Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Q&A

What types of resources are best for identifying trees while hiking?

+0
−0

I'd like to start identifying trees in my area as a project with my kids while we are hiking.

What is best for tree identification? Is it a good color book such as the Audubon Field Guide to North American trees, which they have for the Eastern Region, and the Western Region? Is there a good tree identification app for smartphones, or some third option I'm not aware of?

I know tree identification is often complex as leaves can be similar, and usually require a combination of factors (bark, leaves, etc). I'd like a resource where I look up a tree based on its leaf and bark features, not its name, so that I can avoid spending hours flipping through pages.

History
Why does this post require attention from curators or moderators?
You might want to add some details to your flag.
Why should this post be closed?

This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/1711. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

0 comment threads

4 answers

You are accessing this answer with a direct link, so it's being shown above all other answers regardless of its score. You can return to the normal view.

+1
−0

The iNaturalist app is also a good source for identifying plants. Taking a picture, it will help provide some suggestions as to what you are seeing. As an added bonus, you can use it to identify other plants and animals as well.

https://www.inaturalist.org/

History
Why does this post require attention from curators or moderators?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/20884. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

0 comment threads

+0
−0

I know this question was answered a while ago, but I just thought this might be more relevant to the UK. I use The DK Handbook by Allen Coombes. It's easy to use for beginners, with a step by step guide, walking you through the identification step by step. It's also detailed enough for professionals. I work as an arborist and myself and many others I've worked with always keep this book in the van as first call in identifying a tree.

History
Why does this post require attention from curators or moderators?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/13765. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

0 comment threads

+0
−0

Agreed. The Audubon guides are the best that I know of because you can search in the flower section, the bark section, or the leaf section for your target tree. Not familiar with the apps, but I'm sure they do the same thing if not more.

My personal favorite for tree walks with kids? The Sibley Guide to Trees. Here's why:

  • Really good color drawings instead of photos (photos are sometimes ineffective in identifying trees)
  • Excellent "non-scientific" details or colorful adjectives that Audubon omits
  • "Extra" info, such as tricks for distinguishing from lookalike species, human uses, or unique history/stories about the species.

One thing I would suggest is that you take into account the purpose of your endeavor. Is this about "bonding" over a love for trees, or is it about identifying species as efficiently as possible? If so, maybe using your smart phone while hiking would detract from the experience.

History
Why does this post require attention from curators or moderators?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/9295. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

0 comment threads

+0
−0

I think the Audubon Field Guides smartphone apps are fantastic. At least, they are a great improvement over the printed guides -- more species, more photos, lengthier descriptions, and smaller than the book.

The apps help make identification relatively easy because you can search for trees in your region and leaf shape, for example, and get a smaller set of results to comb through.

Another feature of the apps that I really like is that you can mark a "sighting." After you've identified something, save it as a "sighting" and it'll be saved with any notes you want to enter as well as GPS coordinates that you can refer to.

History
Why does this post require attention from curators or moderators?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/1713. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

0 comment threads

Sign up to answer this question »