How to record a mushroom or wild plant find

What makes a useful field record?

A useful record allows someone else to understand what was observed, when, where in general terms, and with what evidence. Separate the organism’s identity from the confidence of the record. An unresolved identification can still be a worthwhile observation when the uncertainty is stated clearly.

A reusable record template

• Date and time: when the organism was observed, rather than only when the photo was uploaded.
• Locality: the place at a level of detail appropriate to privacy and conservation.
• Habitat and substrate: what you directly observed about the surroundings and the surface supporting the organism.
• Photographs: the same specimen from useful angles, plus context and scale.
• Proposed identity: scientific name if known, otherwise a broader group or “unknown.”
• Evidence and gaps: structures visible, features missing, and which references were consulted.
• Permissions: whether collection was authorized, if a specimen was taken.

NAMA’s scientific voucher guidance explains the value of retaining field information that may be lost after a specimen changes or dries. Everyday observations need not become museum vouchers to benefit from consistent documentation.

What does reviewed mean on this map?

The site distinguishes source or community review of an observation from the safety of a mushroom in a visitor’s hand. Read the source and review information in each record. iNaturalist’s Data Quality Assessment describes its own review grades; a grade is not an edibility certificate. The site’s editorial standards explain its use of public evidence.

How do I protect a location?

Use the contributor’s location-privacy controls and inspect what will be public. An approximate marker should not be described elsewhere with directions that reveal the exact location. Keep private notes separate from public captions. Do not attempt to reverse an obscured record to find someone else’s site.

What should happen after the outing?

Compare notes with the mushroom identification checklist or herb gathering workflow. Correct your record when stronger evidence changes the identification, and retain the reason for the correction. Use the community field desk to explore published records and the account tools to organize your own finds. A record is most useful when its limits are as clear as its conclusions.