Digital Naturalist .info
This site presents botanical indentification keys and checklists for use primarily in the field. As I reside in Maine, the site currently focuses on Maine and the northeast US. My interests are primarily cryptogams and non-flowering 'plants'.
I originally created this site for the Hinds' lichen key and then started adding resources I found helpful. Then I started adding keys and lists that I like use in the field, to make them available when I forget to bring the right field guide! Several botanically inclined friends also find these resources helpful. I hope you find this site helpful too.
Technical botanical identification keys have traditionally been text only, for better or for worse. The web was originally designed to present text and still does so exceptionally well. Any modern portable electronic device has more than ample space to store millions of pages of text.
The design of these field key pages means they should load even with a poor internet connection. The individual field key pages can be downloaded or saved for later use without impacting their functionality. While some of my keys and lists do have a PDF version available, the web pages can be easily printed or saved as formatted text due to their spartan design and embedded CSS. Copying and pasting into Microsoft Word or other word processer will also yield nice results.
As a Maine Master Naturalist instructor and a practitioner of interpretation, I do public presentations at land trusts throughout Maine on the topics of this website. "enLichenment", "Gathering Moss", "Forests of Lilliput", "Fronds & Fiddleheads" are my most popular. I can be contacted at - info [at] digitalnaturalist.info
2024 - Some page on this site is pretty much always under construction.
Apr 2024 - I have moved to a new webserver. Please let me know if you find any issues.
Thanks to Robert Rivas for hosting this site. And also thanks to Alan Seamans for his sharp eyes both in the field and when using this site. His suggestions have made this site better.