Penn State's Beescape tool is gaining a new feature that allows users to download county-specific lists of pollinator-attractive plants, offering a more localized approach to improving pollinator habitats across Pennsylvania.
The feature, developed by a multidisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research in the College of Agricultural Sciences, allows users to generate lists of plants tailored to ecological conditions at the county level.
Lists include trees, shrubs and flowering plants, along with bloom times to help users support pollinators throughout the growing season. Initially available only in Pennsylvania, the team hopes to expand the feature nationwide with additional funding.
Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology in the College of Agricultural Sciences and director of the Huck Institutes of Life Sciences, said the update builds directly on user needs.
"When we surveyed Beescape users, we found they were very eager to also learn how they could improve their habitat quality," Grozinger said. "Now, people in Pennsylvania can use Beescape to evaluate their backyards, farms or towns and determine if there are specific seasons where floral quality is low, and then download the list of plants that bloom during these seasons and grow well in their location."
Travis Flohr, an associate professor of landscape architecture who led the development of the feature, said the lists' localized nature is key because plant-pollinator relationships vary significantly by region. He added that the feature also simplifies a process that can otherwise be time-consuming and technical.
"Knowing the plants that are locally meaningful can help support the widest array of local pollinators," he said. "There's a lot of information out there, so the feature is an easy way to quickly match the plants that can help improve the habitat qualities of your location without hunting through a lot of lists."
Dave McLaughlin, a software engineer with Penn State's Institute for Computational and Data Sciences' Research Innovations with Scientists and Engineers, helped implement the system behind the feature.
"Beescape offers hyperlocal information about the landscape and pollinators to visitors," McLaughlin said. "To efficiently display plant lists, Travis pre-generated files for all 67 counties in Pennsylvania, then we have the web-based map interface automatically detect which county the visitor is exploring on the map and offer them the appropriate list."
Flohr said the tool is designed to serve a wide range of users, including homeowners, beekeepers, land managers and policymakers. Beyond convenience, the team hopes the feature will make expert knowledge more accessible.
"I think it can make that transition from knowledge to action a little bit smoother and more efficient for those who are interested," Flohr said. "Every little intervention helps."
The project reflects a broader collaborative effort across disciplines, Grozinger added.
"Our Beescape team includes people from multiple backgrounds, including entomologists, plant scientists, ecologists, landscape architects, geographers and computational and data scientists," she said. "We are always finding new ways to collaborate to continue to improve and expand Beescape."
Sarah Goslee, U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service, and Anthony Robinson, professor of geography at Penn State, also worked on the update. The team also collaborated with the Biota of North America Program to obtain plant data.
The Beescape project is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and Agriculture and Food Research Initiative.
