For The High-Tech Naturalist: LeafSnap Identifies Leaves Using Your iPhone’s Camera

This is just plain fantastic. The LeafSnap app for iPhone identifies any leaf you take a picture of, as long as it’s in their library. Right now it’s limited to trees native to the Northeastern US, but they’re working on expanding that. The best part is it’s free! Hopefully this will get me to finally learn the names of the trees around here. All I know is “pine” if it has pine cones and “not pine” if it doesn’t.

The app is a collaboration between Columbia, the University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Institute. Thanks, guys.

Man, this is the best reason I’ve heard of yet to get an iPhone. Luckily it’s coming out for Android and iPad this summer. Check it out at the App Store. It’s free!