To help you prepare for the challenge, we have included a step-by-step guide on how to download and get started with iNaturalist. All you need to do is observe wildlife or nature, capture it with a photo or sound recording, and share your observations on the app. We also have a link to a video tutorial, listed below.

🎥 iNaturalist Video Tutorial: YouTube.com

Step-By-Step Guide

1. Before you come to any events or go out exploring on your own, if you don’t have iNaturalist on your phone already, go to the “App Store” on your mobile device.
2. Search iNaturalist (not iNaturalist Classic).
3. Click “Open” and then click “install.”
4. Create an account, they will ask for an email and password.
5. Look for the + sign at the bottom of your screen. (If there is no plus sign, go to settings and click on “Advanced Mode” and click on “All observations…”
6. A plus sign should appear at the bottom of the screen.
7. When you are out looking for organisms, click on the plus sign and choose one of the options.
8. Take a photo of a “wild” organism or a recording. When taking a photo you may want to take a few shots of the same organism to get different angles.
9. Record your coordinates (location)
10. Indicate where you saw the organism (in Guelph) If you turn your location on your phone this will be automatic. iNaturalist may ask you if you want to turn on your location while you are using the app.
11. Choose a group of organisms (ie. flower, butterfly, beetle, bird, etc.)
12. Record the date you saw it (not when you uploaded the photo).
13. If you’re unsure of the species, the community of iNaturalist users will help identify it. We want to have good quality (research grade) observations.

Please make sure not to take any photos of your gardens, pets, or people.