Have you ever been on a walk, or a hike in the woods when you come across a plant or animal you wish you knew the name of? Whether you’re wanting to identify a tree to put in your yard or an amazing bird perched near the creek that you want to know more about, well there is an app for that.

iNaturalist takes the power of AI and turns it into a personal field guide. We have downloaded the app ourselves and we can attest to the fact that it is user friendly – all you need to do it snap a picture of the plant or animal in question and upload it. Then the iNaturalist community will help identify which species it is for you – easy Peasey.

The app creates an up-to-date map of everyone’s sightings in your area and allows you to ask experts for help with identification. Also, while you are out documenting the species of the world, you are helping contribute useful species data for researchers. So it is a win-win for everyone!

Also, join us April 24-27 while we take part in the City Nature Challenge, which is a four day challenge that is now taking place individually where we get as many people in Austin to participate in spotting and uploading different species that they find in their area, whether that is their backyard, neighborhood park or Pease Park. It’ll be a fun way to engage with nature and other nature-lovers, so let’s do it together!

The City Nature Challenge is organized by Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and California Academy of Sciences.