2025. 👩🏽‍🔬 Sea what we’re doing 🔬Sea what we’ve found! 🛳️ Sea what it’s like to live on a research ship! We’re so excited to partner with our friends at @CSIROgram to search for species new to Western science – fins crossed we find some! For more information or to sign up your school, email Emily.Gumina@csiro.au. This research is supported by a grant of sea time on RV Investigator from the CSIRO Marine National Facility, as well as Bush Blitz, Australia’s largest biodiversity survey program. 🛳️📷Rohan Newton 🛳️📷CSIRO 🐟📷Ingo Burghardt ⭐📷Camille Moreau 🥼📷 Bruce Deagle and Ingo Burghardt 🐠📷Yi-Kai Tea #BushBlitz #RVinvestigator #CSIRO #AustralianMarineParks #NCRISimpact #CoralSeaFrontier #coralsea #floatingclassroom #taxonomy #species #marinescience #science #biodiversity #stem #stemeducation #teachersaustralia #Australia #biology #fieldwork @BHP @earthwatch_aus @Parks_Australia @ausmarineparks
Happy World Lizard Day 🌏🦎🥳 Australia has Happy World Lizard Day 🌏🦎🥳 Australia has more than 900 lizard species. The continent boasts the most reptiles on Earth, with 90% of species found nowhere else in the world. One of our favourite lizards is the Marbled Velvet Gecko (𝘖𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘢) like this little one found living on Jawoyn Country near Katherine in the Northern Territory. We 💚 🦎 #WorldLizardDay #lizard #🦎 #reptiles #gecko #JawoynBushBlitz #bushblitz #katherine #taxonomy #species #science #biodiversity #stem #stemeducation #teachersaustralia #Australia #biology #fieldwork @BHP @earthwatch_aus @Parks_Australia
Meet Australia’s heaviest stick insect! 𝘈𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘢 is a newly named stick insect from Queensland that grows up to 40 cm long and weighs as much as a golf ball. Its scientific species name 𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘢 is a nod to its high altitude lifestyle in the Atherton Tableland rainforests of North Queensland. The species was only just published and scientifically named by Professor Angus Emmott (@jamescookuniversity) and Ross Coupland. 📷 Angus Emmott, James Cook University #taxonomy #species #stickinsect #phasmatodea #entomology #science #biodiversity #atherton #queensland #rainforest #stem #entomology
It’s World Ranger Day! Today we thank the brave It’s World Ranger Day! Today we thank the brave and hard-working rangers looking after our natural heritage and native species. Rangers are the first responders to protect endangered species and stop invasive species. This year we nerded out about seeds with Warddeken Rangers Zacharia, Suzannah, Kayla, Maureen, Al and Sylvaris and our National Seed Bank friends Tom and Freya. The team workshopped the best ways to collect, store and look after native seeds and will share their knowledge with other rangers at the upcoming Australasian Seed Science Conference. Thank you to all the rangers who have worked alongside our Bush Blitz scientists to build a better understanding of Australian biodiversity. After all, we can’t protect what we don’t know. @warddeken #WorldRangerDay #RangerRespect #RangerDay #warddekenrangers #warddeken #bushblitz #seeds #science #Stem #stemeducation #biodiversity #Australia #species #biology #fieldwork @earthwatch_aus @Parks_Australia
Apart from a few famous fungi, Australian species Apart from a few famous fungi, Australian species are poorly known. We could have up to 250,000 native species, but only 5–10% have scientific names. 🍄 #bushblitz #taxonomy #science #Stem #stemeducation #teachersaustralia #biodiversity #Australia #species #biology #fieldwork @earthwatch_aus @Parks_Australia
Hot off the plant press! 🔥📃🔬 We’re exc Hot off the plant press! 🔥📃🔬 We’re excited to share our findings from the Bush Blitz to Wudjari Country! Located near Esperance on the south coast of Western Australia, our team of Tjaltjraak rangers and scientists searched high and low (and even underwater!) for species hiding to science. Together we identified 683 species of animals and plants, including 18 undescribed species unknown to Western science. Our scientists are now busy examining these species under their microscopes to formally describe and classify them. Our new findings can also help land managers in their fight to protect local biodiversity, as the team identified five plant and several mollusc species listed as significant for conservation. We also recorded 22 invasive animal and plant species from the area. A huge thank you to the Kepa Kurl Wudjari People, Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation and Tjaltjraak Rangers for guiding us on Country. Read our full report on the Bush Blitz website. #Wudjari #Tjaltjraak #WudjariBushBlitz #Esperance #WesternAustralia #bushblitz #taxonomy #science #Stem #stemeducation #teachersaustralia #biodiversity #Australia #species #biology #fieldwork @earthwatch_aus @Parks_Australia
Australia has more moths than butterflies. That’ Australia has more moths than butterflies. That’s 10,500 moth species out-fluttering only 450 butterflies. 🦋🌙 Happy National Moth Week. 📸@bry_the_fly_guy #nationalmothweek #mothweek #🦋 #moths #butterflies #moth #butterfly #insects #insectsofinstagram #entomology #fieldwork #biodiversity #species #bushblitz
