Identification

We've all seen a plant, animal or fungus and wondered what it is - if you can't name it, how can you learn more? NatureSpot is here to help! If you can identify the species then please submit a record - here on NatureSpot if it was seen in Leicestershire or Rutland, otherwise on iRecord. It helps enormously to take a photograph. The clearer the photo, the more likely you will be able to identify it. In fact take several photos if you can, showing different angles or features. See our photography page. A photo not only serves as a memory-aid, it also enables you to share it with specialists who can help with the identification.

Here is our suggested route to getting an ID:

1. Use an ID app

There is a growing list of apps that can help to identify wildlife. These can be very helpful but treat the results as a guide rather than a definite identification - look up the species on NatureSpot or use a search engine to look more widely to see if it is a good match. Photos taken on a camera are usually better quality and it can be effective to use the app on your smart phone to photograph the computer screen displaying the image. Our advice on apps is here (all are free to use). 

2. Check NatureSpot's image galleries

Our Species Library includes images and descriptions of most animals and plants you can find in Leicestershire and Rutland (most can be found across the UK as well). If you know what type of animal or plant it is, use the menu on the home page to go to the relevant section. If you aren't sure then try the Species Library start page to see representative images for each group. Click on any species in the gallery to visit the species page for more images and information. Whilst a visual match works well for most larger species, it isn't always reliable and especially not for invertebrates, fungi and many plants. Our Red/Amber/Green Identification Difficulty ratings provide a good guide to help you navigate around this issue. If you are new to wildlife recording, it's best to concentrate on green-rated species to begin with.

3. Get specialist help

At the top of each species gallery page (bugs, fungi, etc) there is a list of resources that can help you to find out more and to identify species in that group. Where these resources are specific to a subgroup you will find these in the relevant section further down the gallery. Many wildlife groups have their own Facebook pages that offer expert identification help just for that group. Where these are known they are listed in the galleries. The more specialist the group, the more likely you are to get reliable identification help.

4. Submit a record as an 'unknown species'

Every record submitted to NatureSpot is checked by an expert. If 'accepted' you know you have a correct identification. If not you'll get some feedback to help you for next time. If our expert recognises the species as something different to what you thought, he/she may amend the record so it can then be accepted. Remember you can always edit a record after it has been submitted. If you have a quality photo but still struggling to identify it then you can try submitting a record to NatureSpot by choosing the 'unknown' option from the species menu. We may not be able to identify it but we will try!