OS 10.14.6 I don't know if this the right place to ask my question which is: Is there a butterfly app for an iMac? I also have an iPad.

If so, where is it?

jaybass

Given the vastness of the Internet I hesitate to say "no", but a search of the App Store and an Internet search with keywords did not produce a result. Perhaps other keywords would produce better results, but… .

Interesting footnote: apparently there is a sonogram app called Butterfly iQ. Use your iPhone as a sonogram?! Not quite. It is a sonogram simulator and can assist in learning to use one and interpret the results.

I went to the app store and asked for a butterfly ID app and it said no results! Amazing.

There surely has to be one.

I'll keep trying.

jaybass

On the Mac you will find Insecta, On the iPad there is Picture Insect: Bug Identifier, Insect Identification by Photo, Seek by iNaturalist, iNaturalist, and a number of others. By-the-way, many of these also run on M1 Macs as well as iPads and iPhones. The secret is to search for "insect identification" as butterflies are insects.

Thank you for that joe. I'll check them out and let you know how it goes.

jaybass

I checked out insects but it requires 10.15...I have 10.14. The others require either a different iPad or the reviews were not good.

I finally downloaded butterfly ID (NA) which is not free. When I open the app, I cannot see how to enter a picture of a butterfly in order for it to be identified.

After opening the app, what should I do next?

I have an iPad air 2 iOS15.2

jaybass

I am confused first off I can’t find an app in the App Store that is butterfly ID I presume that’s North America and secondly you indicate that your iPad has 10.15 but you say that you only have 10.14?

I did download an app called Butterfly identifier, Clicked on the X to get past the paying the fee, clicked on the + at the top of the screen, Then clicked on the magnifying glass and was offered to take a picture from the camera or grab a picture from the photo library. I don’t know if that’s what you were looking for or not.

My iPad has software version 15.2

Model#MGL12LL/A

I do have 10.14 but my iPad does not and as far as I know, cannot have 10.15

What I really want to know is, can I drag an existing image into the app. From what I can make out, it requires that I take picture which I'm not too thrilled about.

I will do what you did, and see if it clarifies my problem.

jaybass

I was replying on my iPhone, and the small screen accounts for my confusion on the macOS iOS versions.

I was expecting to find something like one of the numerous bird identification apps, and I suspect that is what you have in mind as well. To my surprise, all of the apps I found for butterfly (insect) identification on mCOS, IOS, OR IPadOS...

• use an image either from the camera or from the Photo Library as the basis for identification
• require some sort of subscription
• phone home for identification help

In retrospect, I should not have been surprised, considering among among the millions of insect species, there are approximately 171,000 species in the Order of Lepidoptera including the 18,000 of those are butterflies. Limiting the scope to the United States there are still some 11,000 moths and 750 butterflies. Texas alone has some 498 different butterflies. The best I have come up with are web sites such as Find Out Which Butterflies Live In Your Area -Maps, More, and Image Gallery: Butterflies and Moths of North America.

An iPad with cellular capability and these websites might be useful in the field.

What I have done is to bookmark (3) sites which covers a lot of ground...(1) especially quite comprehensive.

It will take more time to identify of course but I will just have to live with it.

Thanks joe for your input.

jaybass