THREE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED:

1) Download the Wild Detroit application on your Android or iPhone and start taking pictures!

2) Submit a request to add backdated images by emailing WinterRoot

3) Subscribe to our Twitter, or Facebook

Wildflowers of Detroit is a community project built to raise awareness of the budding ecology in Detroit's many "vacant" lots and to track their growth over time. As the city continues to cycle through new eras, we present the Wildflowers of Detroit project as the plants voice; a tool to more closely track the needs of specific plants and natural areas.
The technological side of this project is composed of mobile apps, geolocation tagging, and a timeline. Each app is a camera, gelocation map, and personal image gallery. Download and take it into the open fields. Use the apps and the website to upload images, see what other users are finding, and watch changes over time!

INTERESTED IN TECHNOLOGY?

WinterRoot is looking for collaborators on both the Wildflowers of Detroit and Rhüs open-source software projects! Check out the projects on github (website, Android, iPhone), or contact WinterRoot for more info.

Wildflowers of Detroit has been developed by WinterRoot using their open source technology stack, Rhüs. It's intended purpose is to provide communities and research groups with software needed to collect a wide range of ecological data, but as an open source project it will be available for all interested collaborators to branch and develop in accordance with their own inspiration! As a part of Rhüs, we've chosen to use other open source technologies such as Open Layers and CouchDB.
Want to join in? Check out Wildflowers of Detroit or Rhüs on github (website, Android, iPhone).

ABOUT WINTERROOT:

WinterRoot is Matthew Shultz and Gwendolyn McKay. Both grew up and lived a long time in Southeast Michigan, most recently in the Eastern Market, where they spent a lot of time exploring art, music, technology, and open fields. As it grows, WinterRoot will continue to find a build new bridges between technology and nature.

Matthew is a computer scientist by trade (with a BS from UM) and a ecologist by night. He recently moved from Detroit to Oakland, CA to peruse his interest in wetlands by re-joining the world of academia. He is also studies Chemistry and Permaculture. Matthew can program in objective c, java, javascript, php, ruby, and is the technical lead for Wildflowers of Detroit and Rhüs.

Gwendolyn is a designer, illustrator, and herbalist-in-training. Independent persuit of those three interests has lead her from Michigan to the California Bay Area which is a hub for information about plant medicine and technology. She creates the graphics, UI/UX, and promotional materials for Wildflowers of Detroit and Rhüs.