Name Changes and Goals
I began this iNaturalist account with the intention of documenting local tree species. I named it for the tree service that I work for, and I intended it partly as a resource to share with interested clients who wanted to know more about the trees that grow in our area. However, this account very quickly expanded beyond that narrow focus as I began using it to document all kinds of plant life. Soon I was averaging observations of multiple new species each day, including several "county records" per week.
Inspired by user danbadlands, and somewhat bewildered by the sheer variety of plants, I began taking many very detailed sets of photos. I wanted this account to become a resource. With such an abundance of plants to document, I was usually content to wait for them to flower or fruit before getting photos. This became a standard that I've tried to adhere to. With few exceptions here or there due to time constraints or limited opportunity, I try to get many detailed pictures of plants at their most identifiable, which usually means when their reproductive structures are most distinct, though I am somewhat less picky when documenting invasive weeds.
Overwhelmed by the number of plants, I initially began only making observations for species new to me rather than documenting repeat encounters at different locations. This has since become another standard. Besides, many of my photos come from private land, so I adopted a policy of obscuring the precise locations of all observations in the interests of privacy. Eventually, I settled on the idea of using this account as an informal flora of the Alabama Piedmont, and one where I only add observations when I find an entity that I haven't documented before (though I occasionally replace older inadequate observations).
The Alabama Piedmont, or at least a part of it, appears to be relatively underserved and poorly documented, and I have been in a unique position to help correct that. My work has taken me down countless back roads and onto many private lands that would be otherwise remote or inaccessible, and this has enabled me to discover many plants that were previously unknown either to the county or even the whole region. Although the Alabama Piedmont is a somewhat arbitrary boundary to focus on, I also have only one life to live and have limited means. By concentrating on this relatively smaller region, I hope to hone my efforts on more achievable goals.
This iNaturalist account has long since veered away from its original intention, so I thought it was about time to change of name to better fit its current and future purpose.
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