My plant ID method went from books to apps and I'm not sure it's better

For years, I carried around a worn copy of Peterson's Field Guide, spending maybe 20 minutes per plant checking drawings and keys. About two years ago, I downloaded a popular plant ID app and now I get a guess in under 10 seconds with a photo. It's fast, but I feel like I don't learn the plant families or details anymore. I miss the slow process that made the knowledge stick. Has anyone else gone back to the old way after trying the new tech?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix1981mo ago

My grandma's old wildflower book had pressed columbines in the margins.

jones.anna20d agoMost Upvoted

My grandma did the same thing but with ferns and she'd write the date in pencil underneath. Honestly I think people overthink this "stopping time" stuff. She pressed them because the pictures in the book didn't match what was actually growing in her yard, plain and simple. Anthonymurray is acting like she was crafting a poetic time capsule when really she was just trying to identify what the hell was taking over her rose bushes.

anthonymurray1mo ago

Imagine the pressure of the flower when she closed that book. It wasn't just saving a pretty thing. It was stopping time right at the perfect moment, maybe the day before a petal fell. That book became a secret record of her garden's best days, not just a guide to names. The columbine in the margin is more true now than the printed picture on the page.