I agree that it’s unclear and can be confusing, but this isn’t a bug (as defined here) - it’s how each are intentionally designed. But unfortunately we won’t be working on an update of the Explore page on the website until it’s rewritten, and at the moment we’ve prioritized other functionality, like a rewritten mobile app, over revamping of the Explore page.
In the meantime, I recommend using the header search if you want to search for an iNat place. That’s the quickest way to see observations made in an iNat place, and you can filter further from there. It’s not perfect, of course, but there are workarounds that will get you there.