3118: iNaturalist Animals and Plants

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iNaturalist Animals and Plants
Washington, DC: Eastern gray squirrel, Amur honeysuckle. Puerto Rico: Crested anole, sea grape. US as a whole: Mallard, eastern poison ivy.
Title text: Washington, DC: Eastern gray squirrel, Amur honeysuckle. Puerto Rico: Crested anole, sea grape. US as a whole: Mallard, eastern poison ivy.

    Explanation[edit]

    Ambox notice.png This explanation is incomplete:
    This page was created AS IT WAS MOST REPORTED, NOT AS IT MOST COMMONLY OCCURS. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!

    This comic is a map of the United States showing, for each state, the name of the animal and plant most commonly reported on the citizen science social network iNaturalist. As the comic notes, these are not the most-encountered species, just the ones reported the most on iNaturalist. iNaturalist is a citizen science social network that shares observations of nature. In some cases the species most reported is an invasive species causing concern, such as brown anole and Amur honeysuckle, while some local species which are actually the most present and observable may escape being fully reported by not being considered worthy of any note.

    For some smaller states, the animal and plant names are listed outside the state, with a connector line to the state. Some non-state regions are covered in the title text: the District of Columbia, too small to list such information on the district itself and in an awkward location for a connector; Puerto Rico, an unincorporated U.S. territory with a large population outside the 50 standard states (both contiguous and otherwise); and the U.S. as a whole.

    The most common animals are Common Eastern Bumble Bee and White-tailed Deer, with 7 states each, while the most common plant is Common Milkweed, with 6 states. Of the 26 different animal species mentioned, 5 are mammals, 4 are birds, 12 are reptiles, and 5 are insects. This is part of what makes the results for "US as a whole" surprising: they only top the list in one or two states, yet become the most reported when adding up the numbers nationwide.

    iNaturalist community members have noted that several species have made it on the list due to a few prolific contributors contributing large numbers of observations of the same species.

    Transcript[edit]

    Ambox notice.png This transcript is incomplete:
    Need to finish indenting the lines. If you can fix this issue, edit the page!
    [The comic shows a map of the United States with state borders (including Hawaii and Alaska inset in the lower left) and two-letter state codes for each state. The map includes the Northwest Angle, which is not typically shown on maps of this scale.]
    [Above the map]: The Most-Observed Animal and Plant in Each State on iNaturalist
    [Below that, in parentheses]: Not the most common species in the state, just the one people have reported the most times.
    [Each state has text of the format "Animal" on top and "Plant" below. For RI, VT, NH, MA, CT, NJ, DE, and MD, the text is outside the state border with a line connecting them.]
    [In alphabetical order, the states have the following Animal/Plant text]:
    Alabama: Gulf Fritillary; American Sweetgum
    Alaska: Moose; Fireweed
    Arizona: Ornate Tree Lizard; Saguaro
    Arkansas: Three-toed Box Turtle; Chinese Privet
    California: Western Fence Lizard; California Poppy
    Colorado: Mule Deer; Great Mullein
    Connecticut: Common Eastern Bumble Bee; Striped Wintergreen
    Delaware: Fowler's Toad; American Pokeweed
    Florida: Brown Anole; White Beggar-ticks
    Georgia: Green Anole; American Sweetgum
    Hawaii: Green Sea Turtle; ʻŌhiʻa Lehua
    Idaho: Mallard; Big Sagebrush
    Illinois: Common Eastern Bumble Bee; Common Milkweed
    Indiana: American Robin; Amur Honeysuckle
    Iowa: White-tailed Deer; Common Milkweed
    Kansas: Ornate Box Turtle; Amur Honeysuckle
    Kentucky: Common Box Turtle; Amur Honeysuckle
    Louisiana: Green Anole; Bald Cypress
    Maine: American Herring Gull; Canadian Bunchberry
    Maryland: Common Eastern Bumble Bee; Eastern White Pine
    Massachusetts: Common Eastern Bumble Bee; Eastern White Pine
    Michigan: White-tailed Deer; Common Milkweed
    Minnesota: Common Eastern Bumble Bee; Common Milkweed
    Mississippi: Northern Cardinal; Pale Pitcher Plant
    Missouri: Brown-belted Bumble Bee; Amur Honeysuckle
    Montana: White-tailed Deer; Common Yarrow
    Nebraska: American Robin; Common Milkweed
    Nevada: Common Side-blotched Lizard; Creosote Bush
    New Hampshire: White-tailed Deer; Eastern White Pine
    New Jersey: Spotted Lanternfly; Common Mugwort
    New Mexico: Mule Deer; Creosote Bush
    New York: Eastern Gray Squirrel; White Snakeroot
    North Carolina: Eastern Gray Squirrel; Christmas Fern
    North Dakota: American Bison; Prairie Rose
    Ohio: Eastern Pondhawk; Virginia Springbeauty
    Oklahoma: Pond Slider; Eastern Redcedar
    Oregon: Mule Deer; Western Ponderosa Pine
    Pennsylvania: White-tailed Deer; Garlic Mustard
    Rhode Island: American Herring Gull; Rugosa Rose
    South Carolina: Northern Cardinal; American Sweetgum
    South Dakota: American Bison; Hoary Vervain
    Tennessee: American Robin; Christmas Fern
    Texas: Northern Cardinal; Pinkladies
    Utah: Mule Deer; Utah Juniper
    Vermont: Common Eastern Bumble Bee; Eastern White Pine
    Virginia: White-tailed Deer; Eastern Poison Ivy
    Washington: Mallard; Western Sword Fern
    West Virginia: White-tailed Deer; Great Rhododendron
    Wisconsin: Common Eastern Bumble Bee; Common Milkweed
    Wyoming: American Bison; Sticky Geranium

