iNaturalist will be offline for 1.5 hours beginning Wednesday, September 17 at 12am. Read more on the iNaturalist Forum.
Gone are the days when most members carried Newcomb's and Peterson Field Guides. We still have knowledgeable leaders on our walks, but what about when you're botanizing on your own? THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT!
From Field Notes to Smartphones:
Modern Tools for Botanical Observation
and Invasive Species Tracking
Date and Location: Saturday, September 12, 2026; 10 AM at Wood Library, 134 North Main Street, Canandaigua, NY (Hamlin rooms and Reading Garden)
Description:Nature study has always depended on careful observation, strong field skills, and shared knowledge, and today’s smartphones now serve as powerful extensions of that tradition. In this workshop, Associate Professor John Bateman of Finger Lakes Community College explores a curated set of modern nature apps that support botanical exploration, plant identification, and ecological documentation, with special attention to tools useful for tracking invasive species.
We will look at practical applications including plant identification platforms, species observation logging tools, and mapping systems that allow users to record, visualize, and share occurrences of both native and invasive plants. We will also discuss how citizen science platforms contribute to regional and global datasets, and how these tools are being used in real-world conservation and invasive species monitoring efforts. Special emphasis will be placed on how these apps can enhance awareness of invasive species distribution in regions like the Finger Lakes, and how careful data entry and verification can turn everyday field observations into meaningful ecological information.
Designed for members of one of the oldest botanical societies in the United States, this program bridges traditional field botany with modern digital tools, offering practical ways to deepen observation, improve documentation, and better understand the changing plant communities of our landscapes.
Be sure to bring your smartphone! This program is free and open to all
What a wonderful turnout of 30 people to learn about Nature Apps from John Bateman.
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We learned a bit about John. He explained that there are apps that help to identify as well as those that are tools of environmental monitoring and awareness. |
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| John identified the advantages and disadvantages to using nature apps. |
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He discussed these popular apps and then spent most of the morning assisting participants out in the Reading Garden to learn and explore iNaturalist.  |
The Canandaigua Botanical Society does have an iNaturalist account named canbotsoc. We are following one of our members, Kim Burkard at fatamorgan2112. Please let us know if you'd like us to to have us follow you as well!
John will return to Wood Library on October 13 to talk about his journey to South Africa this past summer.
John's Tips and Troubleshooting Guide:
iNaturalist Classic
Tips & Troubleshooting Guide
Nature Apps Workshop • Canandaigua Botanical Society
A practical handout for making useful observations, protecting sensitive locations, and helping the iNaturalist community improve identifications.
1. The iNaturalist mindset
· An observation is a record of an encounter with an organism at a particular time and place. Photos and/or sounds are the evidence; your identification is a starting point, not a final answer.
· You do not need to know the species before posting. A broad ID such as “Plants,” “Insects,” or “Fungi” is perfectly acceptable and can help the right people find the observation.
· Think in terms of evidence: photograph useful diagnostic features, record the correct date and location, and identify only as confidently as the evidence allows.
2. Make and log an observation — iNaturalist Classic
1. Start — Open Classic and tap Observe.
2. Add evidence — Take a photo or add one or more existing photos/sounds. Multiple photos of the SAME organism can be attached to one observation.
3. Choose an ID — Use the suggested identification if it looks right, or search for a taxon yourself. If uncertain, choose a broader group rather than guessing.
4. Check the date — Classic normally fills this automatically. Verify it—especially when uploading an older photo.
5. Check the location — Classic normally uses your device's location. Verify the map marker and accuracy.
6. Set privacy — Choose Open, Obscured, or Private/Closed as appropriate before uploading.
7. Captive/cultivated — Mark this when the organism was placed or maintained by people—e.g., a garden plant, pet, or zoo animal.
8. Save and upload — Save the observation, then upload/sync it. Check later for community identifications and comments.
3. Take photographs that can actually be identified
· Get the whole organism first, then add close-ups of diagnostic features.
