A project of the Weston Conservation Commission, The Field Guide to Weston is the ultimate locally-sourced guide to plant and animal life in Weston, Vermont. Created from photos and observations by residents, friends and visitors, The Field Guide to Weston will be more than just an identification guide. Each observation adds a piece to the puzzle as patterns emerge, allowing us to identify wildlife habitat, travel corridors and food sources or even track invasive species.

Ebony Jewelwing

Anyone with a camera phone, trail cam, SLR or point-and-shoot and an internet connection can (and should!) add their own entries to The Field Guide to Weston. Using the platform of iNaturalist makes it easy. Sign up for a new account or sign in using your Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Google, Yahoo! or SoundCloud account and join up! There are also apps for iPhone and Android.

Common Redpoll

From the birds at the feeders to the turkeys in the woods, you don’t need to know a thing about binomial taxonomy to add your observations. Common names are fine (all the Latin will be added automatically) and iNaturalist’s ID system is a big help if you aren’t sure what you’ve observed. You can even label an observation “Mystery Creature” and check the “ID Please” box to ask the very large iNaturalist community for help. And no matter your opinion on State Mottoes, with a little Latin under your belt, you can listen to the chorus of Pseudacris crucifer with the best of them. So can everyone else; you can even upload sound recordings!

Join us at the Wilder Memorial Library in Weston at 12:30 on Saturday, April 11 to learn more about participating in this fun (and educational!) project.

Pink Lady Slipper

The short video below shows how to add an observation. More information can be found on the iNaturalist Help Page or you can send us a note using the “Contact Us” tab at the top of this page. We’d like to know what you think.