What is a naturalist?
As my high school biology teacher told me a long time ago – a scientist does experiments, observes, and reports. It’s that simple. A naturalist, then, is a scientist who goes out into nature, observes what is happening, documents it, and reports it out. This broad brush portrait allows for the term naturalist to be applied to artists, nature journalists, photographers, and more.
The documentation can be as simple as taking pictures of plants, animals or landscapes, or as complex as thesis work for science degrees. I think the key to being a naturalist is being open to learning new things and committed to reporting your findings.
Finding new things and reporting your observations necessarily means that you will make mistakes in identifications. That’s part of learning, and I think it’s the best part of connecting to the various naturalist communities that exist online.
I’ve posted dozens of observations on iNaturalist where I was looking for others to help me ID some organism. I’ve also been contacted many times by others who let me know that I made a mistake in my identification. The correctors are never mean or snarky about it, they are just trying to make sure the data is correct. They are correcting me both for my benefit, and for the benefit of everyone who might be interested in learning more about a particular species.
Across all of my sites, I strive for equal parts aesthetically pleasing images and scientifically accurate information. That said, if you see a mistaken identification, please contact me via Instagram or Facebook. I promise you, appreciate it.
