To beat this Summer’s heat, between the buzz of new consultations, designing front lawn conversions, or hammering out the logistics of the latest schoolyard habitat planting, I found myself daily desiring to deeply sink my feet into a loamy woodsy path, wade in a cooling stream, or wait until the cooler (sounds like an overstatement) evening hours to explore fallow fields for wildflowers. Simply finding a trail and being amidst ferns, later Summer forming fungi, and flora rejuvenates the soul, with the added benefit of inspiring new designed plant communities.
Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum) | Kelly’s Run Nature Preserve, Holtwood, PA
Often I feel compelled to explore, unstructured, but have found that my “always need to be productively saving the planet” mindset, creeps into my play time, hankering for a bit more purpose in this Summer’s daily woods frolic. Recording my observations on iNaturalist has been a tactful bridge for me to “free two birds with one hand”; enjoying the tranquility of a Lancaster Conservancy wild brook trout stream AND capturing all the biodiversity I witness along the stream’s banks. This citizen science app, crafted by UC Berkley Master’s students in 2008, is a useful tool to assist in the much needed slowing down in our hurried society and the intentional practice of learning new species in a place (yet another skill once lost and needing to be nurtured in our society).
Ferns and fungus (among a whole host of flora) have always been tricky for me to identify, but this citizen science tool has been empowering to hone the skill of paying attention to details and ultimately making identifications. With iNaturalist, you are not alone (this is starting to sound like an infomercial, I promise I don’t make a commission), in fact a whole community of collaborators may assist you in your rewilding adventures. How cool is that? With the aid of local botanists, mycologists, and entomologists, your mini mushroom mystery is solved graciously by @jody41 or your starry campion (Silene stellata) speculation is confirmed by @jrambler.
Orange pinwheels (Marasmius siccus) | Kelly’s Run Nature Preserve, Holtwood, PA
In more regular use of iNaturalist, I have discovered that the pink little tags that show up on your observations is another iNaturalist user; (1) confirming your identification (a great self-confidence booster), (2) suggesting another identification with “keying” pointers, or (3) the ultimate favorite a series of members in a back and forth botanizing debacle on the correct identification of the species.
As in this picture shown below of (spoiler alert!)… Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), @jrambler and @mjpapay were determining if this fairly tiny specimen that was fooling me to think it was a spleenwort was actually a very young Christmas fern. Gloss over this next part if you aren’t into nerding out on plants….… yet ;). The confirmed Christmas fern ID from @mjpapay stated, “the auricle/ear is also present on leaflets of ebony Spleenwort and other ferns as well. However, your excellent photo shows leaflet details that Polystichum acrostichoides has from very early on (when tiny) and right through to full-size. The edges of the leaflets are serrated, and each serration ends in a stipule (an elongated thin point)”. Thank you, thank you @mppapay it is a very excellent photo, I mean, yes, the auricle is present as is the serration on the stipule ends, leading us to believe this is in fact of Christmas fern. End of botanizing tale.
Baby Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) | Kelly’s Run Nature Preserve, Holtwood, PA
The joy of reading through their reasoning was like having a private (and free!) botanist on your woodsy frolic. Well, to be fair not during, unless you have epic reception and like to stare out your phone when in the woods. Not I! I upload my photos after dark on the comfort of my couch, and realistically wait a few days until a fellow iNaturalist buddy can help out on the species that leave me stumped. In this way you can balance your need for no screen time when out on an adventure and only use your smartphone or digital camera to meditatively take pictures.
Nothing to lose, only everything to gain, eh? Hone your skill of knowing the plants around you and make a game of going to the woods with your friends and family (totally cooler than Pokemon GO). Or simply use it to inventory the biodiversity on your own property (like a mini bioblitz)- a service now offered to Waxwing management customers (super excited about this!). Get started here or simply upload the free app!
Are you also an iNaturalist observer? Please give the post a like and share your iNaturalist adventures in the comments below!
