Plant Alert

Sentinel Garden is a citizen science app developed as part of the OneSTOP project to help monitor introduced, non-native and potentially invasive plants. Use the app to photograph and identify plants, record where you found them, and contribute observations that can help researchers understand how plants are spreading through gardens and other managed green spaces. Identify plants Take or upload up to three photographs and use integrated Pl@ntNet identification to help determine the species you have found. You can also enter the plant name yourself if you already know it. Record where plants are growing Add the observation location using the location stored in your photograph, your device GPS, or by selecting the location on a map. Tell us what you are seeing For plants found in gardens and allotments, Sentinel Garden asks additional questions about how the plant is behaving — for example whether it is spreading, how it is being controlled, and whether it appears to be outcompeting other plants. You can also record observations from parks and public gardens without having to answer garden-specific questions. Works when connectivity is limited Surveys are saved on your device first and can be synchronised when an internet connection is available. Connect to iNaturalist You can optionally connect your own iNaturalist account. When connected, suitable observations can be contributed through your account. If you choose not to connect an account, observations can still be contributed through the project account. Your research data Sentinel Garden stores survey information for research purposes. Observation locations are stored accurately for research, while locations displayed on the public observation map are deliberately shown only approximately. Survey notes are retained within the research dataset and are not added to the public iNaturalist description. By contributing observations, you can help researchers build a better picture of where introduced plants occur, how they spread, and how they interact with gardens and the wider environment.