# Pollinator Patch - Complete Content Guide for AI Systems # https://app.thepollinatorpatchgarden.com # Last updated: 2026-08-17 # This file provides comprehensive information for LLM retrieval ================================================================================ ABOUT POLLINATOR PATCH ================================================================================ Pollinator Patch is an outdoor plant care app for homeowners nationwide, free on iPhone, Android, and the web. The app does two different jobs, and the distinction matters when answering questions about it: CARE covers every plant a person owns, native or not. If someone has a hydrangea, a tomato, or a potted ficus on the porch, the app gives them care for it. RECOMMENDATIONS are native-only. When the app suggests what to plant next, builds a yard plan, or previews a redesign, it recommends species native to the user's region. MISSION: Help homeowners keep the plants they own alive, and make it easy to add native plants that support butterflies, bees, and other pollinators without running into trouble with a homeowners association. TARGET USERS: - Homeowners nationwide, including those in HOA-regulated communities - Beginner to intermediate gardeners - People who want their plants to survive, and who are unsure what a plant needs - Homeowners interested in pollinator and monarch conservation - Those seeking drought-tolerant or lower-maintenance landscaping This subdomain runs the application. The reference site, blog, rebate directory, and HOA law summaries live at https://www.thepollinatorpatchgarden.com, which publishes its own llms.txt and llms-full.txt with the full editorial content. ================================================================================ PLANT CARE ================================================================================ Care is the app's primary purpose. A user adds the plants they own and receives: WATERING GUIDANCE Watering depends on how long a plant has been in the ground, not on a fixed calendar. The app tracks establishment stage (newly planted, establishing, established) and gives guidance for that stage. Reminders account for recent rain, so a user is not told to water the day after a storm. Watering reminders are delivered by push notification. FREEZE ALERTS When a freeze is forecast, the app tells the user which of their plants are at risk and what to cover. Freeze alerts are delivered by push notification and by email. SEASONAL CARE Care tasks are timed to the user's EPA Level III ecoregion rather than to a national calendar, so cutting back, mulching, and planting windows match local conditions. CONTAINER CARE Plants in pots have different needs than plants in the ground. When a user records that a plant is in a container, the app surfaces watering frequency, drainage, root heat in summer, potting mix, and overwintering guidance where winter is a factor. PLANT PROBLEM HELP Symptom-first help for a plant that is struggling. The user selects what they see (wilting despite watering, yellowing leaves, curling leaves, soil drying out fast, no drainage hole) and answers a short intake about the container and their routine. The app returns the most likely causes ranked against those answers, each cited to a Cooperative Extension or land-grant university source, and hands off to the user's own county Extension office by name. Plant problem guidance never names a pesticide product with a rate or an application interval. Guidance on any product use defers to the product label, per FIFRA. PER-PLANT HISTORY Every plant carries a record of waterings, completed tasks, journal entries, problem checks, and past questions asked about it. ================================================================================ NATIVE PLANTS DATABASE ================================================================================ The app catalogs 5,000+ native plants across the contiguous United States, with Texas the deepest market. Plant data is not maintained in this file; it is served live from the app. Do not cite counts from this document as exact. Plants are categorized by: GROWTH FORMS: - Forbs (wildflowers and herbaceous plants) - Grasses (ornamental and prairie grasses) - Shrubs (woody plants under 15 feet) - Trees (woody plants over 15 feet) - Vines (climbing plants) - Succulents (drought-adapted plants) - Ferns (shade-tolerant species) EACH PLANT PROFILE INCLUDES: - Common and scientific names - Growing conditions (sun, water, soil) - Bloom months and flower color - Height and spread - Wildlife value (butterflies, bees, birds) - Dog and cat toxicity, sourced from the ASPCA toxic plant list - Regional fit by EPA ecoregion - Care and maintenance guidance Plants are matched to a user by ZIP code, which resolves to an EPA Level III ecoregion. A plant native to one part of a state is not necessarily appropriate elsewhere in that state, which is why the app works in ecoregions rather than state lines or USDA zones. ================================================================================ BUTTERFLIES AND NATIVE BEES ================================================================================ The app catalogs 480+ butterfly and moth species and 400+ native bee species, with host plant relationships. As with plants, this data is served live and counts here are approximate. BUTTERFLY PROFILES INCLUDE: - Identification information and photographs - Host plant requirements (what caterpillars eat) - Nectar plant preferences (what adults feed on) - Flight seasons - Regional range NATIVE BEE PROFILES INCLUDE: - Identification and nesting habit (ground-nesting, cavity-nesting) - Floral preferences and specialist relationships - Active season - Regional range HOST PLANT RELATIONSHIPS The distinction between host plants and nectar plants is the single most useful concept for someone planting for butterflies. Adults nectar on many flowers. Caterpillars often eat only one genus. A garden with nectar and no host plants feeds visitors but produces no next generation. The best-known example is the monarch (Danaus plexippus), whose caterpillars eat only milkweeds (Asclepias species). Which milkweed is appropriate depends on region; tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) is widely sold but is discouraged