Discover Nature with Apps
Holiday time is discovery time, even right on your doorstep. With these free apps, identifying plants, recognising bird calls and encountering wildlife can become small research adventures for the whole family.
They are a great way for children, too, to combine exercise, observation and digital learning without the need for complicated preparation.
Please note: Use all app results as a guide only. Keep your distance from nests and wild animals, do not pick protected plants, and never eat a plant based solely on an app’s identification.
With the Flora Incognita app, simply take a photo of a plant and the app will suggest a species. Profiles provide information about identifying features, distribution and conservation status, and you can save your own observations. The app is free, ad-free and offers an offline mode. Saved observations also contribute to research, helping scientists better understand changes in plant life.
For children, you can turn this into a game: Who can find different flowers along the way or discover a plant that nobody in the family has seen before? Often, just one photo is enough for identification.
BirdNET listens through your smartphone’s microphone and identifies bird calls in real time. The analysis runs directly on the device, so it also works without a mobile network connection. Here, too, the data can contribute to research and conservation. The app shows which species you are most likely hearing and allows you to save observations. An unfamiliar chirp can suddenly become a reason to stop, listen more closely and look for the bird together.
Both apps are most enjoyable when used as a starting point for real-life observation. Let your children, or yourself, have a guess first, then take a photo or record the sound and compare the result. Sometimes it really is surprising! An English-language alternative is Merlin Bird ID.
Finally, Wildtier SOS can help if you find an injured or seemingly abandoned wild animal. The app asks a few simple questions about the situation and provides clear advice tailored to the individual case. It can also direct you to nearby wildlife rescue centres, veterinary clinics and specialist carers. This is particularly important because not every young animal found sitting alone needs help, and unnecessary intervention can sometimes do more harm than good.
Flora Incognita on the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/de/app/flora-incognita/id1297860122
BirdNET on the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/de/app/birdnet-live/id6776168518
Merlin Bird ID on the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/merlin-bird-id-by-cornell-lab/id773457673
Wildtier SOS on the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/de/app/wildtier-sos/id6749958642
Flora Incognita on Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.floraincognita.app.floraincognita
BirdNET on Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.tu_chemnitz.mi.kahst.birdnet_live
Wildtier SOS on Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.initree.wildtiersos
Merlin Bird ID on Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.labs.merlinbirdid.app