Seek by iNaturalist App Review

Seek by iNaturalist is a great app for beginner naturalists, outdoor enthusiasts, and casual park goers alike. The app is easy to use on the Android system and doesn't necessarily require a working camera on the phone. The app can identify many species of plants, amphibians, fungi, fish, reptiles, arachnids, birds, insects, mollusks, and mammals. The app works by scanning the image on your phone's screen and begins by narrowing down from the organism's Kingdom down to the species if the program can make a positive identification.  This is represented by 7 dots at the top of the screen, each dot is a category of classification and each is filled as the program narrows down the possibilities. You can also just use an old photo that you've uploaded or saved on your phone and the app works in much the same way but you don't have the opportunity to retake or refocus the photo.

If the app can't reach a positive identification then it will offer the genus or family of the organism and will prompt you to refocus or retake the picture. Regardless of whether the app can positively identify the organism, it will offer a nice summary of the genus or family of the organism. I think much of the information gathered on the app is taken from Wikipedia so I would like to see a more reliable source of information. However, the information provided is generally accurate and there is even a species range map that includes positive identifications made by app users.

I work outside and during the course of the day I made several identifications of trees, down to the  family, but was unable to make a species level due to a constant breeze of about 6 mph. This was apparently enough to confuse the app but this may have also been user error since this was my first day with the app. I had better luck with some older photos that I had taken during hikes and from other work days.  Using this app I was able to ID the American Trumpet Vine, Canada Lilly, the Eastern Cicada-Killer Wasp, a Broad-winged Hawk, Great Rhododendron, Dekay's Brownsnake, Ringless Honey Mushroom, and the Eastern Red Cedar.

The app also has a reward system of sorts as it awards badges and achievements as you identify more and different types of species. There are also challenges that encourage the user to identify specific species or certain types of organisms in a certain amount of time.