Listen to this Episode:
- From this webpage:
- Find the media player located under the episode picture.
- Click on the green triangle to listen to the audio for this episode.
- From your favorite podcast listening platform:
- Search for “Backyard Ecology.”
Show notes:
We’ve all been there. We are walking in the woods, in a field, along a creek bank, around our property, or around the local park and we stumble upon an interesting plant. It isn’t one that we know and we immediately begin to wonder, “what is that?”
It’s a simple question that holds so much potential because once we know what the plant is, we can find out more about it. The plants we find growing in a location can also help tell fascinating stories about the history of that area, provide hints as to the types of animals or even other plants that might also be found there, and so much more. But it all starts with being able to accurately identify the plant.
In today’s episode, I am joined by my husband, Anthony Trimboli. Anthony and I discuss some of the reasons why identifying plants you find can be important and some of the resources you can use for identifying plants (including pros and cons of each resource). We also share some of the things we look at when we are identifying plants.
To make it easier for you to refer back to particular parts of the podcast, here is a rough outline of our conversation and the times we start discussing each topic.
- Importance of identifying plants: 1:34
- Apps: 5:05
- Field guides: 18:45
- Dichotomous keys: 28:00
- Building your own knowledge: 35:53
- Summary: 1:01:46
Links
- Woody Plants in Winter: A Manual of Common Trees and Shrubs in Winter in the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada:https://amzn.to/3q50Yxf *
- Flora of the Southeastern United States by Alan Weakley: https://ncbg.unc.edu/research/unc-herbarium/flora-request/
- Shannon and Anthony’s upcoming classes / workshops: https://shannontrimboli.com/events/category/classes/
- Backyard Ecology Website: https://backyardecology.net
- Backyard Ecology YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/backyardecology
- Backyard Ecology Blog: https://www.backyardecology.net/blog/
- Backyard Ecology Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/backyardecology
- Subscribe to Backyard Ecology emails: https://www.backyardecology.net/subscribe/
* Amazon links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying Amazon purchases made the link. The commission is paid by Amazon and comes at no extra cost to you, but helps support the costs associated with hosting the Backyard Ecology blog, podcast, and website.
Episode image:
- Woodland sunflower
- Photo credit: USFWS, public domain
Backyard Ecology: Exploring Nature in Your Backyard
Nature isn’t just “out there.” It’s all around us, including right outside our doors. Hi, my name is Shannon Trimboli, and I am the host of Backyard Ecology. I live in southcentral Kentucky and am a wildlife biologist, educator, author, beekeeper, and owner of a nursery specializing in plants for pollinators and wildlife conservation. I invite you to join me as we ignite our curiosity and natural wonder, explore our yards and communities, and improve our local pollinator and wildlife habitat. Learn more or subscribe to my email list at www.backyardecology.net.
2 thoughts on “Tips and Resources for Identifying Plants”
Great activity to do with my kids. any recommendation on an identification app?
Hi Nhu,
Thanks! I’m hoping others will chime in and share some of their favorite apps. I don’t use the apps, so hesitate to make recommendations for something I’ve never used. I know a lot of people use the SEEK app and the Picture this App. I know people who love both. I’ve also seen some really bad ids come back from both. Nothing is perfect. Sorry I can’t offer more help.
Take care,
Shannon