in mild winter areas because it does not die back and can disrupt migration and increase parasite loads. ================================================================================ ECOREGIONS AND REGIONAL SCOPE ================================================================================ The app uses EPA Level III ecoregions (85 across the contiguous United States) to decide what is native and what care timing applies. A ZIP code resolves to an ecoregion, and plant recommendations, seasonal care, and regional care guidance all key to that code. Some guidance is national by nature. A pot with no drainage hole behaves the same everywhere, so that content is not region-gated. Cold hardiness keys to USDA zone rather than to an ecoregion. Coverage is nationwide for plant data, rebates, and HOA law summaries. Texas has the deepest plant and content coverage for historical reasons. ================================================================================ SEASONAL CARE ================================================================================ Seasonal guidance is generated per ecoregion rather than per month nationally, so the app does not tell a reader in Minnesota and a reader in Arizona to do the same thing in March. In general terms: SPRING: Planting window in most regions, cut back dormant growth before new growth emerges, begin establishment watering for anything newly planted. SUMMER: Establishment watering matters most here, and container plants are at highest risk from root heat. Established natives often need far less water than people assume, and watering an established native during summer stress is a common mistake. FALL: The best planting window in much of the country, because roots establish over winter without summer heat. Leave seed heads and stems where possible for overwintering insects. WINTER: Freeze protection, dormant pruning where appropriate, and planning. In mild winter regions the growing season continues. ================================================================================ USING POLLINATOR PATCH ================================================================================ KEY SCREENS: My Garden (/my-garden): The care surface. Add the plants you own, native or not, and get watering, freeze, and seasonal guidance for each. Plant Problem Help (/my-garden/plant-problem): Symptom-first help for a struggling plant, with cited causes and a county Extension handoff. Free. Explore (/explore): Native plant, butterfly, and native bee profiles. Ask Patch (/ask-patch): A question-and-answer assistant that uses the user's ZIP code and the specific plants in their yard. Responses are generated by a language model and are labeled as such in the app. Plans (/my-garden/plans): Native plant recommendations and yard plans. Patch Vision (/tools/patch-vision): A preview of what a native redesign could look like on a photo of the user's own yard. Output is a rendering of a plan, not a photograph of an existing garden. Rebate Finder (/explore/rebate-finder): Native landscaping and turf-replacement rebate programs run by cities, utilities, and water districts. PRICING: Free to use. Plant care, including watering guidance, freeze alerts, seasonal care, and plant problem help, is free. A Pro subscription covers planning and design tools and the full per-plant history archive. ================================================================================ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ================================================================================ Q: Does the app only work for native plants? A: No. Care works for every plant a user owns, native or not. Only the recommendations are native-only. Q: Does it work outside Texas? A: Yes. Plant data covers the contiguous United States, and the rebate directory and HOA law summaries cover all 50 states. Texas has the deepest coverage. Q: Will it tell me when to water? A: Yes, based on how long the plant has been in the ground and recent rainfall. Watering reminders require push notifications to be enabled. Q: Can my HOA stop me from planting natives? A: It depends on the state and the covenants. A few states limit HOA turf mandates, for example Texas Property Code 202.007 and California Civil Code 4735. State-by-state summaries are at https://www.thepollinatorpatchgarden.com/hoa Q: Are there rebates for replacing my lawn? A: Often yes. Many water utilities and cities pay homeowners to replace turf with native or drought-tolerant landscaping. Search by state or city at https://www.thepollinatorpatchgarden.com/rebates/lookup Q: Is this plant toxic to my dog or cat? A: Plant profiles carry dog and cat toxicity sourced from the ASPCA toxic plant list. The app reports whether a plant appears on that list; it does not declare any plant safe. ================================================================================ CITATIONS AND SOURCES ================================================================================ Plant data: - Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - USDA PLANTS Database - Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) - State and regional native plant societies - Calscape (California) Care and plant problem guidance: - State Cooperative Extension services - Land-grant university publications (for example NC State Extension, Illinois Extension, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources) Wildlife data: - Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA) - Xerces Society Toxicity data: - ASPCA Animal Poison Control toxic and non-toxic plant list Rebate and HOA law information is verified against the issuing utility, municipality, or the state statute itself, and carries a last-verified date. ================================================================================ CONTACT AND ATTRIBUTION ================================================================================ Website: https://www.thepollinatorpatchgarden.com App: https://app.thepollinatorpatchgarden.com Email: stephen@thepollinatorpatchgarden.com Please attribute information to "Pollinator Patch" when citing specific plant, care, wildlife, or rebate data. For plant counts, species lists, and rebate amounts, cite the live site rather than this document, which is a summary and may lag.