# Serving Plant Images

**URL:** <https://discourse.gbif.org/t/serving-plant-images/3127>\
**Category:** Data Use\
**Created:** [November 25, 2021, 9:24am UTC](https://discourse.gbif.org/t/serving-plant-images/3127 "2021-11-25T09:24:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MichaelSB](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/gbif1/user_avatar/discourse.gbif.org/michaelsb/32/587_2.png) [@MichaelSB](https://discourse.gbif.org/u/MichaelSB)\
**Post date:** [November 25, 2021, 9:24am UTC](https://discourse.gbif.org/t/serving-plant-images/3127/1 "2021-11-25T09:24:51Z")

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Hi, I’m developing a database of SE Asian medicinal drugs, and we’d like to show a random sampling of images of the species at the head of our page. Is there a way to pull, say, the first five images directly, once we have identified the GBIF ID and base URL for the plant? I notice that these are not stored on GBIF itself, but that GBIF portals them over from different locations.

Thanks very much for your help. I’m a complete noob, more of an historian who enjoys datatables, and don’t know how to program.

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**Author:** ![mgrosjean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/97f17d/32.png) [@mgrosjean](https://discourse.gbif.org/u/mgrosjean)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2021, 10:15am UTC](https://discourse.gbif.org/t/serving-plant-images/3127/2 "2021-11-26T10:15:32Z")

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Hi @MichaelSB,  
Perhaps the easiest would be for you to generate a download in the Darwin Core Archive format for all the occurrences associated with images for the species in your database (see [an example selecting multiple plant groups with images](https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?media_type=StillImage&taxon_key=5277736&taxon_key=2978260&taxon_key=2497&occurrence_status=present)).  
The URL to these images will be available in the files downloaded (see more details on where to find image URLs [here](https://data-blog.gbif.org/post/gbif-multimedia/)) . You can then use these to fetch the images you would like to show.

Alternatively, you could also use our [Occurrence API](https://www.gbif.org/developer/occurrence). We have [a blogpost](https://data-blog.gbif.org/post/gbif-api-beginners-guide/) that might help you get started.

In any case, keep in mind that the license for the images displayed on GBIF can be different from their associated occurrences. Please check the licenses of the images you would like to use.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/gbif1/original/1X/d2525d53d815eb0c992cc44730ed8a6a1be1dbb5.png) [@system](https://discourse.gbif.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://discourse.gbif.org/t/serving-plant-images/3127/3 "2021-12-26T20:16:03Z")

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