Did you know there are 550 native cockroach specie Did you know there are 550 native cockroach species in Australia? Most will never wander into your kitchen. 🪳🧡 This gorgeous native cockroach was spotted on our recent Bush Blitz to Jawoyn Country near Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia. #bushblitz #jawoyn #jawoynbushblitz #cockroach #entomology #insects
“If we don’t look after country, we’re not g “If we don’t look after country, we’re not going to have anything”. Wise words from educator and ranger coordinator Fifi Harris. We can’t protect species without knowing what to call them and recording where they live. That’s why we are thankful to Fifi, the Tjiwarl rangers and the @tjiwarlac Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation for leading our scientists on our Bush Blitz to Tjiwarl country. Combing cultural knowledge and scientific information helps us build a better understanding of our native species and look after our precious lands. This week is NAIDOC Week celebrating and recognising the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Check out events in your local area to celebrate and learn about the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. #Tjiwarl #WesternAustralia #NAIDOC ##NAIDOCWeek #bushblitz #taxonomy #science #Stem #stemeducation #teachersaustralia #biodiversity #Australia #species #biology #fieldwork @earthwatch_aus @Parks_Australia
Congratulations to the recipients of the 2024-25 B Congratulations to the recipients of the 2024-25 Bush Blitz Taxonomy Research Project Contracts! These hard-working scientists will name and describe 84 species new to science that were uncovered on Bush Blitzes across Australia. 🪱 Elena Kupriyanova (Australian Museum) 🦋 Ethan Beaver (CSIRO) 🐚 Frank Koehler (Australian Museum) 🦎 Jane Melville (Museums Victoria) 🕷️ Jenny Beard (Queensland Museum) 🕸️ Jeremy Wilson (Western Australian Museum) 🦗 Marina Cheng (University of New South Wales) 🪲 Olivia Evangelista (CSIRO) 🐝 Remko Leijs (Ecosystem and Biological Services) 🌳 Richard Jobson (Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust) 🕷️Robert Raven (BAAM Ecological Consultants) Check out our website to apply for the 2025-26 Bush Blitz Taxonomy Research Projects at the link in our bio. #bushblitz #taxonomy #scientists #science #Stem #Scicomm #stemeducation #teachersaustralia #biodiversity #Australia #species #biology #fieldwork @inside_bhp @earthwatch_aus @parksaustralia
Teamwork makes the dream work 💥🕷️🎉 On Teamwork makes the dream work 💥🕷️🎉 On our Bush Blitz to Tjiwarl Country in Western Australia, Rangers Tina Harris and Maurveen Muir (@tjiwarlac) showed our scientists the best places to find species new to science. When spider scientist Jeremy Wilson (@2fangs8legs @wamuseum) was looking for ground spiders, Tina and Maurveen showed him the burrows under the mulga trees they remember as kids. They found a population of wishbone spiders (genus Aname) that turns out to be a species new to science. Jeremy, Maurveen and Tina are continuing their work to find more specimens and scientifically name and describe this species. Combining Cultural and taxonomic knowledge helps us better understand our unique biodiversity. Knowing which species live on Country helps rangers and scientists protect them for future generations. Read more about the joint discovery here: tinyurl.com/ycx5ztt5 This week is also #NationalReconciliationWeek, a time to reflect on our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and learn how each of us can help build a more united and respectful Australia. #NRW2025  ✍️ @bry_the_fly_guy @majomu1977 @tjiwarlac #Tjiwarl #TjiwarlRangers #TjiwarlBushBlitz #bushblitz #taxonomy #scientists #scientistsofinstagram #science #Stem #Scicomm #stemeducation #teachersaustralia #biodiversity #Australia #species #biology #fieldwork @inside_bhp @earthwatch_aus @parksaustralia @wamuseum
It’s time to come out of your shells and celebra It’s time to come out of your shells and celebrate World Turtle Day!  🌏🐢🎊 Did you know that there 32 native species of turtles living in Australia? 🤯 One of our favourites is the Worrells Turtle that was recently spotted by scientists Dr Alana de Laive (@miss_varanus @mag_nt ) and Dr Dane Trembath (@danetrembath @australianmuseum) on our Bush Blitz to Jawoyn Country, NT. You can find this adorable species living its best life in billabongs along plateau country in the Top End of Australia. ☀️🦘 Unfortunately, more than half of the turtle species living in Australia are threatened. ⚠️😢 If you’d like to help scientists like Alana and Dane research and protect our native turtles, snap a photo of any turtles you see and upload it to @inaturalistorg or other citizen science apps. You can help collect vital data that can help conserve on our iconic turtle species.  🔍📸🌐 Have a turtlelly awesome day!  💪🐢 @jawoynassociation @nitmiluknationalpark @parksaustralia @earthwatch_aus #worldturtleday #turtles #turtlesrule #species #taxonomy #fieldwork #science #stem #stemeducation #biodiversity #bushblitz #jawoynrangers
