Modern Tools for the Everyday Naturalist

Have you ever been in your yard or out exploring nature, spotted a plant or animal, and wondered what is that? Me too. Even as a seasoned naturalist—keen on tracking down old-growth trees and spring ephemerals—I still find myself stumped by tricky plants and animals-those warblers always seem to trip me up!

Not too long ago, your best bet was lugging around a hefty field guide like those from Roger Peterson or Ken Kaufman. Helpful, yes—but they take practice to use, and flipping through hundreds of pages in the field can be daunting.

Thankfully, today we have smartphones, and with them, a wealth of identification tools right at our fingertips. We can consolidate dozens of books and field guides into something that fits inside your front pocket.

Understanding the plants and animals that inhabit our watershed helps deepen our knowledge of the solutions needed to keep streams, rivers, and lakes healthy. By identifying species, we not only build practical knowledge but also spark conversations around practices that support and protect them. For landowners, identification can also highlight invasive species and guide the development of management plans. The tools below can help you get started:

Merlin Bird ID

Created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Merlin is one of the most popular bird identification apps. You can identify birds by answering a few quick questions, uploading a photo, or even recording their songs and calls. It’s beginner-friendly and draws from Cornell’s massive eBird database, which means the app is constantly updated with sightings from birds around the world.

Merlin landing page to identify birds by characteristics or sounds

Visit here: https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/ 

iNaturalist

Developed in 2008 as a graduate project at the University of California, Berkeley, and now a joint initiative with the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society, iNaturalist has grown into one of the world’s largest community science platforms. Users upload photos of plants, animals, fungi, and more, and the app suggests identifications. Observations are then verified by the global community of naturalists and scientists, making it both a learning tool and a way to contribute to biodiversity research.

iNaturalist Explore page to see sightings in your area

Visit here: https://www.inaturalist.org/

Seek by iNaturalist

Launched in 2018 by the iNaturalist team, Seek is designed for a more casual audience who wants instant confirmation of plants and animals. It uses the same image recognition technology but doesn’t require creating an account or sharing your location. Seek is also a game of exploration with badges and challenges, making it especially fun for families and kids who want to learn about nature without diving into the full community science side of iNaturalist.

Seek landing page to use the camera identifier or search nearby species

Visit here: https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_app

Whether you’re just starting to notice the world around you or you’re a seasoned naturalist, these apps make identifying plants and animals more accessible than ever. From crowdsourced expertise to instant recognition, there’s a tool for every type of naturalist. So next time curiosity strikes on the trail or in your backyard, you’ll have the resources to turn curiosity into knowledge.