Getting Started

Abiotic

Relating to the non-living components of an environment, such as soil type, moisture, and available sunlight, which dictate where plants can live.

Alternate (Leaves)

An arrangement where leaves are positioned one at a time at different points along the stem.

Citizen Science

Large-scale research initiatives where members of the public participate in data collection. Example: The RSPB's annual Big Garden Birdwatch.

Field Guide

A portable book, designed for practical use on location, that helps in the identification of plants, animals, or insects. It is not a comprehensive scientific reference.

Google Lens

An image recognition tool developed by Google that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze images and provide suggested identifications for objects, plants, and animals.

Habitat

The natural environment where a species is 'at home,' finding safety, shelter, and its required food supply. It can shift with the seasons.

Hierarchical Classification

The formal scientific system of organizing life into nested categories: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.

Holistic Approach

An approach to identification that considers a wide range of factors beyond just visual appearance, including size, shape, behavior, habitat, time of year, and statistical probability.

Itinerant (Species)

A species that wanders within a wider area, visiting various locations (like different gardens) as part of a larger territory. Example: Blue Tit.

Key (Identification)

A feature in some field guides that provides a step-by-step logical process, like a flowchart of questions, to aid in identification. Must be used with caution.

Macrohabitat

The larger habitat or landscape that a smaller environment sits within. For example, the surrounding woodlands and fields that influence a garden.

MERRING

An acronym for the seven fundamental biological systems shared by all organisms: Musculoskeletal, Excretory, Respiratory, Reproductive, Irritability, Nutrition, Growth.

Microhabitat

A small, specific environment within a larger area. For example, a bird feeding station, pond, or flowerbed within a garden.

Opposite (Leaves)

An arrangement where leaves are positioned in pairs directly across from each other on the stem.

Petal

The often colorful part of a flower that serves to attract pollinators.

Pistil

The female reproductive part of a flower, typically containing the stigma, style, and ovary.

Resident (Species)

A species that lives and breeds in or very near the same location year-round. Example: House Sparrow.

Scientific Nomenclature

The formal, scientifically based system for naming organisms using Latin, providing a precise, unique, and international name for each species.

Sepal

The typically green, leaf-like structures found beneath the petals of a flower.

Stamen

The male reproductive part of a flower, made up of the anther and filament.

Vagrant (Species)

An organism, typically a bird, that has turned up unexpectedly far from its usual geographical range.

Verification

The critical step of cross-referencing a suggested identification from a photo app with a reliable secondary source (like a field guide) to confirm its accuracy.

Visual Look Up

An image recognition feature in Apple's Photos app that uses machine learning to identify subjects like plants and animals within a photo.

Whorl (Leaves)

An arrangement where three or more leaves grow in a circle around the stem at the same point.