๐ A Mushroom App I would recommend
๐๐๐โ๐ซ iNaturalist ๐ธ๐ณ๐ฆ
As a rule, I donโt recommend apps for identifying wild fungi or plants - AI can be dangerous if relied on.
iNaturalist is different: it offers AI suggestions, but the real value is peer-reviewed IDs and contributing to global science in an easy way.
That other random mushroom or insect you spotted whilst foraging? Might turn out to be a rare species!
You upload your photos โ the app gives AI suggestions โ but crucially, other naturalists (including experts) review and confirm identifications.
Every observation becomes part of a global dataset, contributing to science and conservation.
Itโs brilliant on holiday too; any strange plant, bird, insect, fish, or fungus you spot can be logged. I use it for my diving and insect photos too!
For foragers, this is especially important. We take from nature, so contributing back to our understanding of it matters. Donโt worry, locations can be set to obscured, which I personally recommend using for popular edible mushrooms to prevent over-foraging and help balance sharing with protecting.
๐ธ The quality of what we share matters too: clear photos (my fungi photo guide is attached) and accurate notes make IDs more reliable. Download their app or use the website.
Example: many of my favourite boletes: more obscure Leccinum and Xerocomellus species - are misidentified as brown birch boletes and red cracking boletes (many smaller books are limited on space!). It was assumed some of these were rare, but the more that are identified the more we see theyโre probably more common than we thought.
This is why Iโm quite pedantic about trying to be more accurate with identification even where itโs not foraging relevant - itโs important to build a clearer picture of our world ๐บ๏ธ
With enough records, we can even see how thermophilic (heat-loving) or invasive fungi and species expand their territory over time.
So no - donโt trust apps to ID your dinner. But do use iNat to learn, identify, connect, and contribute. ๐ฑ๐๐จ
