Adopt a Plant :: Adopt a Wildflower

Adopt a Wildflower is a collection of lenses built for individual plants and/or communities of plants. Native plants which can be found in their natural biodiverse ecosystems are highly recommended for your consideration. However, no plant will be left out of the project. You can choose your favorite tree in Grandpa's backyard, or the plant that gave you vegetables for dinner, or the plant that is growing in a flower pot in the kitchen. You can choose any plant you want.

Adopt a Wildflower is not intended to replace botany books or online plant data bases. It is a personal perspective on a particular plant. You can include your own photographs, your stories of how you came to know this plant, as well as botanical information.

TITLE FOR YOUR LENS: Use your plant's common name in the title. You can put the scientific name for your plant in the subtitle section for your lens. Don't worry if you don't know the scientific name, you can add it later as you learn more about your plant.

Example title is "California Poppy pops up all over my garden path"
Example subtitle is Eschscholzia californica. (note: scientific names are usually shown in italics, but squiddo does not allow for the use of italics.)

URL ADDRESS NAME: This is name you give to your lens that becomes its address on the world wide web. I suggest that you call it adoptaplant(your state's name)hyphen(your plant's name) It is best to have the words Adopt a Plant only used in the URL address. By putting Adopt a Plant in your URL name, you will be showing that you are part of the Adopt a Plant Project

MODULES: this is the squidoo format for adding information. You can use these modules for telling your personal stories about your plant. You can add photos, you can direct people to books and other websites that have information about your plant. This is the "juice" of your lens and you have great creative freedom to make it the way you see it.

Just put the number 2 or 3 or 4 to number your lens after the plant's title and URL address. When you name your lens in the squidoo process, it will automatically let you know if another lens with the same plant name already exists.

Each of us will have a different view of a plant. We can share our ideas generously, just as the earth's plants are so abundant with their seeds and blossoms and fruits (which really are seeds.)

Adopt a Plant invites world-wide participation.
Create a lens that says Adopt a Plant in ____name of country, then a hyphen and your plant's name.
Send your lens to Adopt a Plant and you will be added to the world-wide lens for Adopt a Plant.

Adopt a Plant is looking for persons who will manage lenses for other countries in the world.
Are you the plant voice for Australia?
Are you the plant voice for Wales?
Are you the plant voice for South Africa?

Please make an Adopt a Plant lens for your home land.
And tell us about it, so you can be linked on the Adopt a Plant world-wide lens.

Squiddo is so easy to use, you can create a plant lens with a child. Adopt a Plant or a plant place with the children in your life. Many children have not spent much time in the natural landscape, or even in back yard gardens. Choose a place to visit and go several times a year to observe the seasonal transformations. Adopt some of the plants in that special place and make lenses for them, using your own photographs. Research the plant with the children using a wide variety of books and websites. Check out your local native plant society for special field trips for kids, plant science workshops for kids. Start an Adopt a Plant project with your classroom, using Squidoo lenses to record what you notice and learn.

Your lens can become your personal story with the plant, including the dialogue with adult and child, asking questions and wondering.....

(photo from the California Native Plant Society)