Hit 500 native plant IDs in one season, but is knowing names enough?

I hit 500 native plant IDs this spring in the Willamette Valley. Took me 4 months of trailing after a local botanist. It felt huge at first, like I finally cracked the code. But then I started wondering, does naming a plant actually mean I know it? Some folks say IDing is gatekeeping, others say it's the only way to truly see. So which side are you on, does the number matter or just the relationship you build with each species?

2 comments

2 Comments

stella_baker14d ago

Oh man, this reminds me of the time I tried to learn all the constellations and spent a whole month convinced I'd found a new one, turns out it was just the Big Dipper upside down! I guess whether it's stars or sedges, the real trick is figuring out if you're actually seeing something new or just getting better at seeing the same thing.

christopher_sullivan14d ago

Man, I spent a whole summer once convincing myself I could ID every sedge in the county, then a real botanist pointed out I was just naming the same three species over and over with different confidence levels. The number probably matters less than the fact you showed up 500 times, which is more than most people do for anything. But I also think there's a trap where you start treating the Latin name like a trophy instead of a handshake. Knowing what a plant IS is the first date, not the whole marriage. You gotta sit with it through a drought, watch what bugs show up, and learn it's favorite shady corner before you can say you really know it. I'm at like 200 IDs and I still mix up yarrow and Queen Anne's lace every single time, so maybe I'm not the best judge.