    Trivia[edit]


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    Discussion

    we probably need to add something about how bacteria are more common but not observable to the average person 72.203.83.113 16:36, 21 July 2025 (UTC)

    Why? Bacteria are not animals or plants. 2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:2C 17:45, 21 July 2025 (UTC)
    The lack of fungi is perhaps more noteworthy. --86.13.226.126 16:44, 22 July 2025 (UTC)
    Why? Should they have appeared as significantly noted animals? 82.132.244.2 17:13, 22 July 2025 (UTC)

    Why are some states missing their postal code? IA, FL, AK, HI don't have them. Nolanmeyer (talk) 18:27, 21 July 2025 (UTC)

    Probably human error. 2001:4C4E:1C00:BF00:658B:2EF0:F9ED:69A 12:27, 22 July 2025 (UTC)
    Added a trivia section! --FaviFake (talk) 13:52, 22 July 2025 (UTC)

    I am curious which animal and which plant are mentioned for the most states? Rtanenbaum (talk) 18:43, 21 July 2025 (UTC)

    Common Eastern Bumble Bee with 7 states [CT, IL, MD, MA, MN, VT, WI] and Common Milkweed with 6 states [IL, IA, MI, MN, NE, WI]Nolanmeyer (talk) 18:53, 21 July 2025 (UTC)
    White-tailed Deer also has 7 states [IO, MI, MT, NH, PA, VI, WV] Rtanenbaum (talk) 19:16, 21 July 2025 (UTC)
    You're right! My python script missed Iowa because of a capitalization error in the transcription. Nolanmeyer (talk) 19:32, 21 July 2025 (UTC)

    Is there a hidden joke in this one that needs explaining, or is it simply an interesting data map? 37.19.197.233

    Looks like just an interesting map. Nothing wrong with that. --81.96.108.67 20:50, 21 July 2025 (UTC)
    Wrong. What's wrong with it is that there's no joke. It's not "comic" in any way. 70.16.143.48 (talk) 22:03, 21 July 2025 (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
    It may have derived from the earlier use of 'comic' implying a joke or humour, but the modern use of 'comic' for the artform does not. For example, Wikipedia refers to it as "a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information", which is exactly what this is. 82.13.184.33 10:41, 22 July 2025 (UTC)
    How often did Prince Valiant or Spider Man have a joke? Also, so many of the zombine strips on the "funny" pages haven't been humourous for years. 2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:2C 20:23, 22 July 2025 (UTC)
    Ah, so the joke is that a lot of these are invasive species, or just from one person over reporting. That makes more sense. It's difficult to tell whether the silly names for animals and trees are real or parody. 212.56.54.115 21:16, 22 July 2025 (UTC)
    There isn't a joke. There doesn't need to be a joke. 82.13.184.33 08:23, 23 July 2025 (UTC)

    Big question: what does "most-observed" mean? Most reported? Most likely for a resident to see? Most likely for a resident to pay attention to? -- Dtgriscom (talk) 19:38, 21 July 2025 (UTC)

