Arnan Pawawongsak

Entrou: 24 de mai. de 2020 Última vez ativo: 27 de mar. de 2024 iNaturalist Monthly Supporter since abril 2022

I'm a self-bred naturalist! I started from catching butterflies when I was young, learning to identify common and notable species, and went forward from that. I'm also a Boy Scout, earning Eagle Scout in April 2021. I am currently an undergrad at the University of Texas at Austin majoring in Biology (Ecology, Evolution and Behavior Track), and a close associate of the UT Austin herbarium (LL-TEX). My botanical interests are broad and include plant taxonomy, morphology, biogeography, systematics, evolution and ecology, with sub-interests in floristics, comparative morphology, landscape ecology, and endemic & relictual species. More generally, I love everything nature and being outside!

I learned about iNaturalist when I was a Scout, but never really investigated it until I watched Joe Hansen's video promoting it on his video series It's Okay to Be Smart. Kudos to him for that.
( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-LjzKx-u9g&t=538s )
Soon after I was hooked on to the bus. What I particularly love about iNaturalist is how easy it is to identify organisms in the field without having to run through bulky field books or otherwise.

Update: I am now going through field guides and large flora books... so I can't really say that anymore. I love iNaturalist now because it helps me connect the knowledge I learn into the plants I see in the field, and connect me to the hidden lore behind those plants. Why just read the difference between two species when you can see it for yourself!

...and if you can't figure it out, then go back and see if you're missing something.

Also there's a great community here on iNat. Getting to know the hidden norms can be rough at first, but if you get past that wall you'll start to enjoy being on here! Here's something that'll give you tips as a beginner (plant) iNatter, and also lists some common mistakes to avoid.

Hey, while you're reading my profile, why don't you check out this list of helpful identification guides. Hopefully you've already come across it. If not, I'm sure you might find it come in handy!


Ragged menagerie of identification guides and stuff so I can find them better:

Organized Guides
Ruellias of Central Texas [U]
Scutellaria drummondii vs Scutellaria wrightii [I]
Smilax bona-nox vs Smilax rotundifolia [U]
Central Texas Salvia Tips [U]
Veronica persica vs Veronica polita

Notes and Rantings
Rant over Zizotes and Silverleaf Nightshade
Giliastrum spp. [U]
Notes on Ageratina havanensis and Ageratina altissima
Mulberry "blurb" [U]

[U] - Worth updating in the near or far future
[I] - Will probably add images to more of them as I get more (good) photos
I am not as active as I used to be, but I still hope to create more identification resources.


Right now I'm familiar with many of the local plants in the Central Texas Area, but there are many areas to improve (grasses and mimosoid legumes, looking at you). I'll fill in the gaps eventually. Most of my observations are in places in my daily routine and expeditions/hikes to local parks and trails, but I will iNat anywhere I find anything of interest. Typically done with a Motorola G6 phone using manual focus, occasionally with a 40x magnifying loupe placed over it. Now starting to use that phone in conjunction with a Canon EOS 7D + macro lens for all the fun botanical close-ups :D

Photos are free for anyone to use so long as you give credit

If you would like an explanation for an ID I have made please tag me in a comment on the observation, I'll be happy to explain. I sometimes mess up with identifications, so feel free to correct my mistakes, I'd love to learn something new!

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