What Plant is That?

Have you ever been walking through a garden or park and wondered, "What plant is that?" With so many different types of plants in the world, it can be difficult to identify them all. In this article, we'll explore some tips and tricks for identifying plants and some online resources you can use to help.

Identifying Features

When trying to identify a plant, there are a few features you can look for to help narrow down its species. These include:

1. Leaves: The shape, size, and arrangement of leaves can provide clues as to what type of plant you're looking at.

2. Flowers: Flowers can also provide important information about a plant, including its color, shape, and size.

3. Bark: The texture and color of a plant's bark can help with identification, especially for trees and shrubs.

4. Growth habit: Some plants grow in distinct ways, such as vines, epiphytes, or succulents.

Online Resources

If you're having trouble identifying a plant in person, there are a number of online resources you can use to help. These include:

1. PlantSnap: This app uses artificial intelligence to identify plants based on a photo you take.

2. iNaturalist: This is a citizen science project where you can upload photos of plants (and other organisms) and get help with identification from a community of experts.

3. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: This website has a searchable database of plants native to North America, as well as a plant identification tool.

Conclusion

Identifying plants can be a fun and rewarding hobby, allowing you to appreciate the diversity of plant life around you. By looking for distinctive features and using online resources, you can improve your plant identification skills over time. And who knows? You may just discover a new favorite plant species in the process.