This web page enables individuals to build their own vascular plant database complete with photographs, plant characteristics, identification keys, distribution maps, etc. anywhere in North America. Gardeners who want to assess flowering season, flower color, plant duration, nativity, or to see photographs of plant species that grow in their own gardens can do so simply by clicking on the names of plants that grow there. College professors whose job it is to teach their students how to identify plants that grow in local fields or forests; or grade school and high school teachers who want to teach or inspire their kids to learn to identify local wildflowers and trees can do so simply by reducing the number of plants to just a few that grow locally.

Foresters, range managers, conservationists and other plant researchers employed by state or federal government agencies can build comprehensive species inventories for rare plants, aquatic or toxic plants, or other specialty plant groups that grow on their study site. Furthermore, the precise location of each study site can be plotted to within several feet to several miles (depending on what georeference scale is desired). Each database site can be fixed permanently on a Google map via a BUBBLE LOCATION. To maintain privacy and security of all sites, the BUBBLE LOCATIONS can be hidden or viewed publicly.

To facilitate the process of building your own database, and to establish external and internal standardization, the taxonomy and nomenclature used will be updated annually, thus eliminating data degradation. BONAP will continue to work with specialists and experts worldwide to assure that the highest degree of scientific accuracy is maintained.

To build your database, please follow the instructions detailed below:

  • Step 1: Enter your address or location. Then click “Find Location”. Note: Using a street address or a zip code will result in a greater resolution than using a city or state alone.
  • Step 2: Provide a precise name (limit 50 characters) for your BUBBLE LOCATION (e.g., Joe Smith’s Garden, Elizabeth Forward High School, US Forest Service Plot #5).
  • Step 3: You can further refine the list of plants found at your BUBBLE LOCATION to include only those within your garden, forest woodlot, school grounds, etc. simply by using the left mouse button to click the name of the plant found there. Once your list is complete, click “Save List” found at the bottom of the list. ”
  • Step 4: Clicking “Step 4” will take you to the BONAP TDC Query Page, where you can key your plants, view photographs of you plants, etc. Once on the Query Page, proceed to STEP 5, the “BUBBLE LOCATION name” box. Enter the exact name of your BUBBLE LOCATION used in STEP 2.
  • Step 5: To view all plant families, genera and species that you recorded for your BUBBLE LOCATION, enter the exact BUBBLE LOCATION name that you selected in STEP 2, and then press Enter (or type the first few letters of your BUBBLE LOCATION and select your BUBBLE LOCATION name from the drop-down list). Congratulations, your database is complete. You can now use the interactive family key created specifically for the plants at your BUBBLE LOCATION in tandem with all of their biological attributes, photographs, etc.
  • Step 6 and 7: To add notes to your BUBBLE LOCATION, and to make your BUBBLE LOCATION both permanent and secure (so that only you can modify it), return to the CGD, and enter the EXACT name of your saved BUBBLE LOCATION (in the search box at the top left of CGD). Once your specific bubble appears on the Google map, click it to enter Bubble Notes (select “Bubble Note” button), to edit the contents of your BUBBLE LOCATION (select “Edit” button), and to secure your BUBBLE LOCATION (select “Secure” button).