While I find it to be a noble idea to create an application that allows for near-instantaneous identification of species based on pictures of leaves, this app was fairly inaccurate. With combined help from the outdated map of campus, I was able to identify the leaves and usually found them further down on the list of suggestions. There was one leaf by Kirby that I was unable to identify, although the leaves were quite large – I would’ve thought that the app would have some way of measuring the size of the leaf for assistance in identification. Below are a sampling of some of the leaves found on the quad surrounding the Kirby dorm. The leaves had recently been cleared away by maintenance so there weren’t an abundance of leaves on the ground to choose from. Interestingly enough, the Yoshino cherry was the only leaf actually picked off the tree and even though it is not native, it was the only leaf that showed some evidence of critter damage. It also had a beetle on it as you can see to the bottom of the leaf in the photo. The maple was the only native plant that I identified.

Sugar Maple

Katsura Tree

(unidentified)

Yoshino Cherry