Bryophytes are a diverse group that include mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. To be able to take meaningful contributions to iNaturalist it is important to know a little about their biology – check out this link for more information.
Click back for general instructions for iNaturalist
Submitting Photos to iNaturalist
Each submission (observation) should consist of several clear photos:
- General habitat in the field.
- Overall form of the bryophyte.
- Photo(s) to illustrate key characters required to identify it to species. Such features can be found in Schofield’s key and other bryology references. If you are not sure of what features are required be thorough – take pictures that show how it branches, the shape and arrangement of the leaves and reproductive structures if present (sporophyte). For liverworts you should include pictures of both the upper side and lower side.
In some cases, photos through a microscope may be required for positive identification.
Note: As you are completing your observation you are given the opportunity to check your identification with the “What did you see? View suggestions” link – this is not always accurate, but good to take a peek.
(As you are documenting your subject you should take measurements as well – see below)
Metadata
- You will be required to include the species identification at the time of submission to iNaturalist. Do your best, but if you are not sure do not let that prevent you from submitting – other iNaturalist enthusiasts will help you out!
- Each observation should include the latitude and longitude of collection. This information will often be extracted automatically from your photos when using the iNaturalist smartphone app.
- Include relevant habitat and morphological information in the “Notes” field for each observation. You should include a description of the features and measurements associated with identification that are highlighted in your photos.
