Does ForestForay work without cell service on remote hikes?

Yes. If you lose signal on remote backcountry trails, ForestForay saves your photos and GPS coordinates offline. Your sightings stay safe in your local journal and sync automatically once you return to cell coverage or Wi-Fi.

Is ForestForay Kids safe and free of ads?

Yes, 100%. ForestForay Kids is strictly ad-free and COPPA-compliant. We do not track your child's GPS location or collect personal information. The app also includes safety alerts for poisonous plants (like poison ivy or toxic berries) and stinging insects.

ForestForay — Plant, Tree, Bird & Mushroom Identifier Apps

Q: What can ForestForay identify?

ForestForay identifies wild plants, trees, garden flowers, mushrooms, insects, birds, and small animals. Take a clear photo of a leaf, bark, bloom, mushroom cap, or insect, and the app provides the common name, scientific Latin classification, and practical field notes.

Identify What's Growing
& Living Outdoors.

Snap a photo of any wild plant, tree, mushroom, bug, or bird to learn what it is in seconds. Keep a private field log on the trail, or turn your yard into a scavenger hunt for your kids.

🌿 Fast, Accurate Species Identification 📴 Works Offline Without Cell Service 🛡️ 100% Ad-Free Kids Mode

Select App Edition:

🌲 Adults App

ForestForay Naturalist

Detailed Latin taxonomy, offline trail journals, and garden plant disease diagnostics for hikers, foragers, and gardeners.

Explore Naturalist

🐾 Kids App

ForestForay Kids

Backyard scavenger hunts, collectible animal and plant sticker cards, and safe nature trivia with zero ads or tracking.

Explore Young Explorer

With ForestForay, you can:

📷

Identify Species Instantly

Point your camera to identify wild flora, fungi, insects, birds, and animals with precise taxonomic data.

🗺️

Map Your Private Journal

Keep a private, secure GPS field diary of your hikes, gardens, and seasonal wildlife observations.

🏆

Gamify Your Sighting Log

Track your discovery statistics, check off species, earn XP, and level up your Naturalist rank.

🎯

Outdoor Scavenger Hunts

Complete backyard quests, regional biome scavenger checklists, and fun family challenges.

Select Your Edition

Choose the interface that matches your outdoor goals. Both apps share your account across the whole family.

🌲 ForestForay Naturalist

Scientific Guide, Gamified.

The ultimate tool for hikers, naturalists, and gardeners. Run scientific taxonomies, but with a rewarding stats engine to track your discoveries.

Pro Species Scanner & scientific nomenclature
Naturalist Levels, genus tracking, & scan counts
Toxicity warnings for pet safety & foraging
Real-time foliage pest & disease diagnostics

View Naturalist App

🐾 ForestForay Kids

Young Explorer Adventure

Fosters biological learning, outdoor active play, and screen safety for children ages 4–10. 100% ad-free, secure, and COPPA compliant.

Local biome & backyard scavenger hunts
Collectible Bio-Dex animal & plant sticker badges
Simple observation quizzes to teach taxonomy
Parental gates & zero location tracking

View Kids App

Recent Discoveries

See what explorers are logging in the wild right now.

+50 XP

Monarch Butterfly

Danaus plexippus

📍 Yosemite Valley, CA Level 4 Naturalist

+35 XP

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

📍 Algonquin Park, ON Level 2 Explorer

+40 XP

Western Honey Bee

Apis mellifera

📍 Backyard Garden, NY Level 3 Naturalist

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about using ForestForay on the trail and at home.

What can ForestForay identify?

ForestForay identifies wild plants, trees, flowers, mushrooms, insects, birds, and animals. Point your camera at a leaf, bark, blossom, mushroom cap, or insect, and the app tells you the common name, scientific Latin classification, and practical field notes in seconds.

Does it work without cell service on remote hikes?

Yes. When you are out on backcountry trails with no signal, ForestForay saves your photos and GPS locations offline. Your sightings stay stored in your field journal and sync automatically once you return to cell coverage or Wi-Fi.

Is ForestForay Kids safe and ad-free for children?

Yes, 100%. ForestForay Kids has zero ads, no third-party tracking, and does not collect personal information. Location coordinates are never broadcast or shared, and the app includes safety warnings for poisonous plants (like poison ivy) and stinging insects.

Can I use ForestForay to diagnose sick garden plants?

Yes. In the Naturalist edition, you can scan discolored leaves, spotted foliage, or pest damage to identify common plant diseases (like powdery mildew, rust, and leaf blights) along with practical, organic care tips to treat your garden.

Is ForestForay free to download?

Yes. Both ForestForay Naturalist and ForestForay Kids are free to download on iPhone and Android with free scans included every day. Optional premium upgrades are available for unlimited daily scans.

ForestForay Privacy Policy

Effective Date: May 28, 2026

We are dedicated to safeguarding the privacy of families and children. This policy details our data practices across our applications and marketing site:

No location tracking for children: The kids app never requests GPS or device location. Regional context is determined server-side using approximate IP geolocation only.
Zero Ad-Tracking networks: The kids app has no Google Analytics, ad tracking networks, or behavioral monitoring SDKs.
Photos & Camera: We require camera access to perform computer vision scanning. We only write file outputs to your gallery when explicitly requested by a parent.
Data Deletion requests: Users can request account and data deletion at any time by contacting our support team or via the profile settings.