You know you're seriously into iNat when

[gljcrsmith1]

You know you’re into iNaturalist when your idea of a wild night is staying up late to document your backyard critters and you actually consider dog poop an acceptable subject for a photo if it means identifying what animal left it!

[Thunderhead]

ANY poop is acceptable either for who left it or for who is landing/crawling or even growing on it!!

[gljcrsmith1]

Yeah - but dog poop? You start taking photos of dog poop when you’re really into it!

[Thunderhead]

I don’t have a dog… so I don’t know if it’s Canis lupus familiaris unleashed pet, or Canis latrans… but if it’s fresh there’s sure to be something worth observing
…and yes, we’re seriously into it!

[AdamWargon]

Do you detect a theme in the quotes below?

@mira_l_b

they should just be happy that what you’re showing them is flowers . . . this group is likely forcing our photos of . . . poop

@kmforum

How about when you stop biking to examine scat . . . people are watching you look at poop.

@Thunderhead

you happily enjoy crouching for SEVERAL minutes over a smelly pile of poo

@lynnharper

there’s a big pile of poop . . . in my backyard I should go check out

@gljcrsmith1

You know you’re into iNaturalist when . . . you actually consider dog poop an acceptable subject for a photo

@Thunderhead

if it’s fresh, there’s sure to be something worth observing

If you’re passionate about poop, then you’ve found your people!

[gljcrsmith1]

Haha!

[andreass1]

[This kind of situation has already been posted here many times in different versions, here is my version that happened a while ago and made me think of this thread]

…you find a mosquito in your apartment, and instead of feeling annoyed and reaching for something to swat it, you feel a surge of excitement and reach for your camera to take some close-up photos.

[Thunderhead]

There are way more listings in Projects than I thought! I hadn’t thought to look before.
What we could use is a Collection project

[jonsense]

…when you abruptly get up in the middle of a dinner party you yourself are hosting because you notice a moth flying around a light in your living room. :|

[gljcrsmith1]

Your friends have started planning social activities without you, knowing you’ll be too busy lurking around a compost pile, trying to figure out if that fungus is a rare species!

[gljcrsmith1]

Your phone is filled with blurry pictures of the most mundane things you could find, alongside a second camera roll dedicated exclusively to that one leaf you saw three weeks ago and still can’t identify.

[isopodguy]

…you’ll do things like go to the beach in 20 degree weather at 10 pm in the dark because it’s a huge negative tide that you can’t miss.
(Did this a few weeks ago. It’s actually pretty fun.)

[gljcrsmith1]

You’ve had to explain to your family that “it’s for science!” is a valid excuse for sitting in the grass for hours taking pictures of mushrooms.

[AdamWargon]

You know you’re seriously into iNat when . . .

@anneclewis

You spend more on a camera than you ever have before, because you want to get better photos of birds to add to iNat

@jamesray

You’re considering spending extra on . . . good cameras, and a thermal camera, so you can take pictures of underwater life (e.g. corals), shorebirds, small life, and nightlife like bats

@mira_l_b

You have a a list of gear (fancy moth trap) and/or field guides at the ready for “What do you want for the holidays/birthday/special occasion?” questions from loved ones

@invertebratist

You invest all your money into iNatting (observation gear, cameras, microscopes, insect pins — and most heavily, transport costs)

@jasonhernandez74

You start considering expensive gear just for iNatting

@broacher

[Wyatt1648]

When you physically cannot go 2 days without posting new observations. (this is something I struggle with) :|

[donna165]

You read a news item about trees, wonder about iNat’s potential to potentially identify even more examples and set up a project (Culturally Modified Trees in Australia). Just spent a few hours looking through eucalyptus observations in potential areas hoping to spot canoe trees/scar trees.

[steven_bach]

I went out extra this weekend to add as many observations of Gulf fritillaries and monarchs I could during the migration to move those species into my top three observed species, joining the queen butterfly and pushing Asian lady beetle down to #4 (for a while).

[wyatt16481]

When you constantly talk about your observations to random people for no reason and are now labeled a weirdo

[cosmiccat]

Ha! I did that when I was diagnosed with strep throat.

[eyekosaeder]

That is only reasonable. If I lived anywhere near the sea, I‘d sample the entire intertidal interstitium… ALL of it. :P

Edit: Oh wait… 20°F?? D:
I mean… still reasonable (if you have a nice warm jacket)