https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/8708561

Artificial intelligence (AI) has arrived on iNat! Perhaps you have noticed that when you place your cursor in the identification field, you get a drop down list of suggestions. This can be a great help, but can also be misleading. Currently, some of the suggestions you will find for observations made in San Diego County include plants that may look similar to your observation, but that do not occur in our area. For this observation of a Solanum species, the suggestions provided from the AI feature on iNat include four species of nightshade that do not occur in San Diego County. The plant is likely one of the other suggested species: S. nigrum, S. americanum, or S. douglasii. Although a lovely photograph, the one photo submitted unfortunately does not provide enough information to identify this plant to species for which length of anthers, size of seeds, and presence of glandular hairs are important characteristics. See our prior post on What to Photograph for tips to improve the likelihood of species identification.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/9257995

Collecting specimens of cacti for the herbarium is not for the faint of heart--hands become targets for spines and glochids as stems, flowers, and fruits are collected and prepared for pressing. The San Diego Natural History Museum's herbarium holds only a few specimens of the cactus known as Mason Valley Cholla (Cylindropuntia fosbergii). Fortunately, taking photos of cacti is relatively easy and enjoyed by many. This observation of the month, posted by birgitknorr, is one of over 450 verified observations on iNat of Mason Valley Cholla in San Diego County. These iNat observations help to refine the extent of the range of this narrow endemic which is on the California Native Plant Society Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants. Of the hundreds of observations on iNat, over 200 were posted by birgitknorr whose profile states that she is fascinated by Cylindropuntia fosbergii and wanted to map its range. Bravo, birgitknorr!