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Michigan State University

MSU & ELPL BioBlitz!: Field Guides

Use this guide to find more information on the MSU & ELPL BioBlitz, along with other helpful resources that connect you to identification resources on campus!

Choosing a Guide

Field guides a great tools to help you identify an organism you are looking at. They come in all shapes and sizes, and can be as general as "Animals of North America" or as specific as "Flower Flies of Michigan ".  All of them are meant to help you better understand the world around you.

Choosing the right guide can be daunting when faced with the thousands of field guides in print. There are a few tips to keep in mind that will help you find and select the right guide for you. The tips below are meant as guidance to finding a guide that you can learn from and use effectively, but these tips aren't written in stone. Consider them a starting point, and try different guides to find the perfect one for your needs.

Several red ladybugs with black spots sitting ontop of soft purple flowers.

Looking For More?

The MSU Libraries have hundreds of field guides that you can check out! If you are a community borrower, stop by the circulation desk to get a library card (if you don't already have one) and then head to the basement to find the best guide for you!

Are you affiliated with MSU? You have access to all of our physical guides, as well as our electronic guides!

No matter who you are, find more information on our Field Guide to Field Guides Research Page linked below!

Request a Field Guide!

Field Guide Considerations

Below is a list of characteristics to consider when selecting a guide.

  • Portability: This might not seem intuitive, but not all "field guides" are easy to carry! Some guides, like comprehensive keys, can even be several volumes long. If you are sitting at your window or walking around your yard, this might not be a problem, but if you are headed into the back country,  you might be concerned about all that weight! Just remember, what you give up in size you may also give up in detail. Smaller guides, while easier to carry, may cut details, ID organisms to the family or genus only, or cut entire families altogether. Make sure to flip through to ensure that the guide you carry has what you need before you go!
  • Special and localized guides: Are you just interested in spotting birds of prey? Just exploring you backyard here in Michigan? Then you might not need a guide that covers all birds or the entire US or North American continent. Instead, look for specialized guides that focus on a particular type of organism (lichens, ferns, freshwater fish, type of bird, etc), or a specific area (such as Michigan, the Great Lakes, the Midwest, or the Eastern US, etc).
  • Photos, Illustrations, or None of the Above: Different guides use different techniques for identification. Keys, for example, tend to have very few illustrations, and any illustrations are meant only to show you a specific section of anatomy, not necessarily the characteristics of an individual species. Other guides use color photographs, and still others use drawn or painted illustrations. For example, Peterson guides tend to use photographs of species, while Sibley includes many painted/drawn illustrations from a variety of angles. Flip through a variety of guides to find a style you prefer, and don't hesitate to try a different style if you find yourself struggling with an ID.
  • Included Information: As mentioned previously, different guides contain different amounts of information. If you are out in the field for a class assignment, make sure the guide you choose will give you all the information needed to complete that assignment. If you are in the field to improve your recognition of different species, make sure that the guide clearly outlines different characteristics of individual species, as well as potential look-a-likes or closely related species.
  • Identification Layout: Not all guides ID organisms in the same way. If you are a casual observer, it might be easier for you to identify plants or birds by color or by other physical traits. If you are interested in learning more about the world around you, finding a guide that breaks organisms into families (investigating taxonomic relationships) and provides characteristics of each family might be more useful. Keys provide a very detailed way of identifying species and require you to identify a plant by family or order first.

Remember, the above are meant as guidance to help you start thinking about field guides, but it is by no means a comprehensive list! Ultimately, it's helpful to try a variety of guides and find one that you like. And don't be afraid to mix it up now and then! Come back, find a new guide and test it out in the field!

Merlin App

Merlin is a bird identification app that was developed and is run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. From the Merlin website: Merlin is designed to be a birding coach for bird watchers at every level. Merlin asks you the same questions that an expert birder would ask to help solve a mystery bird sighting.

Merlin can ID birds based on:

  • Sound
  • Pictures
  • Sight

Merlin is an invaluable tool that will help you understand what you are seeing in the bird world. For more information, please visit the Merlin webpage.

To download the app, visit Google Play or the App Store.

Don't forget! If you are affiliated with MSU, or if you are visiting our library, you can read all about birds on the Birds of the World database linked below!

Seek App

Seek is run by iNaturalist, but its a very quick, easy way to identify the organisms around you. The best part - you don't need an account to get started! Just download the app from Google Play or the App Store and go!