Nature apps for your next excursion
Some of the most engaging and meaningful vacations have long been entwined with learning, be it visiting museums and libraries or touring historic properties. Nowadays, though, many vacations are outdoor excursions. Yet that doesn’t mean learning is strictly about survival skills. Rather, an outdoor vacation is an opportunity to explore the wonders of ocean life, geology, botany, ornithology, zoology and astronomy — particularly with the help of some portable tools that put field guides, encyclopedias, atlases and expert research in your pocket.
Whether teaching you how to identify what you see and hear, or explaining the features and workings of the natural world, these nature apps aim to help all ages roam and learn.
Ornithology
Audubon Bird Guide: A striking field guide to more than 800 species of colorful North American birds, this app from the National Audubon Society uses the month, location and details you provide — such as tail shape, voice and size — to help you identify the winged beauties that catch your eye. Based on your details, you’ll be shown possible matches of the bird you’ve glimpsed. Choose one and you’ll see photos and information about habitat, range and migration, diet and feeding behavior, eggs and nesting, and conservation status, as well as audio clips and whimsical descriptions of songs and calls. (The scarlet tanager’s call? An “emphatic, nasal chip-bang.”) Tap “explore,” and a “hot spots” tab shows a map of your location and the specific birds that have been spotted nearby — a useful feature for neighborhood walks, even in small city parks. And because the best birding doesn’t necessarily occur where there’s Wi-Fi, you can download fieldguide data and use it offline. Cost: free. iBird Guide to Birds: The handsome field-marked illustrations in this app make identifying birds easier for novices (or those with less-than-perfect sight). For example, field marks (a bird’s distinguishing markings or features) shown for an adult male green-breasted mango include its green body, of course, but also deep magenta under-tail feathers, a decurved black bill and a black stripe with a bluegreen border. There are details (including information about ecology, range and habitat, breeding and nesting, foraging and feeding), photos you can zoom in on and audio clips of bird songs and calls. No internet connection is required to use the app in the field. Cost: Free for the iBird Lite sampler of a few dozen species (though you can make in-app purchases, such as the “photo sleuth” feature, which enables users to identify birds through their photographs). For $14.99 there’s the pro version, which includes all species of North American birds, as well as a bird search engine so that users can filter by characteristics, like body color and bill shape.
Wildlife
Picture Insect: Bug Identifier: Like bird identification apps, Picture Insect analyzes your photo to determine the insect you’ve spotted. When the app suggests an answer, you can check out additional photos, learn about the bug’s size and habitat, and read answers to frequently asked questions like “What does Carolina leaf-roller eat?” Spoiler: plants and other insects. Cost: free; $19.99 a year (after a seven-day free trial) for the premium version with features such as unlimited insect identifications.
National Wildlife Federation Nature Guides: One of the nation’s largest wildlife conservation education organizations, the Federation has a variety of field guide apps to teach you more about the living things you may encounter on your outdoor adventures: birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, mushrooms, trees, insects and spiders. Available for iOS only. Cost: From $9.99 for one app to $49.99 for the six-app
Ultimate Wildlife Bundle: North America. Other app bundles are also available.
Trees, plants and flowers
PictureThis: This app is terrific at identifying in real time the plants, flowers and trees you photograph. Recently, shots of a day lily, cup-plant, white wood aster, sweet gum, even trichaptum fungus on a log, were identified in less time than it took to say “I know what this is!” The app also provides additional photos, descriptions, facts, the story behind the name and the symbolism of the things you photograph, adding a touch of romanticism to the practice of plant identification. Cost: free; annual subscriptions for a premium version, which includes features such as unlimited plant identifications, are also available.
PlantSnap: This is another plant identification app that also allows users to take or upload photos. There’s an augmented reality option too, so that you can just aim your phone at the plant and receive suggestions. And if you know what you’re looking at, but want to learn a little more, you can type, say, “French rose” to search the app’s plants database for details. Cost: free; premium ad-free subscriptions that include additional features, such as access to botanists, are available.
Ocean life
Picture Fish — Fish Identifier: The hook is simple: Take a photograph of a fish (if you’re fast enough) and this app will try to identify it. Cost: free; $19.99 a year (after a seven-day free trial) for the ad-free premium version with features that include unlimited fish identifications and a fish encyclopedia.