Sometimes, it can feel like a slog doing “unknown” observations, but then there are the times when you see a lonely observation of something nifty make it to RG. Here’s one from a weekend spree I did on “unknown” observations (I don’t focus on a geographic area, I pick them by what I can reasonably…

But humungous thugs compared to ethereal orchids at the other extreme, tucked in a teaspoon of soil! https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/98128089 My selection of found Is it an orchid? on the (tiny) Cape Peninsula

There are over 240 Orchid species endemic to South Africa. https://www.inaturalist.org/check_lists/7324-South-Africa-Check-List?q=&view=photo&taxon=47217&establishment_means=endemic&commit=Filter and 14 of them have not yet been recorded on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/check_lists/7324…

Honestly, even getting unknowns or “life” to “plant” or “insect” is a huge help. I sometimes do some IDing, but I only even bother to look at plants, and so if it’s not at least at “plant”, then it’ll have to wait for when I swing past to do unknowns.

I try to ID unknows as low as I possibly can. I feel I’m wasting my time by IDing everything that looks like a plant, as ‘plant’, not that I mind other people doing it, but its not for me personally

Just FYI you can respond to multiple users in a single post (you can highlight what someone has written and click “quote” or “copy quote”. This is often preferable to making a string of individual comments like above as it helps keep threads cleaner and easier for others to read. Users can also get …

Could you link to this extension?

As I mentioned right before you, when I do small stints of IDing (that isn’t just going through unknowns), I specifically aim for ‘Kingdom Plantae (Plants)’, so if it’s not IDd to at least this point, I’m not going to see it. If it’s at this point, I can at the very least put it into class, family, …

I hear what you’re saying, as I said I don’t mind ppl doing it, there’s obviously value to it… I just think that IDing something as ‘plant’ is the same as IDing a bird as ‘animal’

Not to worry. You will NEVER run out of obs IDed as plant. Alternatively - if you have / do - then try another location.

Yes, identifying "unknown" observations matters! And can be rewarding!

General

jdjohnson December 5, 2025, 6:06am 44

https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/announcing-the-universal-metadata-tool-beta/53182

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Yes, identifying "unknown" observations matters! And can be rewarding!

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