SARASOTA (WSNN) – Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is selected as one of five major public gardens to collaborate on the EcoFlora Project.
It’s an opportunity to step outside and smell the roses.
“The more people we can have outside appreciating nature, the better we situated for conserving that nature,” Selby Garden’s Vice President for Botany, Bruce Holst, said.
New York Botanical Garden pioneered the EcoFlora project. And it expanded to five cities with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
They include New York, Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, and Sarasota.
Holst says there are two main goals. One is to engage people in nature and in science.
“We think it’s an important thing for people to do. We’d love to see people go out and enjoy nature,” Holst said.
The second goal is to document nature and its diversity.
“That’s the information that gives us the knowledge to conserve plants,” Holst said.
The project uses an app called iNaturalist. You can use your phone or find it online. Anyone can participate. All you have to do is take a picture of a plant and upload it to the app or on the web.
From there, iNaturalist will make a guess of what type of plant it is through its AI Function.
“Sometimes it nails it right away and sometimes it doesn’t,” Holst said.
That’s where Holst steps in. As a specialist, he can verify the names of the plants in our region.
“It’s totally a Facebook for Plant Nerds,” Holst said.
Monthly challenges will take place for people to participate in. May’s challenge is called TillyTally.
Holst says they plan to incorporate this project into the school system and nature organizations on the Suncoast.
For more information on how to get involved, you can visit their website. The project information is on the front page rotating banner.