· For plants: include leaves, flowers/fruit, stem/bark, and overall growth form when useful.
· For insects: show dorsal and side views when possible; capture wings, legs, antennae, and distinctive markings.
· For fungi: show cap, underside/gills/pores, stem, and substrate. A photo of the habitat can also help.
· For birds and other animals: prioritize diagnostic plumage, structure, behavior, and habitat. A sound recording can be valuable.
· Avoid putting several different organisms into one observation. If the photo contains multiple species, make separate observations when appropriate.
4. Protect a sensitive location: Open vs. Obscured vs. Private
In the observation's location/geoprivacy controls:
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Setting |
What others see |
When to use it |
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Open |
The observation's location is publicly mappable. |
Routine observations where precise location is not sensitive. |
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Obscured |
The true coordinates are hidden and a generalized/randomized location is shown publicly. |
A good default for sensitive species, private property concerns, rare plants, nesting sites, or other locations you do not want publicly pinpointed. |
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Private / Closed |
No public geographic location is shared. |
Use when even broad geographic context is inappropriate. This can make identification and data use harder. |
Important: obscuring is not a perfect security system. Photos, descriptions, nearby observations, projects, or other clues can sometimes reveal a sensitive location. Do not put the precise coordinates in the public description or comments.
5. Confirming someone else's identification
This is one of the most valuable ways workshop participants can help. You do NOT need to be an expert in everything—focus on organisms you can identify confidently.
· Open an observation and examine the photograph(s), date, location, and existing identification.
· If you independently agree with the existing ID and can rule out likely lookalikes, use Agree/confirm the identification.
· If you think the identification is wrong, choose Add Identification and enter the taxon you believe the evidence supports.
· If the evidence only supports a genus, family, or broader group, stop there. A cautious family-level ID is much better than an incorrect species-level ID.
· Use a comment when helpful: explain the feature that supports your ID or ask the observer for another photograph.
· Do not use Agree simply as a “like,” thank-you, or acknowledgement. Agreeing is a scientific/data-quality action.
Golden rule: Only agree with an identification you could independently defend. Do not rely solely on iNaturalist's computer-vision suggestion or another identifier's confidence.
6. The community identification process
“Your identification is a hypothesis. Other naturalists can agree with it, refine it, or challenge it. The community identification gets stronger as people independently evaluate the evidence.”
· An observation can begin with a broad or uncertain ID and become more specific as knowledgeable users contribute.
· Research Grade is not a guarantee that an identification is correct; it means the observation has met iNaturalist's community/data-quality criteria.
· The goal is not to get every observation to species level. The goal is to create accurate, useful records supported by evidence.
7. Troubleshooting quick reference
“My GPS location is wrong.” Check device Location Services and iNaturalist's location permission. Before uploading, inspect the map and manually correct the location/accuracy if needed.
“I don't know what it is.” Post it anyway. Use a broad group such as Plant, Insect, Bird, or Fungus. Good photos + date + location give other users something to work with.
“The app suggests a species I don't recognize.” Treat the suggestion as a hypothesis. Inspect the organism and compare likely lookalikes. You can choose a broader ID.
“I want to hide the exact location.” Use Obscured rather than Open. Use Private/Closed when you do not want geographic information shared at all.
“Why can't someone identify my observation?” Check whether the organism is visible, whether diagnostic features are photographed, and whether the location/date are present. Add another photo if needed.
“I agree with the ID, but there is no Agree button.” Open the observation/identification view and look for the community-ID controls. If necessary, add the same identification independently.
“I think someone else's ID is wrong.” Do not argue in the comments first. Add the best-supported alternative identification, ideally with a short explanation of the diagnostic feature.
“My garden plant got identified as wild.” Mark the observation as captive/cultivated. This prevents a planted organism from being treated as a wild occurrence.
“My observation is stuck at a broad taxon.” That is not necessarily a problem. Add better diagnostic photos or make a careful identification only if you can support it.
“I uploaded several species in one photo.” Create separate observations for separate organisms when each organism is a distinct encounter/record.