Whether working in a pollinator garden, or leading students along a nature walk, Master Naturalists don’t always immediately recognize every organism that we come across. These apps, usually available on all mobile phone systems are really useful when out in the field.
- iNaturalist – crowd-sourced citizen science plants and animal identification – post a picture of your creature, and members of the community will help you identify it. Often you can find projects to help scientists collect data on specific organisms.
- SEEK – made by iNaturalist, uses image recognition technology to give you an instant answer to the plant or creature you are observing. Not always as accurate as the main iNaturalist app, but it will usually get you close to the right genus and species.
- Merlin Bird ID – This app will listen to the birds around you and identify what kind of bird you hear. Very useful if you can’t get a clear visual on a bird, or if you’re still learning to identify them.
- eBird – Whether keeping track of birds for projects such as the Great Backyard Bird Count or for your own checklist, this app will help keep note of the where/when/what of your observations, and also allow scientists to study your findings.
- (Website) Texas Tree Identification – This website will help you narrow down and identify the tree you are standing under.