A plant believed extinct for nearly 60 years has just reappeared, thanks to a random photo and a citizen science app.
Ptilotus senarius, a rare Australian shrub last seen in 1967, was rediscovered when bird bander Aaron Bean snapped pictures of an unfamiliar plant in the outback and uploaded them to iNaturalist. Botanist Anthony Bean recognized it almost immediately.
I love what Citizen Science is doing!! This story (only one of many) shows how ordinary people, armed with smartphones and curiosity, are transforming biodiversity science.
Platforms like iNaturalist, ebird and other digital herbaria are creating real‑time, geo‑tagged records that can surface species thought gone, flag invasive plants early, and fill in gaps in museum collections and field surveys.
For conservation, ecology, and ethnobotany, this changes the game: rare plants don’t just live in remote archives or specialist field notes…they show up in everyday photos.
Reference: Thomas Mesaglio, Anthony R. Bean, Aaron Bean. Rediscovery of a presumed extinct plant species, Ptilotus senarius (Amaranthaceae), through iNaturalist. Australian Journal of Botany, 2026; 74 (1)