Small creatures, big trees, and a brand-new map

@media only screen and (max-width: 600px) { .mob-pad { padding-left: 20px !important; padding-right: 20px !important; } .mob-img { width: 100% !important; max-width: 100% !important; } h1 { font-size: 22px !important; } h2 { font-size: 17px !important; } } Small creatures, big trees, and a brand-new map Fall is here, and the leaves are putting on their best show. It's the perfect time to look up. We're wrapping up October with more than 100 Belgian schools that went on a woodlice hunt.. Then we give a shout-out to the growing group of ArbNet-accredited arboreta that use Plantsoon. And we'll show you how to join them, for free. We've also got a sneak peek at a new way to explore all the green spaces that use Plantsoon. And to wrap up, we ask an honest question: do phones and gardens really go together? Citizen science Education More than 100 Belgian schools went on a woodlice hunt with the Plantsoon app In October, more than 100 schools across Belgium went looking for woodlice in their schoolyards. The research project is run by GoodPlanet and Ghent University, and the Plantsoon app helped make it happen. Students logged every find in the app. How many they found, where they found them, which species it was, and a few photos too. Together, they shared more than 1,000 photos! Next, researchers at Ghent University will dig into all that data. They're even hoping to discover a new species of woodlouse! It's all part of SoilTribes, a European project funded by Horizon Europe. SoilTribes brings scientists and local communities together to take better care of our soil. And woodlice fit right in. Lots of woodlice usually means the soil is rich and full of life. That's citizen science at its best. Students don't just learn about nature. They help real scientists discover something new. And it all happens right in their own schoolyard. What students logged Number of woodlice  ·  Where they found them  ·  Which species  ·  Photos Got your own observation project in mind? Want to run a biodiversity observation project of your own, big or small? The Plantsoon app is built to be flexible. That way, we can easily set up an observation flow that fits your project. Interested? Email us at hello@plantsoon.com. In the spotlight Accreditation ArbNet accreditation is closer than you think: here's how E.L. Haynes did it ArbNet is the international network of arboreta. Getting accredited shows the world that you know your trees, you take good care of them, and you share them with others. And it's doable for more places than you'd expect. Take E.L. Haynes Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. It's a PreK-12 Title I school with more than 1,100 students. Its campus now has 160 trees and more than 50 species. Together, they make up an ArbNet Level I arboretum. It's the only one at a PreK-12 or Title I school in the region. Educational arborist Sam Nelson pulled it off on his own. With Plantsoon, he could catalog, label, and share the whole collection in one place. Every tree got a bilingual label with a QR code. Scan it, and you'll find lesson content and a digital map. And the best part? Students now read the names of the trees they walk past every day. "This was my dream project for years: to bring accessible and equitable plant education right outside classroom doors." Sam Nelson, Founder, Tree Stories LLC E.L. Haynes is in good company. More than 20 accredited arboreta use Plantsoon today, from Level I all the way up to Level III. You'll find them at universities, historic sites, cemeteries, retirement communities, and county parks. Take a virtual walk Draves Arboretum  ·  Level III Colonial Williamsburg  ·  Level II Rochester's Mount Hope Cemetery  ·  Level II Euphemia's Arboretum at E.L. Haynes  ·  Level I Read the full story See how a former teacher turned his school campus into an accredited arboretum.  Read the story → Ready to get accredited? Start your ArbNet journey for free For ArbNet Level I, you need at least 25 labeled trees or woody plants. They can be different species, varieties, or cultivars. Our free Starter Package gives you exactly that. It's open to any garden that's applying for ArbNet accreditation or already has it. 25 flora records  ·  Digital labels accepted by ArbNet  ·  Public garden showcase website  ·  Ready for Smart Garden Labels FREE Get the Starter Package → Coming in December New feature Discover green spaces that use Plantsoon, all on one map We're working on something new: a Discover page. It puts all the gardens, parks, and schools that use Plantsoon on one interactive map. Arboreta, botanical gardens, company campuses, you name it. Look for a green space near you, or check out one on the other side of the world. One click, and you're on its visit page, with plant stories, photos, and a map of the collection. It's a great way to see what others are up to. And your own green space gets a bigger stage, too. In progress One map with every green space that uses Plantsoon  ·  Direct links to each visit page  ·  Expected release in December 2026 Insights Visitor experience The phone paradox: why a good scan sends you back to the garden People go to a garden partly to get away from their screens. And then there's a QR code on every plant. Feels a bit odd, right? Honestly, we get that. Research shows that nature gives your attention a break. Your screen does the exact opposite. Even a phone on the table can make dinner with friends less fun. But here's the twist. In busy, park-like places, people actually grab their phones more often. So in most gardens, the phone's already out. So the real question isn't whether phones belong in a garden. It's what they do once they're there. An endless feed pulls you away from the plant. One quick scan points you right back to it. In our new Insights article, we dig into the research. And we share how to design a scan that knows when to stop. Read the full article Find out how a ten-second scan can buy you two extra minutes with a tree.  Read the article →