How A Luddite Fell In Love With A Smartphone App

Photo by Kawin Harasai on Unsplash

I recently bought a Smartphone for the first time, and to be honest it’s been a bit of a disappointment. Apart from texting and making calls, it’s just another lump of useless plastic in my pocket.

Then I discovered the Pl@ntNet App.

I inherited my love of the outdoors from my maternal grandfather. He was an avid ornithologist and botanist, and would never leave home without his nature books and binoculars. Carefully identifying the flora and fauna with Darwinian zeal. Then entering his findings into his notebooks in preposterously neat handwriting. Meanwhile, I stood around daydreaming.

‘What’s that, Philip?’ he would ask, pointing to a tree.

‘Erm, an oak?’

‘No, it’s an ash, you fool!’

Despite his acerbic temperament, I loved his company. But for some reason, I could never remember the names of the flowers and trees we observed together. No matter how long or how hard he tried, they never stuck in my mind. As though the part of my brain responsible for identifying flora and fauna had been erased at some point in my past.

The silly thing is, I’m notoriously good at remembering dates, facts, and figures. Take me to your local pub quiz, and I’ll win you the jackpot. But ask me to identify an oak, and I’ll call…