GO NEW MEXICO
ESSENTIAL OVERLAND APP: Seeking plant identification
Free iNaturalist-powered Seek app uses image recognition to help motorists and hikers name cacti, wildflowers and more
A treelike cactus breaks the monotony of the desert, its branches like a candelabra reaching for the sky.
At 65 mph along Interstate 40, just past Mojave National Monument in California and hundreds of miles north of Joshua Tree National Park, the scenery is a bit of a 鈥淗orse with No Name鈥 blur.
Our adventure crew wondered what this mystery plant could be.
After snapping a picture and uploading it to the Seek app, we had our answer: 鈥淵ou observed a new species! Western Joshua Tree.鈥
鈥淪eek uses the power of image recognition technology to identify the plants and animals all around you,鈥 . Users can earn badges for spotting different types of plants, birds, fungi and more.
Seek is to flora and fauna what Merlin is to birds.
Seek shows you lists of commonly recorded insects, plants and amphibians from millions of wildlife observations vetted by human botanists and experts, according to the app description.
鈥淥ur image recognition technology is based on observations submitted to iNaturalist.org
Share your favorite adventure apps and New Mexico adventure channel, rigs and panorama photos with us at go@abqjournal.com.
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