Apple App Store: 8 top-rated apps for connecting with nature - and learning about plants, animals and more

• There are plenty of nature and outdoors-oriented offerings among Great Britain’s most popular educational apps
• Many offer identification features using your phone’s camera or microphone
• A lot of them are either entirely free or offer basic features at no cost
• They also let you learn more about things that have piqued your interest

From stars to stones, blossoms to birdsongs, there are dozens of apps that can bring you even closer to the wonders of the natural world.

While screen time and time spent outdoors might seem at odds, thousands of Britons are turning to their devices to connect with nature on a whole new level. Many of these apps are flush with utilities too - helping users learn more about the things they care about in the process.

We’ve taken a look at the most popular free ‘education’ apps in the Apple App Store for users in Great Britain (as of Wednesday, 12 February), and curated a list of those aimed specifically at helping people identify or learn more about aspects of the natural world - whether than be plants, animals, or the night sky. This means that we’ve excluded some high-rated education apps, including those primarily aimed at teaching languages or other skills, classroom apps, and those that are more game than study tool. Although we sorted by free, it’s worth noting that most have either additional features or membership options which you’ll need to pay for.

Here were eight of the top picks:

1. Plant Identifier Pro

This brand new, handy plant ID app is currently ranked 21st overall for iPhone education apps in Great Britain, with a rating of 5 stars out of 5 (albeit by very few users so far).

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener, outdoor adventurer, or just curious about the plants in your surroundings, this app is designed for you. Using your phone’s camera, you can photograph and identify plants, flowers, trees or shrubs you spot instantly - with a 95.6% accuracy rate, according to its developers.On top of that, you’ll get access to information like their scientific names, growth requirements, practical uses, and trivia. You can even use it to recognise signs of disease on your own plants - and get expert solutions to restore them to full health.

There are not currently any reviews available in the app store, as it was only launched last month.

Plant Identifier Pro is suitable for users aged 4 and up. It is free to download and use some features, and also offers free trials of its premium ones. Unlocking these permanently costs about £29.99 per month. You can find it in the app store here.

2. PlantIn

What are houseplants but a touch of nature you keep indoors, to brighten up your living space? PlantIn is geared towards helping you care for your own plants effectively. It is currently ranked 22nd overall for education apps, with a rating of 4.4 stars out of 5 by nearly five thousand users.

PlantIn uses your phone’s camera to sell you what is wrong with your houseplant, from common diseases to issues like underwatering. Equipped with features like a light meter to check if your plant needs a more sunny or shady spot, a watering calculator, and the ability to create custom care plans (with notifications!) for your houseplants, you’ll be able to not only keep them alive, but help them thrive. It has also recently added mushroom identification - perfect for woodland walks (although if you plan on foraging for wild mushrooms, you should always get guidance from an expert before eating any you find).

One recent user said her young, outdoors-loving children also love the app. “[It] helped her scan our plants while I read to her all the information. She really enjoyed the images with the temperature, season and moon phases and she’s been learning so much just because she cares about all the plants we come across. Great app for the outdoors too. My 3 year old can walk for hours in the forest now looking for something new to learn about.”

PlantIn is suitable for children aged 4 and up. It is free to download and offers a free trial period, after which point it requires a subscription to use. These start from £4.99 per week. You can find it in the app store here.

3. PictureThis

Yet another well-regarded plant ID and gardening help app that has risen to the top of Great Britain's education app rankings, this one is currently 36th overall - with a rating of 4.7 stars out of 5 by more than 150 thousand users.

PictureThis can identify hundreds of thousands of plant species from a photo instantly, giving you the ability to then learn more about it. It has special features for helping identify weeds in your garden (as well as how to get rid of them), as well as plant disease diagnosis, and a warning system for toxic plants that could be a danger to pets or children. It also offers a 24/7 ask an expert feature, for all of your plant or garden-related questions.

A recent reviewer wrote: “I rarely leave feedback or a review, but this app is one that everyone should have on their device. This is the second or third app of this sort that I have tested, and it is infinitely better than any of the others… awesome for home gardening enthusiasts and plant hobbyists.”

PictureThis: Plant Identifier is suitable for children aged 4 and up. It is free to download and use basic features, but also offers a premium subscription. These start from £3.99 per week. You can find it in the app store here.

4. ChatPlant

Last plant one, we swear! ChatPlant is an AI-driven plant ID app, currently ranked 41st overall in education apps in Great Britain. It has a rating of 4.4 stars out of 5 by nearly nine thousand users.

ChatPlant offers many of the same features as other popular plant and garden apps, all in one. From IDing plants you see out and about from your photos, to identifying ailments, to creating a ‘garden wishlist’ of plants you’d like to try growing at home, the app has everything flora-related covered. It can even recommend plants that might be a good fit for you - based on your skill level and space.

