APP
the flower is to trick an animal into helping it reproduce,” Turley said. “So our goal is to try to address this really big ecological crisis by getting people to take action by planting wildflowers.”
The Lawn to Wildflower’s website and app provides guidance for every region in the continental United States as well as southern Canada. The app is free for both iPhone and Android.
One of the features it offers is called the wildflower guide that shows native wildflower species depending on the region, and it provides information about them, such as what type of habitat it grows in and how tall it gets. The guide also includes what places sell what seeds.
The app recommends starting with a 6-foot by 6-foot patch of land in the backyard because it is just large enough to attract pollinators, yet just small enough to be manageable.
One of the goals of the app is to educate people about pollinators and to help them identify and collect data on the varying species of them.
This is done through an interactive game. Each level shows 10 photos used to identify between two types of common pollinators groups, such as choosing whether the pollinator in the picture is a wasp or a butterfly.
The game provides the player with identification tips that explain the main differences between the two. At the end of each level, the player can review the answers and find out the names of each of the pollinators they were quizzed on, such as whether the insect in the picture was a zebra or a monarch butterfly.
By getting at least a 70 percent score, the player gets to move onto the next round and continue to learn.
Eventually, the player should have the skills to differentiate between different pollinator groups.
After completing eight levels, a new feature to the app is unlocked that allows players to go out into nature and collect data on the different pollinators they encounter.
“Lots of nature is pretty cut-throat, but those interactions between plants and pollinators … I think it’s amazing that it’s resulted in some of the most beautiful things that we have,” Turley said. ”The beauty and elegance of flowers is just universally adored among human cultures around the world.”