On July 8th, I volunteered with HandsOn Geater Richmond to
help manage Hedera helix, commonly known as English ivy. I was with a
group that consisted of around ten volunteers, led by Catherine Farmer of
Richmond Tree Stewards. We worked for about 3 hours on Belle Isle, mainly hand pulling and
clipping the invasive from trees. When pruning ivy on trees, it is essential not
to pull the ivy from the tree, as this can damage the bark.
Park Scout
Studying the biodiversity of parks and natural areas.
Thursday, July 29, 2021
My Experience With English Ivy
Sunday, July 25, 2021
Sunday, July 18, 2021
Friday, July 16, 2021
Mobile Plant Identification Apps
I experimented with three different mobile apps for plant identification on Belle Isle in Richmond, VA: iNaturalist, LeafSnap, and Plant Identify. I did not use Seek by iNaturalist.
I used pictures of seven different plants/trees: English Ivy, Tree of Heaven, Privet, Pawpaw, Wild Carrot, Saw Greenbrier, and Rubus.
All three apps are free to use. However, Plant Identify only allows a certain number of free pictures to be uploaded. It is unclear how many free uploads a user is allowed, though. Users can either pay $1.50 for a week of unlimited uploads, $4 for 1 month, or $30 for 1 year; these are not subscriptions and can be cancelled at any time. There are also additional features that can be accessed with a payment. The app was recently upgraded with advanced artificial intelligence and allows free users more uploads than it previously did, but the free version was enough for this assignment. A great plus about Plant Identify is that the identification works extremely fast and all of my pictures were accurately identified on the first attempt.
iNaturalist and LeafSnap also work well for accuracy, but LeafSnap comes with many, many ads. A neat feature in iNaturalist is that if one possibly misidentifies a plant, another user can make a recommended correction. Users can also comment on identifications. These features can be helpful for people who are not exactly experts but motivated citizens or hobbyists. One positive that LeafSnap has is that it's also easy to use for identification of tree bark, fruits, and flowers.
If I could only choose one app, though, this would be my order of preference:
1) Plant Identify
2) iNaturalist
3) LeafSnap
I chose Plant Identify despite not having unlimited free uploads because the app is very quick and accurate, and the amount of free uploads seems sufficient for most users. If one wishes to pay, the prices are cheap and can be cancelled at any point.
Friday, July 9, 2021
Web Soil Survey of the James River
Friday, July 2, 2021
Climate Change & Richmond's Future
Under climate change, increased temperatures and floods are two of the more significant threats to Richmond locals and the James River. While the average temperature of Richmond has seen a minimal increase over the last few decades, the future is predicted to be a different story. The city's website contains a simple graphic that shows various weather changes expected to occur due to climate change. For example, the average temperature of Richmond may very well increase from the current seventy degrees to seventy-five degrees from 2041-2060. Additionally, the state's capital will experience more extended heat waves, and people will find themselves waking up to more 95-degree days.
Climate change will also bring more rainfall and storms to the city, accompanied by more intense flooding. The James River Association issued a press release detailing the risks of such extreme weather changes to residents. Among these risks is discharged toxic chemicals from damaged infrastructure, which could endanger the residents' health and the James River's ecology.
It is essential
to understand the expected changes that Richmond will undergo to protect the
city's residents and the James River. While the NOAA contains an excellent weather source, I find
the projection tool on climate.gov to be more simple. Using the projection
tool, one can get a good idea of the potential temperature changes that
Richmond will see under different emissions scenarios.
My Experience With English Ivy
On July 8th, I volunteered with HandsOn Geater Richmond to help manage Hedera helix , commonly known as English ivy. I was with a group that...
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I experimented with three different mobile apps for plant identification on Belle Isle in Richmond, VA: iNaturalist, LeafSnap, and Plant Ide...
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The first map represents the James River in Richmond, from the edge of Henrico county to Chapel Park. The green colored sections are areas...
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Biodiversity is the amalgamation of various plant life and wildlife, including insects, organic matter, and organisms. Biodiversity can...