One recent reviewer wrote that it was the perfect app for home gardeners. “As a busy homemaker, this plant app has been a lifesaver for my home garden! It quickly identifies any plant I come across, which is perfect for someone like me who is still learning.... The helpful tips and detailed information have made me more confident in my gardening skills.”

ChatPlant AI is suitable for children aged 4 and up. It is free to download and use basic features, but also offers a premium subscription. These start from £7.99 per week. You can find it in the app store here.

5. Stellarium Mobile

Ranked 64th in education apps for Great Britain with a rating of 4.8 stars out of 5 by nearly eight thousand users, Stellarium is a planetarium app that can tell you exactly which stars and constellations you’re looking up at in the night sky.

Perfect for those keen on astronomy, this app can identify stars, constellations, planets, comets, satellites (like the ISS), and other deep space objects in the sky above you in just a few seconds - just by pointing the phone up. You can also see an accurate simulation of what the night sky looked like on any date, time and location, while also learning about the stars, asteroids, nebulas, galaxies, and star clusters we share the universe with (some even with 3D models you can zoom in on and explore).

One reviewer wrote it was “truly the most capable star tracking application”, in their opinion. “It is genuinely like possessing a private observatory, in your pocket, and is a necessity for serious astronomers, as well as those with just a casual interest!”

Stellarium Mobile is suitable for users aged 4 and up. It is free to download and offers some features for free, but also has a premium model available via either a subscription or a one-off payment. You can find the app here.

6. SkyView Lite

Another one for the dreamers and stargazers, SkyView Lite is currently ranked 70th overall in education apps - with a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 by over two thousand users.

SkyView also allows you to point your phone or iPad at the sky, identifying the heavenly bodies you can see above you. But it’s got a few other nifty features too, like the ability to set reminders for celestial events or passing satellites you want to observe. You can use augmented reality to spot objects in the sky, day or night, and overlay constellations or paths of travel, and even capture images to share with your friends and family.

One reviewer wrote: “I wasn’t that interested in stargazing before but then I saw a stargazing thing on TV and I wanted to have a go at it… This is probably the best app for stargazing for what I’ve seen. I also like the Augmented Reality feature. It was really funny seeing Jupiter on my sofa.”

SkyView Lite is suitable for ages 4 and up. It is free to download and use, but additional features can also be purchased for about £0.99 each. You can find it in the app store here.

7. Rock Identifier

For something a little bit different, Rock Identifier can help you identify stones, crystals, minerals, and gemstones you see. It is currently ranked 71st overall in education apps, with a rating of 4.6 stars out of 5, by nearly five thousand users.

Similar to plant ID apps, with Rock Identifier you can just snap a pic of interesting rocks or minerals you see - and get an ID in seconds. With the ability to recognise thousands of different rocks (and give you information about their physical characteristics, geology, and relevant cultural beliefs), it can help even the most novice of rock hounds know whether they’ve found something good. It also has some interesting practical features, like attempting to tell real gemstones from fakes by measuring colour, cleavage, fractures, shape and transparency (although you should probably take this with a grain of salt and get them professionally checked, if unsure).

One recent user wrote: “I am a crystal lover and when I don’t know the names to them I use Rock Identifier. This app is so great, [it] tells you the names, it tells you facts and tells you if they’re common or uncommon, and you can also download the photos to your photo album.”

Rock Identifier is suitable for ages 4 and up. It is free to download and use some basic features, but also offers a premium mode for about £29.99 per year. You can find it in the app store here.

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Special mention: Merlin

This one is technically classified as a reference app (where it’s ranked 7th overall in Great Britain, with a rating of 4.8 stars out of 5 by more than eight thousand users), but it’s such a valuable resource for learning about any and all birdlife you might encounter - both locally and while travelling - that it’s definitely worth a mention.

Developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (part of the Ivy League university in the US), Merlin is powered by eBird - the world’s largest database of bird sightings, sounds, and photos. You can use it to record and identify birdsong and calls in real time, keep track of the different species you’ve seen, and learn more about birds you might come across in your local area. Merlin effortlessly combines fun features, like a personalised ‘bird of the day’ for you to find; with educational features, like range maps and call recordings for different species; with the ability to make a real-life difference to wildlife - with the app providing important data about the birds users see to scientists and ecologists.

One recent user wrote that learning different birdsongs added “a whole new dimension to the world”. “I only started using Merlin this year… But [I] find it so useful now to check what I know, to learn other calls birds I thought I knew make, and to learn a few new ones. I never knew how many nuthatches and wrens there are here in the UK!”

Merlin is suitable for users aged 4 and up, and is completely free. You can find it in the app store here.

Which apps do you use for birdwatching, stargazing, gardening, or other outdoors-oriented hobbies? Let others know by leaving a comment below.