I usually forget to tuck ID books into the car when we take off on an outdoor exploration, yet it bothers me to see a plant, flower, or whatever strikes my curiosity and be unable to identify it. Instead of contemplating collecting a leaf or sample, the technique The Botanist taught me, these days I take a picture.
Of course, more often than not, I neglect to find the time to actually do the ID later.
This, from a dry ridgecrest in eastern piedmont Georgia, however, is I think a red maple, Acer rubrum.
29 October 2007 at 7:14 pm
mouse's moom says:
I love ID books but I usually don’t look things up either. I tend to look at nature as if it were painted by a broad brush. I see the colors and the textures. I don’t often know or necessarily care exactly what it was that I saw. Now ask me about Varese’s Density 21.5 flute solo or how to build a fused, overstitched piece of my own personal fabric or the details about why a web site is not user-friendly. You won’t be able to shut me up.
But things I see in nature inspire me in art and music et al, every day.
We need people who are able to ID things in a particular area of study with precision. We also need those who don’t very much care. I agree that digital photography is a great tool for post-hike/drive/picnic/whatever identification. Great post! 🙂