Every year, I capture thousands of pictures during our walks in the local woods and marshes, of flowers, trees, insects, birds and what not. Very often I found it difficult to say exactly what is captured in these photos. I longed for a simple and efficient way to learn about all these natural wonders, ideally through a straightforward "point-shoot-identify" process. Fortunately, I discovered iNaturalist, which has provided me with exactly that, and more!

I am fairly n00bish in the realm of plants and animals, so I tend to assign very broad categories when attempting identifications. Among all lifeforms, fungi (particularly lichens) are the ones I am somewhat more familiar with, and they tend to be slightly overrepresented in my observations. I once studied microbiology, though interest in everything fungal did not become my profession. Nowadays, I am merely an amateur enthusiast armed with a macro lens and a thirst for self-education.