It’s been a season of ups and downs already this year, with too-hot highs followed by lows that leave our plants frosty and our heads spinning. Does anyone know what we should wear tomorrow? It’s once again spring in North Carolina.
On the plus side, we have made it past the pollen, so it’s a great time to throw open our windows and listen to the birdsong. If you can tear yourself away from your devices, you should get out and about! And if you can’t, here are a few tools to help you and your family enjoy the spectacular spring season.
Garden Goodies
Planning on working on your garden this year? Heading out on a hike but can’t quite remember what poison oak looks like?
Download iNaturalist to help you identify plants, animals, and fungi, and learn more about them. You can save the record of what you’ve seen and contribute to science by sharing your observations with the community.
If you’re staying closer to home or working with a community garden, check out the Seed to Spoon app. Get help with your garden plant recommendations, layout, planting times, weather alerts and more. There’s even a “Growbot” for help diagnosing issues with your less successful specimens. It’s also a great way to engage the kids by letting them take photos to document your progress.
Find it on: iOS | Android | Web
Take a Hike
Maybe a garden is too much commitment, but a walk? That’s doable. Let’s get moving.
If you’re looking for inspiration, or need the motivation of a nearby coffee shop or shopping venue, check out Wander. This app combines geographic data, trail information, and commercial listings to deliver curated walks or your own found adventures from around Wake County and beyond.
For some of us, inspiration is no problem, but we don’t know what we’re looking at. For those who want to learn more about the world around them, there’s the Audubon Bird Guide app for helping users identify the birds — and birdsong — around us. You don’t even have to catch the bird in a photo; simply describe what you were able to see and the “Bird ID” feature will help you solve the mystery.
For the night owls among us, the Star Walk 2 app might be for you. This app is the most complete way to see what’s happening in the sky, able to identify everything from stars to satellites, comets to space stations. It’s also a very kid-friendly app, with space trivia, quizzes, and infographics.
Fun on the Move
For those with a competitive streak, geocaching apps are a great way to get out and about. Geocaching is a real‑world “treasure hunt” where people use GPS (usually via a phone app) to find “caches” at specific coordinates.
The Geocaching Adventure Lab is a great app for identifying these caches in your area and guiding you through the process of finding and completing the “adventures.” It also allows users to create and share their own adventures with others. And this app has gone worldwide. Pull it up for some ready-made adventures on your next vacation, wherever you’re headed.
If you need a bit more cuteness to go with your geocaching, there’s the classic Pokémon Go, which I’ve written about in this column before. While this isn’t actually using geocaching spots, the principle is similar with virtual locations linked to real-world landmarks. Pokémon Go may do more to inspire the family with cute characters and competitions, but it can also distract from that world you’re checking out. If you’re looking to trade screen-time for a genuine connection with your surroundings, Adventure Lab is the way to go.
