(I thought a similar topic already existed? I couldn’t find it . . .) X-ray specs were a novelty item marketed in comic books. They didn’t really work, but the idea was that they would give you x-ray vision. If you had a pair of these “magic glasses” that could “cure” plant blindness, animal blin…

Just like the algorithm, x-ray specs won’t replace learning, but they might get you there faster! Lately I’ve been focused on the sedge family Cyperaceae, a formidable group. The algorithm often provides valuable clues that help me track down a species. So the algorithm has become my x-ray specs!

I would choose x-ray specs for plants in Poaceae grasses always get mixed up in my head and I would love to be able to consistently ID them. I have gotten a little better after starting to grow some native grasses in my garden but they still trip me up

That reminds me…ancient Egyptian pharoahs would be titled ‘𓆥 nswt-bjtj “of the Sedge and Bee”’. With how difficult it is to identify bees and sedges to species, could we deem someone capable of effortlessly identifying Anthophila and Cyperaceae to species be a modern ruler of sedge and bee?

Rubus or Taraxacum, the two hardest genus in Western Paleartic. Probably the first one, so i could start appreciate having my field clothes torn every year.

Taraxacum! No real keys exist for the microspecies so it would be amazing to just know the “real” key in your head.

i want ichneumonoidae glasses :sob: they are too too difficult to identify and almost all my ichs/brachs are left at family despite my love for the superfamily. i’ve got the Broad key but it’s too difficult for me to use, plus i dont have a microscope these days.

Popcorn Flowers ! When they’re in bloom, the nutlets to identify them aren’t available. When the nutlets are ready to help with IDing, the plant is dead and unlikely to be photographed.

Andrena and Lasioglossum (Bees) Fungi benefits the most from this “power” but I wouldn’t want to be the “fungi-guy”.

X-ray specs to cure plant blindness . . . which iNatting "blindness" would you cure?

General

AdamWargon April 3, 2026, 7:40pm 17

I think this is the post I was thinking of. In the clip, you can see the “magic glasses” in action:

Topic		Replies	Views
"Plant Blindness" and iNaturalist General	106	10223	January 30, 2020
Help me identify (non-experts welcome) General	65	8883	April 5, 2023
Are there any taxa that need more identifiers and aren’t cryptic/near-impossible to identify? Or are those things mutually exclusive? General	61	1380	August 16, 2026
Identifiers - what do you ID, and how can observers make it easier to do so? General	69	5884	June 29, 2020
Resources for IDing unknown specimen Nature Talk question	20	798	June 16, 2024

X-ray specs to cure plant blindness . . . which iNatting "blindness" would you cure?

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