In Arizona, it’s pretty common to see a cactus wherever you turn, or a strange-looking ground beetle moseying across the sidewalk. In our desert landscape, only the most resilient of plants and animals are able to survive and thrive. With so many similar, spindly-looking plants and insects decorating the state, it’s difficult for the untrained nature enthusiast to differentiate between a saguaro and an organ pipe cactus.
Like many problems in the modern age, there lies a modern solution nestled in the app store. Seek by iNaturalist is an identification app that allows users to scan a video of things they see out and about in nature. The app uses image recognition technology to suggest what species it could be based on your general area, helping identify the strange and unknown.
The app was developed by the iNaturalist team; a nonprofit social network comprised of citizen scientists and biologists working together to identify the plants and animals around you while also generating data for science and conservation.
Essentially, Seek is a super-database of amphibians, bugs, birds, plants, mushrooms, and so much more! If you’ve ever seen something while walking out in nature and wondered what species it could be, simply opening up the camera on Seek allows the app to scan it against its massive database to determine what it could possibly be.
Seek is child and family-friendly; it only saves the data you upload if you choose to link your in-app data to an iNaturalist account, which I would recommend! By agreeing to share your findings with iNaturalist, you can map the biodiversity of wherever you are, helping scientists collect data and share findings about what is growing or thriving where, all while learning more about the nature present in your area.
iNaturalist’s mission is to connect people to the outdoors while advancing science and conservation. There are currently over seven million average users on the app, with their goal to have over 100 million users by 2030. The more people that use the app, the greater their database grows!
What may look like an average butterfly fluttering around could actually be an endangered species. Thanks to Seek, it’s easier than ever for people to get into the hobby of birding or insect watching, even if just while out on a morning walk. Seek also has fun monthly challenges within their app, encouraging users to get out into nature and discover different species for themselves.
In addition to Seek, there’s another app called Merlin Bird ID by Cornell University. This app records the audio in your area to identify birds based on their calls. Next time you hear a chirping bird, try out Merlin to see if it can identify the species!
As technology becomes more and more integrated into our lives, being able to use it to reconnect with nature is a powerful tool. Next time you go on a walk or hike, consider taking a moment of mindfulness and scan a nearby plant, bird, or bug. Not only may you learn something, but being able to integrate technology with nature is one of the small ways we may be able to save our Earth through strengthening conservation efforts.