Digging into a pile of mulch at Bennett’s Creek Park, 8-year-old Daniel Kuzio freed a captive, wiggling skink removed from the woods.

The skink was one of dozens of creatures and bugs that Daniel and other volunteers spotted on a 75-minute hike in the woods along the Bennett’s Creek shoreline Saturday. The Nansemond River Preservation Alliance sponsored its second BioBlitz at the park, where participants counted species of plants and trees, birds, invertebrates, mammals, reptiles and fish in sections of the park, said executive director Elizabeth Taraski.

The local event came a week before the National Geographic Society’s BioBlitz 2016, a nationwide campaign that encourages citizen participation in scientific observation. The Great Dismal Swamp and Wildlife Refuge is one of nine parks in Virginia that will be sponsoring BioBlitz events on April 23.

The NRPA’s BioBlitz helps the organization identify and inventory species of birds, plants, fish and reptiles in the Nansemond River watershed for use in a field guide, Taraski said.

But it’s also about helping families have fun, get away from electronic devices and enjoy nature, she said.

“This is hands-on … and it shows the connections between all species in the ecosystem,” Taraski said. “There is no substitute for actually getting out and experiencing the environment.”

Retired science teacher Stuart McCausland, a entomology buff, led about 20 people along shaded trails, stopping occasionally to lift or break a crumbling log to see what scurried from beneath it. His group found beetles, woodlice, spiders, ants and the skink, among other things.

McCausland carefully examined a spider, holding it up for a group of admirers and taking a close-up picture before freeing it.

When McCausland found a beetle, Kuzio rushed around with a bug-catching container with an attached magnifying glass.

“So everyone can see,” he said, making sure everyone got a close-up look before releasing it.

According to Taraski, BioBlitz participants found 21 insects, 31 birds, 36 plants and 10 marine animals at Bennett’s Creek Park.

While it was her first BioBlitz, Marsha Rooks of Suffolk found it “fascinating.”

“It’s been fun,” said Rooks, stepping over paths wrinkled with tree roots. “People around here complain about bugs but … this is nothing compared to what I saw after spending a summer on the Amazon 20 years ago.”

Volunteer Bill Old said the BioBlitz was eye opening.

“You can live your whole life outside and not see some of these things,” he added.