Wildr Places

I have been watching this app evolve, and I’m impressed. It’s well-integrated into the Less Lawn More Life Challenge, so it feels like a wraparound support for habitat gardeners. I have submitted feedback, and the response has been great, and I have seen my suggestions incorporated into improvements. It doesn’t substitute for getting out there and gardening, and I encourage folks to find friends and groups and other real life supports as well, but this is a really fantastic support for folks who want to have more impact and who are seeking high quality information.

After retiring from an 8 year stint of creating an 11-acre regenerative ecofarm with several endangered heritage livestock species, annual and perennial vegetable and herbs, meat, and fiber, I thought I’d never be connected to nature in that way again. I was wrong. After a one-year pity party, I began removing invasive plants from my .75 acre property. I reread Dr. Douglas Tallamy’s 2007 book Bringing Nature Home. I read his 2020 book, Nature’s Best Hope and became immersed in native plants. I joined Georgia’s Native Plant Society and became a charter member of a local chapter. Social distancing outdoors was a way to socialize during the pandemic. I’m still rusty with many apps, but picked up on Wildr right away. It provides helpful feedback. I’m always learning more. I’m retired and in my seventh decade, so these concepts provide social connection, incentive, and feedback. I look forward to learning more.

I am so excited to finally have a plant recommendation and garden planning app created by a respected company in partnership with so many trusted organizations. Until now, I’ve been toggling among various databases and various spreadsheets—none of which is easy to use. In just minutes of playing with the app, I’ve noted my habitats haves and wants and started plant lists with clickable descriptions. Wow!