Free Nature Identification Apps
Have you ever wondered which species of bird has made the tree outside your window their home? What type of plant is taking over your backyard? Or what that weird looking worm is on your porch? With a nature identification app, you can discover which species of plants, flowers, trees, animals and insects are right outside your front door.
Luckily, there are several free apps available for download to help you identify, record, track, and learn about the world around you—which is the perfect pastime while we continue to social distance. Here are our top five:
iNaturalist
Connect with a community of over 400,000 naturalists and scientists on iNaturalist, the popular nature app that helps you to identify plants and animals around you, and learn more about nature. The app is a joint initiative between the National Geographic Society and the California Academy of Sciences.
Users have the ability to record observations and share them with the community, receive suggestions and identifications of what they’ve seen, and discuss and help others identify what they’ve seen. You can also follow small community projects and likeminded citizens who are passionate about a particular species or location.
Seek by iNaturalist
With Seek by iNaturalist, simply open the app and point the Seek Camera at a living thing to identify it. The app’s database was built by millions of wildlife observations on iNaturalist; and is continuously being added to. You can also scroll through lists of common insects, birds, plants, amphibians, and more, in your area, add different species to your observations, and learn everything you need to know about them.
Earn badges as you observe different species and participate in fun challenges! This is the perfect app for families who love to explore the great outdoors together or for anyone who is interested in learned about the world around them. Just like iNaturalist, Seek is a joint initiative between the National Geographic Society and the California Academy of Sciences.
PictureThis – Plant Identifier
PictureThis helps users identify over 1 million plants every single day with 98 percent accuracy—which is “better than most human experts,” according to the app’s description.
The app’s AI engine is constantly learning from scientists and other plant experts to provide you with up-to-date information. PictureThis also offers one-on-one conversations with botanists, plant guides to help you keep your plants healthy, a place to take notes, get reminders and record the growth of your plants, trees and flowers, and a tool for diagnosing plant problems, followed by treatment suggestions.
PlantSnap: Plant Identifier
With over 90 percent of all known plant species on Earth in their database, PlantSnap is another great option for nature enthusiasts. Their algorithm is improved monthly using over 200,000 anonymous images taken by users every day and will automatically update for you every time a new group of species is added. Take advantage of the Explore section of the app to view photos from users across the planet and build your own library of plants, trees and flowers that you’ve found.
Audubon Bird Guide
The National Audubon Society, which protects birds and the places they live throughout the Americas, created their own bird guide app, Audubon Bird Guide. This complete field guide to over 800 species of North American birds will help you to identify the birds around you, keep track of the birds you’ve seen, and explore the world around you to find new birds.The guide includes over 3,000 photos, 8 hours of audio clips of songs and calls, range maps, and text by North American bird expert Kenn Kaufman. You can also get involved with the organization to go birding and take action to protect birds and their homes.
Which app will you try first? And what cool species will you discover? We can’t wait to hear about it!