    The comic already answers that question: "Not the most common species in the state, just the one people have reported the most times." 174.53.211.85 20:06, 21 July 2025 (UTC)
    iNaturalist is a phone app used by people to help contribute to citizen science (i.e. help collect data for research), so people scan animals/plants that they see to send to iNaturalist databases to be identified automatically. Most-observed means the species that are most reported to the database (so the species with the most scans). The comic notes most reported ≠ most common since many people just ignore species of animals/plants they don't believe to be notable enough to take the effort to scan such as grass. 97.126.175.170 20:10, 21 July 2025 (UTC)
    If people were reporting common animals they see, they'd probably be dogs and cats. And even more common would be insects -- a backyard probably has hundreds of ants living in it. Barmar (talk) 23:30, 21 July 2025 (UTC)
    "reporting common animals they see," iNat members report what they think is worth reporting. I aint got time to figure if I see more cedar or maple-- in fact I reported a maple only cuz I found a spectaculary colorful maple leaf, a great picture. It is casual observations, not a strict census. (Yes, some observers get a bit obsessive, but still.......) Yes, dogs get reported a lot-- it is a great way to learn the process and you may already have good photos of Rover.
    Does this app double as an identification tool? In that case it might also be animals/plants that people don't know and are curious about. (I live in Germany and have a similar app for plants, but I admit I mostly use it for stuff that catches my eye, not for stuff I think is scientifically worth reporting.)--176.199.208.178 07:36, 22 July 2025 (UTC)
    >"double as an identification tool?" Yes. It has an expert-computer (pre-"AI") tool and also (human?) commenters, some very expert in a field. I get various 'salamanders' and iNat returns very specific identification. It's totally free. You don't have to use their 'app'. You should try it. --PRR (talk) 15:32, 23 July 2025 (UTC)

    For the other U.S. Territories not mentioned (sorted animal, plant):

    • Guam: Hawaiian Garden Spider, Coconut Palm
    • Northern Marianas: Mariana Kingfisher, Alim
    • American Samoa: Striped Surgeonfish, Fish Poison Tree
    • US Virgin Islands: Green Iguana, Portia Tree

    United States Minor Outlying Islands (collectively): Laysan Albatross, Stalky Grass

    • Baker Island: Painted Lady, Rugosa Rose
    • Howland Island: (not a valid location in iNat)
    • Jarvis Island: Masked Booby, Sooty Tern (tie), (no plant)
    • Johnston Atoll: Great Frigatebird, Beach Plant
    • Kingman Reef: (no animal or plant)
    • Midway Atoll: Laysan Albatross, Beach Naupaka
    • Navassa Island: (not a valid location in iNat)
    • Palmyra Atoll: Red-Footed Booby, Grand-Devil's Claws
    • Wake Island: (not a valid location in iNat)

    122.56.85.105 21:44, 21 July 2025 (UTC)

    You seem to be confusing Baker Island (in the Pacific) with various Baker's Islands in New England. --2601:19B:4103:97F0:C0A5:13A4:35B3:1B35 11:20, 23 July 2025 (UTC)

    The surprising part is that palmettos isn't South Carolina's and deer isn't Maine's, and Virginia Springbeauty is in Ohio. Strontium (talk) 03:21, 22 July 2025 (UTC)

    > "deer isn't Maine's" Deer in Maine ain't what they used to be. Deer love abandoned farmland going back to wilderness. That happened in Maine in the 1930s as cars changed farming and vacationing. Much of Maine is more heavily wooded today than any time since 1800. I saw more deer in New Jersey. -- PRR (talk) 15:44, 23 July 2025 (UTC) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)

    Is there a category for the very rare XKCD strips which don't include any humour, even in the alt text? I can't think of any from recent years, which makes this one extraordinary, but I might be forgetting some obvious examples. 82.42.161.198 16:29, 22 July 2025 (UTC)

    Now counts I think? Both Money and the Election Challengers map have some humor iirc. 2600:1700:BF20:D10:1C87:359:5132:6A85 16:46, 22 July 2025 (UTC)

    @<yourfavouriteAI> please write a python script that replaces each name of a State, Plant, or Animal in this list by a link to en.wikipedia.org. (Or just do it directly.) --2001:16B8:CC3A:C700:452A:E6C7:F2AE:A2F8 18:14, 22 July 2025 (UTC)

    Not as the page currently stands. The only mention, currently, of the entire list is in the Transcript. Which should not be linked to anywhere.
    This is actually an ideal article to use a (sortable) table for, in the Explanation itself. Three columns: State, Animal and Plant. In that, you can link each state and the first (and perhaps only) appearance of any wikilinkable fauna/flora. (You could add a symbol/key to each entry that's an invasive species, or use cell hues on a scale of green=natural to red=devestatingly displacing. Maybe fourth/fifth columns for such notes about the iNaturalist data, including what actually is officially the most common thing, objectively. But maybe not, if it clutters things up too much.)
    And I also wouldn't trust an AI to write a script to do this. (Why not just ask the AI to give you the result directly, if you're so inclined?) Nor would I think it worthwhile to do such a convoluted way of doing such a simple task that's not even being reliably automated so that you could repeat it. Just think/act for yourself, in cases like these. AI is the new 2267: Blockchain, and still not in a good way. 82.132.244.114 19:28, 22 July 2025 (UTC)
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