Using iNaturalist to Identify Species

For a little over a year now, I've been using the iNaturalist app to record species observations and aid me in expanding my ability to correctly identify species within ECLP. In particular, my knowledge of flowering herbaceous plants has been steadily growing as I've uploaded and researched what I've found. The app is very user friendly, with an easy to understand design and method for recording observations.  Pictures can be taken directly with the app, or uploaded indirectly. Before being included in databases (labeled research grade), your identification MUST be verified by another user.  This not only helps to reduce the amount of incorrectly labeled observations, but also works to connect users through their shared identification. I have begun to notice quite a few reoccurring usernames myself as we have both made suggestions and verified each other's observations! The app acts as a great tool to help communities connect with the ecosystem around them. Verified observations also provide a database for species location, providing invaluable citizen science data for scientists in evaluating the range of a species.

In particular, while the automatic suggestions are usually helpful in determining species identification for users, the app can experience issues and sometimes provides an incorrect ID. This can be especially true for species with similar visual marking. I have experienced this multiple times myself from both perspectives, both uploading incorrect species and correcting mistakes from other users. One erroneous identification involved the Genus Tipula, where many crane flies are incorrectly identified as T. abdominalis due to iNaturalist auto-suggestions. I have also noticed that iNaturalist always recommends Cope's Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis), despite being visually identical to Gray Treefrogs (Hyla versicolor). The app could recommend their "Gray Treefrog Species Complex," but prioritizes species selection for users, leading to many misidentifications. However, I have found the user base of iNaturalist to be understanding of these mistakes (at least towards other users) and offer information on how to correctly identify their observation. 

For me, the highlight of this app is the ease of entry and level of community cooperation. It encourages everyone to become involved with science and promotes a sense of environmental stewardship for those that participate. Particularly with families, I have had many parents rave about how iNaturalist has gotten their children excited to hike the trails of ECLP. iNaturalist promotes a sense of wonderment and desire for exploration that classroom learning simply can't provide.