The Fifty Species Challenge is a nature education program started in 2006 by Kate Marianchild of Ukiah, California. It is enthusiastically supported by members of Redbud Audubon. Individuals and organizations are welcome to use it for non-profit purposes without requesting permission.

The Fifty Species Challenge program invites you into a deeper connection with the natural world around you.
 
Quail
California Quail
Photo © Tracy L. Taylor		 When you complete this program:
  1. you will be able to identify fifty plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects that live around you (you will learn a total of fifty species, not fifty of each species); and
  2. you will know several facts about what each of those species needs to survive. For example, if you were to choose California Quail as one of your species, you might learn that 1) it eats the seeds and leaves of broad-leaf plants such as lupine; 2) it nests on the ground in dense foliage such as Himalayan blackberry bushes; and 3) it is eaten by Cooper's Hawks and bobcats.
 
It's Simple!
 
You may choose any species for your journal, whether they are in your backyard or living wild. You will create a Fifty Species Challenge journal page for each species you choose. On your page you will describe that species, as well as explain when and where you saw it and what the habitat was like. You will also list at least two facts about how that plant or animal is connected to other plants or animals. If you are doing a page on Black-Tailed Deer, for instance, you might say that it eats mistletoe, lichen, and acorns, and it is eaten by mountain lions, coyotes, and eagles.
 
Quail
Flame Skimmer Dragonfly
Photo © Jon Klein		 You might want to choose species that are in the same food chain. For instance, if you were to do a journal page on mistletoe, you would find out that native California bees need mistletoe flower nectar in winter, when few other flowers are blooming. You might then decide to do a page one of the native California bees; then you might want to write about a dragonfly that eats that bee, a songbird that eats that dragonfly, and a snake that eats that songbird's eggs.
 
Your journal page will include a description of the species, and can include a drawing, a photograph, and even real feathers, leaves, dried flowers, or fur if you'd like. You may use the official Fifty Species Challenge form or create your own format, as long as you provide the required information.
 
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