How to identify plants or animals using the Seek app during your adventures

If you have ever come across a plant, a flower, a mushroom or an insect and have been curious to know what species it was, you have help right in your pocket: Seek app It recognizes organisms from your phone's camera and tells you what you're seeing at the moment. Plus, Turn every field trip into a little exploration game with challenges, badges, and rewards. oriented to learning while enjoying.

This tool is powered by a gigantic database cBuilt by the scientific and naturalist community of iNaturalist, with millions of verified observations worldwide. Its approach is clear: point your camera, scan your surroundings, and get suggestions for plants, animals, or fungi typical of your area, along with information to better understand the biodiversity around you.

What is Seek and what can you do with it?

Seek is an application designed for Discover and identify plants, animals, and fungi easily using your mobile phone. Its philosophy invites you to go outside, look at nature with different eyes and turn each discovery into a micro-adventure. A system similar to that of Google Lens, but in this case it doesn't just "name" what you see: it also shows you relevant data about each organization and encourages you to continue learning.

The Seek app suggests you Point the camera at any living being and let its image recognition system do the rest.From there, you can add species to your observations, learn about them, and unlock achievements as you accumulate discoveries in different locations.

One of its greatest attractions is playful componentEach new species, each taxonomic group, and each challenge completed earns points and awards badges. The result is a game-like experience that engages both children and adults, ideal for families looking to spend more time together outdoors.

El educational approach It's very present: for example, you'll learn the names, characteristics, and even the countries where certain species are found when you photograph a plant, flower, or insect. For beginners, it's a very enjoyable way to enter the world of biodiversity.

 

How image recognition works and why it's so useful

The heart of the app is its live image recognition technologyWhile you keep your camera open, the system compares what it sees with a huge database of observations from iNaturalist and partner websites, identified by its community. This process allows it to offer real-time identification suggestions tailored to your region.

Furthermore, the scan is activeThe app evaluates whether it's capturing enough distinctive features of the plant, animal, or fungus, and can guide you to adjust your phone's angle until you get a useful image for identification. This detail makes all the difference because it helps you learn which features to look for and how to frame the shot.

Once the system is confident enough in your suggestion, it asks you to take the photo. Doing so unlocks additional features, such as saving the observation, adding it to your collections, and advancing in challenges. Practical interaction is prioritized so that every outing is an opportunity to progress.

It should be noted that Previous versions required taking the photo before analyzing the image, while the current approach is more convenient and educational, providing live guidance. This evolution reduces errors and increases the quality of identifications.

Local lists and contextual learning: the nature of your area

The Seek app isn't limited to recognition. It also displays lists of insects, birds, plants, amphibians, and other organisms common in your area, built from millions of public observations. This means that when you go out for a walk, you know in advance what you're most likely to encounter, making it easier to get started.

This local focus It's key to learning: studying a generic guide isn't the same as discovering what actually exists in your neighborhood, park, or nearby mountain range. By connecting theory with what's in front of you, the app turns knowledge into something memorable.

When you add species to your observations, you build your own naturalist notebookOver time, your list becomes a record of your adventures, useful for remembering where you saw a particular flower or what mushroom surprised you in the fall. This memory of the field motivates you to keep going.

The design is designed so you can learn without realizing itEach new identification opens the door to more information, such as the organism's main characteristics or the countries in which the species is distributed. Thus, each outing becomes a mini outdoor biology lesson.

Badges, challenges, and engaging “game mode”

One of the hallmarks of the application is its challenge and badge systemYou earn rewards for identifying groups of organisms, exploring new areas, or participating in themed challenges. It's the perfect excuse to get out more and look better.

There are simple challenges, such as discovering ten nearby species, and community challenges that require capturing images that represent different levels of a food chain. These goals give structure to your outings and add a social and collaborative component very motivating.

The parallelism of the Seek app with the “Pokémon Go of the Wild” It's no coincidence: the game consists of "collecting" real-world observations, learning from them, and leveling up as you expand your catalog. This mechanic is especially appealing to young people and families.

By participating in the challenges you will unlocking features and badges, which encourages repeating and planning new expeditions. The more observations you record, the more rewards you'll receive, reinforcing the habit of learning every day.

Privacy, security and use by minors

The Seek app is suitable for minors and prioritizes security from the design. It doesn't require registration or collect personal data by default, so you can use it without creating an account or providing sensitive information.

If you choose to log in with an iNaturalist account, some basic information is collected, but there are clear limits: You must be over 13 years old or have parental permission to use that feature and submit observations to the science platform.

As for location, the app requests permission to activate location services, but obscures the location to protect your privacy, while offering suggestions for species specific to your general area. Your precise location is not saved or sent. to iNaturalist unless you log in and choose to share it with your observations.

This “privacy-first” approach It is different: enjoy local recommendations without exposing unnecessary data allows families and educators to trust the tool for outdoor activities with little ones.

Tips to get the most out of it from day one

• Start with common species in your park or garden; this way, the app will provide you with more reliable identifications, and you'll learn how to frame your photos so the system captures key features.
• Move around the subject and follow the app's "clues"If he suggests changing the angle, it's because he needs other details (for example, the underside of a leaf or the shape of the corolla). This visual training is invaluable.
• Take advantage of local listings To prepare your outings: check which plant families or insect groups are common in your area, and plan a short route with achievable goals (three new species, a fungus, a bird, etc.).
• Activate the challenges that fit your environment and available time; earning badges reinforces motivation and encourages you to explore different ecosystems (riverbank, forest, meadow, urban park).
• If you are interested in contributing to citizen sciencePlease consider creating an iNaturalist account (with the appropriate age and permission requirements) and uploading your observations when you're ready. It's a simple way to contribute to a global project.

The scientific basis: iNaturalist and broad institutional support

Recognition technology relies on the corpus of iNaturalist.org and collaborating sites, with observations that have been identified by its community of specialists and advanced amateurs. This knowledge base is what makes reliable, large-scale suggestions possible.

With support from leading institutions such as the California Academy of Sciences, the National Geographic Society, WWF, and others, the app is evolving with scientific rigor and social commitment.

They highlight that these tools help to raise environmental awareness among young peopleThey emphasize that these applications strengthen young people's connection to their environment and encourage them to become involved in its protection. Recognizing the life around us lays the foundation for its protection.

If you share your observations on iNaturalist, you contribute to a global monitoring of biodiversity and the health of the planetIt is a very valuable action for the advancement of science and conservation.