Happy World Biodiversity Day! 🍄🌳🐨🦎🐢 Happy World Biodiversity Day! 🍄🌳🐨🦎🐢🐊🐟🦈🐬🦐🪸🪼🐙🦀 Did you know that there are close to 150,000 known species living in Australia? Scientists estimate that they’ve named only a quarter of all species on Earth. Without scientific names, species can’t be protected under conservation plans. That’s why Aboriginal Landowners and Bush Blitz scientists’ partner to uncover and name species hiding to science. This World Biodiversity Day, we’re celebrating some of the incredible species living on Jawoyn Country in the Northern Territory. 🦂🕷️🐌🐜🦗🪲🦟🪳🪰🐝🐞🦋🐛🪱 ✍️@bry_the_fly_guy @jawoynassociation @nitmiluknationalpark @parksaustralia @earthwatch_aus #worldbiodiversityday #internationaldayforbiologicaldiversityday #unitednations #species #nature #taxonomy #fieldwork #science #stem #stemeducation #biodiversity #bushblitz #jawoynrangers
Happy World Bee Day! 🌏🐝❤️ Meet seventy Happy World Bee Day! 🌏🐝❤️ Meet seventy one new to science species named by our un-bee-lievable Bush Blitz scientists! These newly named species are all native resin pot bees from the subgenus 𝘔𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 (𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦). They get their iconic name from the solitary mother bees that hang resin pots from twigs or tree bark. The resin pots will be home to their young brood, that will hatch into the next generation of crafty adults. Resin pot bees are unique to Australia, living in all states, except Tasmania. 15 of the 71 newly described species were collected on eight Bush Blitz expeditions. Lead author Dr Remko Leijs (@southaustralianmuseum) collected some of the bees using a large insect net that he straps to the car roof and affectionately calls Priscilla. Co-authors James Dorey @jamesbdorey (@UoW), Judy King (@qldmuseum) and Katja Hogendoorn (@uniofadelaide) are looking into the conservation status of Australia’s native bee species, as naming a species is the first step to protecting them. Congratulations to the research team! Bush Blitz is thrilled to fund and support this exciting research helping to build our understanding of Australian native bees. Read the full research article in the Australian Journal of Taxonomy. ✍️ @bry_the_fly_guy Extra photos via @iNaturalistorg (CC-BY-NC). #WorldBeeDay #beesarecool #bees #taxonomy #fieldwork #science #entomology #stem #stemeducation #biodiversity #AustralianJournalofTaxonomy #bushblitz @parksaustralia @earthwatch_aus
ICYMI: Check out the highlights from our recent Bu ICYMI: Check out the highlights from our recent Bush Blitz to Jawoyn Country on @abcnews_au featuring @mag_nt entomologists Kirsti Abbot (@buggirl) and Jared Archibald, and Jodi Rowley (@jodirowley) from the @australianmuseum and @frogidaus. With only a quarter of all species documented to science, @bushblitz aims to bring together scientists, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Peoples and land managers to document and enrich our knowledge of Australia’s hidden biodiversity. Reporter James Elton says it best, that the challenge is “a biodiversity puzzle that will take many hands to solve”. A huge thank you to the @jawoynassociation and @nitmiluknationalpark for hosting us on Jawoyn Country. #bushblitz #JawoynBushBlitz @parksaustralia @earthwatch #NitmilukNationalPark #JawoynCountry #STEM #NorthernTerritory
What’s a zombie ants favourite movie – ResidAN What’s a zombie ants favourite movie – ResidANT Evil! 🧟🐜 Our scientists recently discovered Zombie ants from our scientific expedition to Jawoyn Country (near Katherine, NT). These poor savanna ants (𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘺𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴) were infected by the fungus 𝘖𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘺𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘴 – a close relative to the infamous 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘺𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘴 causing mayhem in @thelastofus. Entomologist François Brassard (@ant__frank) found the dead ants clamped to grass stalks while looking for species new to science on Jawoyn Country. He said the fungi infects the ants and possesses them to climb high and release spores to infect more unsuspecting ants. Mycologist Sherie Bruce (@csirogram) examined the Zombie ants and confirmed that this is the first time 𝘖𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘺𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘴 fungi have been found infecting ants in the Top End of Australia. Together Sherie and François are planning exciting new research to sequence the DNA from both the ant and fungus and study the eerie relationship in more detail. A huge thanks to the @JawoynAssociation and @nitmiluknationalpark for hosting more than 50 scientists, rangers and teachers to document the hidden biodiversity living on Country. ✍️ @bry_the_fly_guy @ParksAustralia @MAG_NT @EarthWatch @ntgovernment #bushblitz #speciesdiscovery #JawoynBushBlitz #JawoynRangers #NitmilukNationalPark #NorthernTerritory #CUintheNT #Australia #ZombieAnts #STEM #STEMEducation #entomology #fungi #MAGNT #LastOfUs
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