(not in the US)
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.
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.
Go out and talk to them. Ask about their xylem and barks. Dig up some grubs and ask them about their cars extended warranty.
Neature Walk - Episode 1
Nature is neat, that’s why Neature Walk exists. How neat is that? Pretty neat.
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.
I’d start by looking up the ones you recognize, even if you don’t know their names yet. It’s hard to memorize plants you don’t even remember seeing, but if you research the ones you commonly stumble upon - ones you can point to and start attaching names and info to - then the rest builds up organically over time. A book, with pictures, written by a local would be a good start. Goes with birds as well.
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
Once I purchased a house I had the same goal starting with my neighborhood. I started with the Seek app which allows you to take a picture of a plant and it will identify. I used it whenever I walk around my block and my house. Start with the ones you see the most. Start with plants since they are static and most common. Start with flowers since those are the most distinctive and easiest to identify via the app.
If you are really interested there are a few books that I found very interesting. First would be a foraging / herbalism book for your region. I can’t recommend what that is since I only know for the Upper Midwest in the USA. I found I could remember a plant best if I knew what it was for and could interact with it. (I.e. use it or eat it)
The second is Weeds: in defence of Nature’s Most Unloved Plants. If you live anywhere where other people live you will mostly see “weeds” the most human plant. The author is from England so it might not be about all your weeds but they are global travelers so you will see lots of overlap. It’s a fun long term project. Good luck
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.
Get a butterfly net and a decagram of pins.
At least one or two books on local plants. Can be skipped through or absorbed in chunks – Alternate with actually stumbling around outside in a safe greenspace trying to find one or two recognizable things – THAT, positive identification, is where the reward chemicals start to kick in.
Nature walks with local hedge wissen add speedrun. Usually nerds LOVE to help someone discover their special interest topics, so def check any nature reserves or ecology clubs…
What a cool direction to go in. Good for you.
Unfortunately there are no books on local plants that I can find… thanks though! I did find some nature walks.
Perhaps this goes without saying, but are you taking time to explore wild or green areas around where you live?
I absolutely looooove Flora Incognita, take a photo of the plant you want to ID and they give you percentage of certainty of their result. It’s a German project. No ads, no payment. It’s mostly research driven.
Check with the local parks department. There are nature hikes that teach people about the local biology.
Thanks, I found some actually!
Start with trees. Google what the most common tree species are in your region and than look out for them. It’s easier in autumn when they have fruits. It takes a lot if time to memorize them, do one by one.
Don’t get lost in parks, as park trees are usually foreign species.
