Nature

Using the Seek App to Identify Plants

I recently downloaded the Seek app on my phone to help me identify plants and animals. Just take a photo and the software tells you what you found.

I took it along on my latest hike and put it through its paces. I started with 2 plants that I knew to see how it would do. It got them both right.

Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia — Mountain Laurel, *Kalmia latifolia*

Sassafras, Sassafras Albidum — Sassafras, *Sassafras Albidum*

Then I used it on some plants that I was unfamiliar with. I double checked the identification online and it seemed to get them correct also.

Hay-scented Fern, Dennstaidtia punctilobula — Hay-scented Fern, *Dennstaidtia punctilobula*

Swamp Dewberry, Rubus Hispidus — Swamp Dewberry, *Rubus Hispidus*

Flat Branched Tree Clubmoss, Dendrolyopodium obscurum — Flat Branched Tree Clubmoss, *Dendrolyopodium obscurum*

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain, Goodyera pubescens — Downy Rattlesnake Plantain, *Goodyera pubescens*

Leaves of Green

On my latest hike I was struck by the variety of the shades of green, and the shapes of all the leaves.

I found this huge old American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) along the Rhododendron Trail at Susquehannock State Park. It was covered in lichens and fungi and surrounded by ferns. I wonder how old it is and how much history it’s seen.

Pursue Some Path. . .

“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” ~Henry David Thoreau

We Often Forget. . .

“We often forget that we are nature. Nature is not something separate from us.” ~Andy Goldsworthy