#iNaturalist app

[secondhandbagofholding]

Hey, me and my fiancé saw you from across the iNaturalist app and we really dig your vibe.

[delicatelysublimeforester]

The Nature-Inspired Journey of Emperor Hirohito

Walking in the Footsteps of Hirohito: A Greenery Day Exploration The story of Greenery Day which has a name change to “Showa Day” takes us back to the youthful days of Japanese Emperor Hirohito, a man whose passion for marine biology and nature shaped the celebration we honor on April 29. Showa Day is the revamped name for Greenery Day, honoring Emperor Showa’s fondness for plants, also known as…

[rebeccathenaturalist]

An App Does Not a Master Naturalist Make

Originally posted on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/app-not-master-naturalist/ - I had written this as an op-ed and sent it to WaPo, but they had no interest, so you get to read it here instead!

I have mixed feelings about Michael Coren’s April 25 Washington Post article, “These 4 free apps can help you identify every flower, plant and tree around you.” His ebullience at exploring some of the diverse ecological community around him made me grin, because I know exactly what it feels like. There’s nothing like that sense of wonder and belonging when you go outside and are surrounded by neighbors of many species, instead of a monotonous wall of green, and that is a big part of what led me to become a Master Naturalist.

When I moved from the Midwest to the Pacific Northwest in 2006, I felt lost because I didn’t recognize many of the animals or plants in my new home. So I set about systematically learning every species that crossed my path. Later, I began teaching community-level classes on nature identification to help other people learn skills and tools for exploring their local flora, fauna, and fungi.

Threeleaf foamflower (Tiarella trifoliata)

Let me be clear: I love apps. I use Merlin routinely to identify unknown bird songs, and iNaturalist is my absolute favorite ID app, period. But these tools are not 100% flawless.

For one thing, they’re only as good as the data you provide them. iNaturalist’s algorithms, for example, rely on a combination of photos (visual data), date and time (seasonal data), and GPS coordinates (location data) to make initial identification suggestions. These algorithms sift through the 135-million-plus observations uploaded to date, finding observations that have similar visual, seasonal, and location data to yours.

There have been many times over the years where iNaturalist isn’t so sure. Take this photo of a rather nondescript clump of grass. Without seed heads to provide extra clues, the algorithms offer an unrelated assortment of species, with only one grass. I’ve gotten that “We’re not confident enough to make a recommendation” message countless times over my years of using the app, often suggesting species that are clearly not what I’m looking at in real life.

Because iNaturalist usually offers up multiple options, you have to decide which one is the best fit. Sometimes it’s the first species listed, but sometimes it’s not. This becomes trickier if all the species that are suggested look alike. Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima), smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) and eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra) all have pinnately compound, lanceolate leaves, and young plants of these three species can appear quite similar. If all you know how to do is point and click your phone’s camera, you aren’t going to be able to confidently choose which of the three plants is the right one.

Coren correctly points out that both iNaturalist and Pl@ntNet do offer more information on suggested species—if people are willing to take the time to look. Too many assume ID apps will give an easy, instant answer. In watching my students use the app in person almost everyone just picks the first species in the list. It’s not until I demonstrate how to access the additional content for each species offered that anyone thinks to question the algorithms’ suggestions.

While iNaturalist is one of the tools I incorporate into my classes, I emphasize that apps in general are not to be used alone, but in conjunction with field guides, websites, and other resources. Nature identification, even on a casual level, requires critical thinking and observation skills if you want to make sure you’re correct. Coren’s assertion that you only need a few apps demonstrates a misunderstanding of a skill that takes time and practice to develop properly—and accurately.

Speaking of oversimplification, apps are not a Master Naturalist in your pocket, and that statement —while meant as a compliment–does a disservice to the thousands of Master Naturalists across the country. While the training curricula vary from state to state, they are generally based in learning how organisms interact within habitats and ecosystems, often drawing on a synthesis of biology, geology, hydrology, climatology, and other natural sciences. A Master Naturalist could tell you not only what species you’re looking at, but how it fits into this ecosystem, how its adaptations are different from a related species in another ecoregion, and so forth.

Map showing Level III and IV ecoregions of Oregon, the basis of my training as an Oregon Master Naturalist.

