Find plants and animals along the way

Those who like to be outside and regularly wonder which animals or plants they encounter are in luck! There are countless apps and sites to enrich your plant and animal knowledge.

Identify critters with the Animal Finder app and website by filling in a number of characteristics. Such as color, size and habitat. The more characteristics of an animal you enter, the more animals the app can exclude and filter out. The animals that meet the characteristics remain.

To practice we look for a butterfly; the one with eyes on the wings. It goes like this:

• Open the Animal Finder.
• Pick an attribute to start with. For example, tap legs/wings.
• Tap on like butterfly.
• It is now quite easy to find the butterfly in the list: it is the peacock eye.
• If the list is too long, filter on the next feature.
• Tap on Clear all to find another animal.

Animal Finder can be used via the website and via an app.

• animalfinder.nl – website
• animal finder – Android devices
• animal finder – iPad/iPhone

Are you curious which bird produces those beautiful sounds? The BirdNET app tells you. Record ambient noise with BirdNET, cut out the sound clip where the bird can be heard and the app does the rest. Analyze a bird sound as follows:

• Open the app.
• The app immediately records sound. You will then see green stripes appear on the blue background. A clock also starts counting at the bottom. Does the app not record right away? Then tap the microphone icon in the center of the screen.
• Tap the blue pause button if you have recorded bird sounds and want to analyze them.
• You can tell by the sound waves when the bird was heard. In this case, those are the green lines on the picture.

  

• Select this clip by swiping your finger over it. Two white stripes appear at the ends of the clip.
• Tap the play button to listen back. If necessary, adjust the selection of the clip. You do this the same way you made it.
• Tap on Save to save the fragment.
• Tap on Analyze.
• The app analyzes the sound and indicates which bird it may be.
• Tap at the bottom left Record to record sound again.
• Tap the three bars icon and tap Show observations to find saved sound clips.

• birdNET – Android devices
• birdNET – iPhone/iPad

With the Pl@ntNet app you always know which plant you are looking at. Take photos yourself and have them identified by this app.

Read more about this app in the tip ‘Recognize plants via Pl@ntNet’.

There is a lot of food to be picked in the Netherlands if we are to believe the Wildplukwijzer app. Nuts, fruits and veggies are up for grabs and this app knows where.

Use the Wildplukwijzer app like this:

• Open the Wildplukwijzer app.
• When you use the app for the first time, you will first receive an explanation of how the app works. Always tap Click here to continue. If it’s not the first time, tap Get on.
• If necessary, give the app access to your location and photos and files. Tap on To allow.
• The app opens with a card. The map shows green dots with different white icons in them. Tap one of the green dots to see what edibles are growing in that spot.
  

• Wildpicking guide – Android devices
• Wildpicking guide – iPhone/iPad

If you are looking for wild-picking recipes or want to exchange experiences with others, you can join the Facebook group Wild pickers platform in the Netherlands.