(not in the US)
I’ve started using the Merlin bird app and that’s got me into birds a bit more.
You can use the phone’s mic to record the birdsong and the app will tell you what is about
I use the whoBIRD app for this (GPL v3.0).
It’s fun to watch a Kite, or similar bird, fly past and then get an ID from its birdcall.
From US, but I took a trip to Europe last month and used the Seek app which identifies plants and animals from pictures you take. It worked just as well in Europe as it does in the states. You can also use Seek and iNatutalist to see nearby species.
I just love the obsidentify app! It’s really accurate with identifying plants and animals, and I even saw some gamification with quests to find certain things in your area.
It started happening naturally for me as I got older.
It may also be because I married a biologist.
She sends me pictures of snakes to ID pretty much first thing every morning.
If you have an iPhone get plantnet it’s an app that you can take a picture of the leaves or flowers and it will tell you what the plant is. Might be available on android
I like the iNaturalist app: https://www.inaturalist.org/. When I see something I’m interested in whether plant or animal, I upload a picture and it tells me what it thinks it is. And they’re trying to collect good data about flora and fauna so there are volunteers who review submissions and agree or correct it, so it’s not just an algorithm doing the work. Obviously when you upload it it’s a computer making a guess but people usually review the uploads later, and you can get emails with the results of those reviews.
Someone else mentioned Merlin for birds, which is cool because it can do image ID or bird call ID.
In the US our colleges and universities typically have what they call extension offices that can tell you all about the local environment. Anything like that where you’re at?
From Gemini, but it’s factual:
A local extension office, often called a Cooperative Extension office, is a branch of a land-grant university that provides research-based information and educational programs to the local community. These offices are staffed by experts who offer guidance on various topics, including agriculture, gardening, food safety, natural resources, and 4-H youth development. They act as a bridge between academic research and practical application, helping individuals and communities solve problems and improve their lives.
Lots of great advice here! I’ve learned the most just by getting out in the woods and swamps and looking. Still so much I’m ignorant of! A great project for you, that I’ve been slacking on, is putting events into a calendar or tracking app. “May 15th, dragonflies are back.” “June 1st, banana spiders back.” Stuff like that.
Neature Walk - Episode 1
Nature is neat, that’s why Neature Walk exists. How neat is that? Pretty neat.
OMG I read the post as “How can I start a family with the plants, trees, and animals around where I live?” and I thought “what a pervert” lol
nvm, I’ll show myself out