In spite of my criticisms, I do think that Coren was absolutely onto something when he described the effects of using the apps. Seeing the landscape around you turn from a green background to a vibrant community of living beings makes going outside a more exciting, personal experience. I and my fellow nature nerds share an intense curiosity about the world around us. And that passion, more than any app or other tool, is fundamental to becoming a citizen naturalist, Master or otherwise.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[lovenpeace-pkmn]

Huh, the Pokédex app is kind of cool. It really is very clever to crowdsource all that data on Pokémon distribution, especially now that you can submit photos of sightings instead of just data from caught Pokémon.

You guys...probably already knew that, though...

[fidgetspringer]

Do you miss the Pokemon GO days but feel done with the game?

Here's an alternative for you:

-Download the Merlin app.

-Make an account with Cornell lab of Ornithology.

-Go for a walk.

-Hear a bird? Hit 'Sound ID' and let the app do its thing.

-Hit 'This is my bird' and follow instructions.

Congrats! You just logged a bird sighting! Now go do another.

[essektheylyss]

Okay but for real, please download Merlin, the Cornell-based bird-logging app. It is so great. It will tell you about birds in your area. It will make you so insufferable on hikes and outings. It doesn't have any comments section so if this site gets nuked do NOT try to find me there but know that that's where I'm hanging. Having a great time birdwatching. Logging the bluejay that bullies my cats. Helping researchers track where birds are for climate change-related population monitoring. 10/10, highly recommend getting a life and doing some silly birdwatching.

[brdies-beasties]

Just a silly reminder that citizen science is SO EASY!! I strongly believe that everyone ever should have iNaturalist, even if you don't use it that often. Genuinely i think that people overestimate the amount of information or commitment they have to already have to be able to contribute, so here's a quick walkthrough of what you need to make an iNaturalist entry:

-have you seen (or heard) EVIDENCE of an organism? (the organism, the sound it makes, a feather/fur, scat, prints, or any other evidence that something has Been There)

-do you know where you are? (this can be as broad as a continent or as specific as a street address)

That's literally it. You don't have to know what species you've seen (although any ideas you have will be helpful! you can log something as a broader family, or even as just generally 'bird' or 'fungus'). You don't have to have pictures or recordings of it. You don't have to know almost anything. You can just put what you do have out there and people will add to it with what they know!!

Also, having an entry on iN bumped up to research grade is maybe one of the most affirming things a person could ever experience.

[vanessarama]

New thing I started doing for fun since literally yesterday is iNaturalist and I’m kind of mad that I wasn’t already using it. It’s literally just “look at this weird/cool/cute creature/plant/mushroom I saw!! Wtf is it” and people telling you wtf it is. And since I garden, I ALWAYS want to know if bugs I see around my veggies or Friend or Foe

[k66-official]

Oh? Dororo, you have a phone?

I think our phones are connected to the Kero Ball, or something like that? I've not looked into it much, to be honest.

[vampyroteuthid]

weird hummingbird

[benshakir]

this meme has been living in my brain for the past week so here you all go

[thiswildcuriosity]

There's an app for that. I took a look at some of the best apps that can help you identify plants and animals when you're out in nature and why Merlin changed my outdoor experience.

[delicatelysublimeforester]

Unleash Your Inner Explorer: Dive into Biodiversity with the iNaturalist App

Are you ready to embark on a thrilling journey through Saskatoon and Area’s rich tapestry of wildlife and natural wonders? The Saskatoon and area City Nature Challenge is back, and this year, we’re inviting you to join us in an exhilarating adventure of discovery and conservation! iNaturalist Observation with smart phone connecting with nature, supporting vital conservation research…

[namedafterflowerstournament]

seek by inaturalist is a super cool app that can identify plants for you

Thank you ! I didn't know there was an app for that (well I used to call my own favorite plant expert Grandma) and someone kindly explained to me that the plant I was looking for was quite common, the acanthus is used for its decorative aspect apparently. (Just like the Greeks sculpted acanthus leaves at the top of their columns - I've always confused them but I think it's the Corinthian style ? I know Ionic is one of the simpler ones but not sure about Doric-.

I think I remember a forum in my language where you could ask specialists from what feels like ages ago but they asked for a lot of precisions and social interactions aren't my thing.

Thank you ! I'd stop browsing images after typing "round purple stars flower" (for anyone interested, it was an allium (ornamental onion) in despair. And it wouldn't take me so long to find Euphorbia amygdaloides (green-yellow flowers in the woods towards May)

[madxzxz]

This is a drawing of an antlion I did when I was practicing drawing a long time ago and I love it and antlions are favorite insect number one number one

Support your local park rangers

[mosscrab]

saying I've been added to an invasive species group was really just setting myself up wasn't it