By Susan Neuman
For those of our readers unfamiliar with iNaturalist, here is a basic description of it, as given in Wikipedia:
"iNaturalist is an American . . . nonprofit social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe. iNaturalist may be accessed via its website or from its mobile applications. iNaturalist includes an automated species identification tool, and users further assist each other in identifying organisms from photographs and even sound recordings." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INaturalist)
iNaturalist is a very useful tool for learning about nature and for sharing information. Here’s another quote about it, from its website:
"You can use it to record your own observations, get help with identifications, collaborate with others to collect this kind of information for a common purpose, or access the observational data collected by iNaturalist users.”(https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/about)
As a native plant enthusiast, you may be interested in using iNaturalist when you need help identifying a plant, or if you wish to share your plant discoveries with the wider community. This article will discuss how to accomplish these steps, in some detail. You may also find the information contained in iNaturalist to be useful when you’re wondering if a specific plant occurs in your geographical region. A second article (to be published in the near future) will discuss iNaturalist’s functionalities for that purpose.
How to get started on iNaturalist
Your first step is to create an iNaturalist account. You can find detailed instructions for that on the iNaturalist website:
You then need to decide whether you wish to use the iNaturalist functions on its website: iNaturalist.org, or whether you wish to download the iNaturalist app to your cellphone (there are apps for both IOS and Android operating systems). You CAN do both! Many people use iNaturalist on their cellphones when they are in the field (since they can easily carry them and it is simple to upload cellphone photos to the iNaturalist app on their phone). It is possible, however, to take photos in the field with a digital camera (or cellphone) and then upload those photos first to a computer, and then to the iNaturalist website, bypassing the need for the cellphone app. I like to use both: I use my cellphone for uploading my observations, and the website for searching out additional information on a species. Note that any observations that you enter into the iNaturalist app on your cellphone will be available to you on the iNaturalist website (and vice versa) if you sign onto both with the same iNaturalist account.
If you decide to use iNaturalist on the website, here’s a link to help you find your way around:
If you decide to use the iNaturalist app on your cellphone, the following information will give you the basics of its operations. To differentiate between the different screens in the cellphone app, we refer to them by their highlighted icons at the bottom of the screen: “Me” is the main screen you will use (selected by clicking on the icon of a person), in addition to the “Observe” screen (selected by clicking on the icon of a camera).
Using iNaturalist from your cellphone
Once you have downloaded the iNaturalist app, and have then signed into your iNaturalist account, the first thing you should do is to tap the Settings icon (the cog-wheel in the upper right-hand corner of the “Me” screen).
The settings shown in the figure to the right are the ones we suggest you use. If you’re like me, and like to use as little data as possible out in the field, set “Automatic upload” to OFF. That way, you can upload your observations to iNaturalist at a later time, when you’re connected to wifi, for example. (When you want to perform the upload, just tap the green-cloud icon on your observation, as seen in the next figure.)
At the very bottom of the Settings screen, there is a “Video Tutorial” that shows you how to make an observation. You can also access the same tutorial by going to the following link:
The basic steps of making an observation are as follows:
Open the “Observe” screen, by clicking on the camera icon at the bottom of the screen, and then click on the “Camera” option;
Take photos of the plant (using the + icon to add additional photos after the first one);
Ask iNaturalist to suggest an identification for the plant by clicking on the “What did you see?” line (a network connection - wifi or data - is required for this step);
Choose a suggested species that is the best match for your plant (or just choose a genus if you’re not sure of the actual species). By clicking on the “i” within a circle, on the right-hand side of each species suggested, you can see more photos to help you make a choice, and at the bottom of each species screen there’s also an option to get “More info on iNaturalist.org" (where you have access to further photos);
If you think you already know the ID for your plant, and you don’t see it listed as one of the suggestions, you can type its name directly into the search field, where it says ”Look up a species by name”. Then select that species as your suggested ID;
If you have set “Automatic Upload” to OFF, then save your observation, by clicking on the “SAVE” line at the bottom of the screen, and then later upload your observation to iNaturalist by clicking on the green-cloud icon.
If you have set “Automatic Upload” to ON, then clicking on the “SHARE” line, at the bottom of the screen will both save and upload your observation (a network connection - wifi or data - is required for this step).
If you DON’T have any access to data in the field, you can add an observation to the iNaturalist app at a later time by following these steps:
Open the iNaturalist app;
Click on “Observe” (the camera icon) at the bottom of the screen;
Choose “Photo Library” to upload your photos (at the top of the screen you can choose an Album if you’ve already sorted your photos to make choosing them easier);
Click on each of the photos that you want to add to the observation, and then click on “Add” in the upper right-hand corner;
Then follow the same instructions as given above for choosing a suggested species;
Save your observation, by clicking on the “SAVE” line at the bottom of the screen, and then upload it by clicking on the green-cloud icon (or click on the “SHARE” line).
You can make changes to any observation at a later date (for example, add more photos or change the ID) by clicking on that particular observation (on the “Me” screen), and then clicking on “Edit” in the upper right-hand corner. Click “Done” when you are finished, go back to the “Me” screen and then upload your changes to iNaturalist.
Once you have uploaded the photos, and suggested an ID, your observation is considered to be “Casual Grade”. Members of the iNaturalist community will then weigh in (hopefully), to either corroborate your ID or suggest a different ID. Once two or more members of the community have agreed on the ID, the observation is then considered to be “Research Grade”, which is the “holy grail” in the iNaturalist community.
How to check your observations
You can check on the status of your observations within the cellphone app by going to the “Me” screen. Any new activity will be displayed as a red flag in the right-hand column of an observation. (Once you have read the suggested ID or comment, the red flag turns black as indicated in the figure above.) The numeral attached to the flag indicates the number of suggestions/comments that have been made for that observation.
How to take photos for iNaturalist observations
Photographs are at the heart of every plant observation in iNaturalist. In creating an observation, you can take the photos “live”, while you’re in the field and actively using iNaturalist, or you can make an observation later using photos in your “Photo Library”. As long as you have enabled location services on your phone, your photos will automatically have the GPS coordinates recorded with them. iNaturalist will use this information when creating your observation.
To improve the chances of your plant being correctly identified by the iNaturalist photo-recognition software (and later corroborated by human experts), it’s important to get clear, detailed photographs. The first photo is usually of the entire plant in its natural setting – try to get as close to it as you can, to fill the picture frame (or crop your photo afterwards, to make the subject of the photo clear to other observers).
For wildflowers, shrubs, and trees, you should also try to get individual photos of the following (where possible):
Buds, flowers, and/or fruits (depending on the season);
Backs of flowers (showing the bracts, especially for composite flowers);
Tops and undersides of leaves (showing hairiness and veining);
Arrangement of the leaves (those at the base, if any, and leaves higher up on the stem);
Surfaces of stems (showing hairiness and veining, if any);
Stipules and/or tendrils (if present).
For graminoids (grasses, sedges, and rushes), you should also try to get individual photos of the following (where possible):
Base of the plant;
Blades and stems (showing hairiness and veining);
Ligules, auricles, and sheaths;
Collars and nodes;
Detailed photos of spikes and spikelets (paying attention to distinguishing structures, such as awns/bracts);
Close-ups of any fruits (seeds, achenes).
What else can you do in iNaturalist?
While this article has been concerned with how you can upload your observations to the iNaturalist community, the next article (to appear in a future issue of Wildflower News) will discuss how an individual might use the information that has been uploaded by other observers.