Most of us can’t help but wonder at the beauty of nature all around us. With the invention of the smartphone and now apps that can identify what we’re looking at in nature, we can understand a lot more about the world we live in. Actually, a lot more. There are a number of terrific plant and flower identification apps that provide detailed information about what we’re looking at as well as information on the best way to take of them so they can flourish. Of course, you can always hit up Boston’s premier florist, Central Square, and talk plants with any of floral experts, or you can check out the cool list of identifier apps we’ve put together for you below.

Top Flower and Plant Identifier Apps

PlantNet

PlantNet is a free app developed by scientists and works by using visual recognition software to scan your photo and provide potential matches. This app has more than 4100 plant and flower species. Besides identifying various flora, PlantNet is also an image sharing app and continues to “learn” as more photos are uploaded. With this app you can get a better understanding of and identify all types of plants you see around you such as bushes, flowering plants, grasses, trees, ferns, vine, cacti, and more.

PictureThis

Using artificial intelligence technology, PictureThis identifies flowers and plants and is very easy to use. Just snap a picture or upload one from you phone’s gallery and in a few moments the app will determine the type of plant or flower it is. This advanced app has identified over 27 million flweors and plant and claims a 99% accuracy rate. Along with a social network for plant lovers, PictureThis also provides plant care tips.

What’s That Flower?

A popular identifier app, What’s That Flower doesn’t rely on photo submissions, but rather asks a series of simple questions to identify what you’re looking at. First you select the color, then the habitat of the flower, and then the number of petals it has. The app will then provide with a selection of images that are potential matches. What’s That Flower can help you identify more than 600 varieties of flowers. This is a free app with an ad-free premium version available for a small charge.

FlowerChecker

Instead of using computer technology to identify a particular flower or plant, FlowerChecker uses actual botanists in this subscription-based service app. Upload a picture of what you want identified and usually in less than an hour, a team of experts will examine it, identify it, and send you the results. There is a fee of .99 cents for each identification and no charge is one cannot be determined.

A Few More ID Apps You’ll Like

• Plantix – Identifies plants and various plant problems
• Smart Plant Home – Identifies plants, pests, or plant diseases with help on caring for your plant.
• LeafSnap – Identify a tree based on a picture of its leaves.
• iNaturalist – Identifies plants and flowers but also insects, animals, and butterflies, too.

Let’s not forget about all the wildflowers! There are free wildflower ID apps for nearly every region of North America. Now, let’s get outside and start learning!