TIPS FOR NEW INATURALIST USERS

How do you use iNaturalist?
The iNaturalist app is free and can be found in the App Store. The Museum of Life and Science has created a useful how-to video. Simply use your phone to take a picture and upload it to the iNaturalist app. Experts will then help identify the observation to a species level. When multiple users agree on a species-level identification, the observation becomes a confirmed data point that can be used for scientific research.

Watch our Training Video Recording

Tips for Users:

  • iNaturalist most easily integrates with a smartphone, but photographs taken on a camera can also be uploaded to the iNaturalist website on your computer. 

  • When using a camera, try to keep track of where certain species were seen as best you can, as you will be asked to add the location of the photo when you upload your observations. 

  • If using a phone, turn on “location settings” and it will log the longitude and latitude of each picture you take.

  • You can familiarize yourself with species nearby by looking at posts that other users have made. You can do this using the “explore” tab in the app or on the webpage. 

  • If possible, take multiple pictures from various angles. This will allow for easier identification by the iNaturalist app and community. You can upload more than one picture for your post and you can search for the identification of each picture to compare the findings.

  • If you are unsure about an exact species ID, opt for a more general identification such as genus or family. Others in the iNaturalist community can then help narrow it down to species.

FREE APPS TO HELP WITH SPECIES ID

Animals/General:

Seek: Created by the same developers as iNaturalist, this app will compare your photo with other observations from the same area to find a more accurate ID.

Birds:

Audubon: This virtual field guide is similar to Merlin but also helps you ID a bird from its call, habitat, tail shape, and wing shape.

Merlin Bird ID: Using features such as bird behavior, coloring, and size, this app can help narrow down the possible options for IDing a sighting. This app also has a photo ID feature if you can get close enough to snap a picture.

Plants:

Leafsnap: A collaboration between Columbia University, the University of Maryland and the Smithsonian Institution, this app will let you ID plants and trees using photos of their flowers and leaves.

Fungi:

Mushroom Identificator: This app helps ID mushrooms by having the user take several photos of the same species and comparing them to species within the guide.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE (Tips from Sarah P. Duke Gardens)

1. If you don’t have an iNaturalist account, make one through the website or smartphone app (it’s free).

2. Find living things near you and create an observation in iNaturalist for each one.

Create a new observation

  • Take a photo or sound recording of the living thing. This way others can verify your identification and it can be used in scientific research.

  • Enter your best guess at identification. It’s OK if it’s broad, like “plants.” If you’re not sure, you can leave it blank.

  • Enter the location of the living thing.

  • If the living thing is one that people care for, like a pet or garden plant, mark it as “Captive / Cultivated.”

  • If there’s anything else you observed about the living thing, write about it in Notes. 

Tips for making observations that others will be able to identify:

  • Make sure your photos are in focus, not blurry.

  • Take photos that show as much detail of the living thing as possible. Color, textures and the shape and size of different parts are all useful in identification. Show the top, bottom and side of the living thing if you can.

  • For small things, get as close as you safely can when taking your photo. For example, when identifying ants, get close so that they fill as much of the photo as possible, while still keeping the ant in focus.

  • For large things, show the whole living thing and details of any smaller parts. For example, when identifying trees it's useful to have photos of the whole tree and close-ups of a leaf, the bark and twigs.

For more information about submitting observations, read these Quick Guides to the iNaturalist iPhone and Android Apps created by Chris Goforth, head of Citizen Science at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. You can also use iNaturalist's Getting Started guide and watch their video tutorials.

There are many ways to find living things around you, no matter where you are. Try: 

  • Choosing an observation location and checking it once a day for anything that’s new

  • Closely observing one small spot for 10 minutes to notice small or inconspicuous living things

3. If you have the knowledge to help identify living things, suggest identifications for other people’s observations.

Submit your identifications through iNaturalist (video demonstrations coming soon)

  • Go to the iNaturalist page and search for current projects in Durham - access through your browser or app to see all of the submitted observations.

  • If you find an observation you can identify, click on it. Then click on "Suggest an Identification" and add your identification.

  • All observations need more than one person's identification, so suggest an identification for observations you know even if someone else has already said the same thing. This is a team effort!

To learn more about identification, check out: