This Waterloo naturalist challenged himself to identify 1,000 plants. He's well on his way

Spring is in full bloom across Waterloo region, where colourful plants and flowers are coming back to life. 

It's an especially exciting time of year for 22-year-old naturalist Baxter Naday. 

"I try to get out every day," he said.

The University of Waterloo student is on a mission to identify 1,000 unique plant species within a 50-kilometer radius of Waterloo, Ont. — from Stratford to Acton, and Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area to Brantford.

He's already a quarter of the way there, having identified more than 250 plant species, including a Sharp-lobed Hepatica and Plantain-leaf Sedge. He's visited natural sites in New Hamburg, Waterloo, Baden and Ayr, and plans to visit Guelph, Brantford and Branchton.

Getting to know K-W from the ground up

Naday said he was inspired by an online challenge initiated by a local environment consultant. 

Naday, who's originally from Toronto, said he accepted the challenge to help him get to know the region a little better.

"It's my last year of undergrad, so I want to get to know the place before I go off somewhere else. This challenge forces me to stay ... go to places I haven't before, towns I haven't seen. And just as importantly, meet local people that I haven't met before."

Will van Hemessen, environmental consultant in North Dumfries, was the one behind the challenge that first launched in 2018.

"I started it just because I thought it would be fun," he said. "It was a big success. I got a lot of really good feedback. So I run it every year since."

He said in its first year, there were about 22,000 plant observations submitted, but last year there were about 64,000 covering 2,200 plant species. He said naturalists of all kinds have signed up — from high school students curious about nature, to professional botanists. 

"We're engaging people with the natural environment and not just like in their gardens, but like in the provincial parks and conservation areas, the natural areas around them," said van Hemessen.

Initially, the challenge was Ontario-wide; Naday's already completed that one. For 2022 van Hemessen is getting participants to stay within a 50-kilometer radius.

"In the interest of reducing our environmental footprint, particularly carbon footprint, I figured it would be fun to encourage people to stay local and observe as many plants as they could within their local area," said van Hemessen.

He said at least 25 people, including Naday, are completing the challenge in Waterloo region.

Outdoors a happy place

Naday said he doesn't really know where his passion for nature stems from. He said he's interested in "just being outside and having a drive to know what everything is outside."

He started learning about birds at age seven, then moved on to plants. His hobbies grew serious after enrolling in the environment program at University of Waterloo.

He said being able to get outdoors makes him feel "really good."

"I'm really busy at school … but this helps me get through the week. It's just a break from it all. Just to be out here, hear the birds and bend down and get really close to the soil and put my hand up against a tree," he said.

Naday expects to graduate this year and find a job in the industry.

"Trying to find something that will be similar to what I was doing all 2022 walking around outside. And looking at birds and plants and all that. I bet you somebody would pay me to do that," he said.

He hopes to reach his goal of finding 1,000 plant species in the region by September.