5 digital tools to help you marvel at the Earth from right where you are

Have you found yourself taking more of an interest in the local birds on your daily walk? Or perhaps you're spending more time observing the beginnings of this year's garden. While we may not be able to head out to hiking trails or national parks on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, there are still so many ways to marvel at the Earth around us — from home. Whether it's the biodiversity in your own backyard, a leafy little plant on your balcony, or the night sky up above, there are some very fun (and informative!) free apps and resources out there that can help us understand and appreciate what's around us a little more.

Read up on your neighbourhood birds

Spotted a bird you can't quite identify? Merlin helps you spot birds across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia by using images from your phone's camera roll, or through its step-by-step simple questionnaire function, Bird ID Wizard. Plus, this app also includes more than 15,000 audio recordings, so you can finally figure out who's been singing outside your window lately.

Identify your latest plant and animal observations

If a plant, flower or cute little creature in your backyard or on the sidewalk has spiked your curiosity, there's definitely an app for that. iNaturalist uses crowdsourcing to help you identify the organisms around you. Use your camera to share and identify your observations and become part of a data sharing community. Since we're all staying at home, you can also use the app (or your desktop) to peruse observations from across the country, without ever leaving your living room! Use the platform to reach out to other Canadian naturalists to ask questions, learn more about the species in your area, and contribute your findings to scientific data repositories. 

Catch up with your favourite creatures

Explore the whole world of wildlife right from the comfort of your couch using webcams. We're particularly interested in the set of options that allow us to observe animals in some of Canada's parks while they're closed. Right now, you can look in on the plains of Wapusk National Park in hopes of spotting a polar bear in Cape Churchill, or if you're missing the ocean, get a glimpse of it in real time using the webcam at Saguenay – St. Lawrence Marine Park. Using the webcams at explore.org, you can also look for orcas from the Cracroft Point Orca Lookout on Hanson Island, B.C., catch some highlights of the very popular brown bear cam in Alaska (even though the live cam is temporarily down for maintenance), and watch some elephants at Tembe Elephant Park in Emangusi, South Africa. 

Get some gardening answers

Perhaps you've got a green thumb and are an expert gardener, or maybe this is your first year at attempting to plant a garden. Either way, the Garden Answers app will not only help you identify some of the plants you're working with in your backyard or on your balcony, but it can also help you get instant answers, and some expert advice from real gardening experts. Use the app to explore what's in your space, or even figure out if one of your plants has a disease or a pest problem.

Learn a little about the night sky above you

Standing on your balcony, wondering what that constellation is called? Star Walk 2 is an app that's designed to help solve that mystery. You simply point your device toward the sky, and it helps you identify the constellations you're seeing. Plus, you can learn about other celestial bodies, explore their make-up with 3D functions, and turn on notifications so that you'll never miss a super pink moon ever again. And even if you're not stargazing, you can stay indoors and keep up to date on the latest news about outer space.