With iNaturalist, everyone is a research scientist taking photos of plants, animals and fungi and uploading them to be identified.

In March 2008, 18 years ago this month, iNaturalist was founded by Ken-ichi Ueda, Nate Agrin and Jessica Kline, graduate students at UC Berkeley’s School of Information — it was their final master’s project. The app can be used on a smartphone or desktop, and it allows users to take photos of plants, animals and fungi and upload them to be identified. The date, time and location are also logged, making it easy for anyone to contribute to research.

iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you while generating data for science and conservation. Get connected with a community of millions scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about nature! What’s more, by recording and sharing your observations, you’ll create research-quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature. So if you like recording your findings from the outdoors, or if you just like learning about life, join us!

A couple of weeks ago, iNaturalist hit a major milestone when it passed over 300 million verifiable observations. Data collected on the app has appeared in more than 7,000 scientific publications. On its birthday weekend, users logged over 80,000 observations. About 300,000 groups rely on the app to keep scientific projects organized.

“This is what I like to call actionable hope,” he wrote in a recent message to supporters. “In this age of climate anxiety and biodiversity loss, you’re helping iNaturalist turn anxiety into action, and action into agency.”