If you happen to have binocular (kinda expected if you’re into 1 mm insects), you photograph those with it. If you post idable photos, they will gwt ided, label is not enough, it’s not GBIF. And how it’s not valid because it’s not RG? Why a label makes it much better than obvious photos that too are awaiting agreeing ids?
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It’s great you’re posting these! You might add a note saying, “Identified by xxxxx xxxxxxx from [university or agency or whatever]” That won’t get it to RG, but it will give people confidence in the identification. Then, be patient.
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I always relied on @jurga_li for All the Lichens.
Now we have a new lichen man busy IDing @ian_medeiros based at Duke University.
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do they mind being tagged in lichen questions? i’ve been learning from malcomehodges here and locally kristi, but I’m really good at as kristi says, finding “the weird ones” xD
(ETA: here being alabama if locale matters)
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I tag often, but thoughtfully.
Not the same person too often.
Not if the photos don’t provide information.
Not for ordinary stuff that many people can ID.
So much enjoy the developing discussion if I can bring something that looks unusual / weird. Then sit back, listen and learn. Today’s lesson is gold dust
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Pretty sure that is tag etiquite 101; but some people never want to be tagged is all
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You would still need an agreeing ID, so the observation will still be labeled Needs ID. If the community instead disagrees with the initial identification, the observation will be marked Casual.
Opting out of the community won’t make an observation RG.
Ah okay, i wasnt sure as ive never done it
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Well, you will get to know those peolple in time. Either, because they hint to that in their profile or because they will just never rely to your tags, so it won’t make much sense for you to ise them further
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Tagging etiquette 101 - I recognise you, because you are active on iNat. I see you are interested in … Try a tag?
No, I do not mind being tagged on lichen questions. The problem is that I can say very little outside Europe. I can do something for South Africa, but @ian_medeiros is now a better option for SA, as he has field experience there. For other regions of the world I can do family or sometimes genus level at best, with only very few exceptions of distinctive species (or to tell that it is definitely NOT that lichen :-) ).
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Love this! Think we can convince the administrators to implement it?
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All the Madagascar “silk angels” thank you for that. ;)
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It could become a “feature request,” I guess.
What is required? Can it be done by someone with little skill/experience in IDing?
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Some of them are probably mine. Trying to make some IDs sure makes me feel better about my observations. A single leaf (which might actually be a leaflet) and no other part of the plant in the photo? Plantae. Blurry photo of half dead plant matter? Plantae. I once IDed something as conifer that was actually a closeup of a moss. (I withdrew my ID of course.) Yes, I need to learn more, but some photos just don’t give much to work with.
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Page 14 of the book Botany In A Day (Ignore the misleading title) by Elpel is an excellent illustration of the whole non-vascular, vascular. gymnosperm, monocot, dicot thing.
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If it makes you feel better, that’s actually not that uncommon. Tree moss even gets its common name from resembling little trees. I’ve also seen the opposite: Conifer saplings getting ID’d as mosses. Throw in the clubmosses, and it gets even more confusing. Many of them even have common names suggesting trees (e.g. ground cedar, running pine).
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I think trh_blue is on a bit of a break from iNat, so let me say what I can from my own experience (which is much less!): Being organized, productive, and good at communicating helps enormously with running ID-a-thons and workshops, but I think that having some identification experience yourself is also necessary. You certainly don’t need to be an expert in anything, much less in everything, but understanding the common pitfalls and community etiquette around IDing is very helpful. I see from your iNat profile you’ve done almost a thousand IDs - thank you! - so I bet you know the ropes. Maybe for a first try, you could find a co-organizer nearby and run an ID-a-thon or workshop for your region or your favorite taxon?
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Been there, done that. Oops. I try not to beat myself up too much about my mistakes and to realize that a mistake rate of, say, one in a thousand is actually pretty good. (I have no idea what my own mistake rate is, however!)