We're building the operating system for urban pollinator corridors.
Pollinator populations have declined by 70% over the past 30 years, threatening ecosystem health and food security. The solution isn't just planting more flowers—it's creating connected networks of native plants that support pollinators throughout their entire lifecycle.
Hortus empowers residents to map their native plant gardens, discover neighbours doing the same, and see how their individual efforts contribute to community-wide pollinator corridors. At the same time, we provide conservation authorities and researchers with unprecedented data on urban biodiversity.
Help neighbours discover each other, share seeds and cuttings, and build local networks of native plant enthusiasts.
Visualize bloom coverage gaps and identify where strategic planting can create connected habitat networks across neighbourhoods.
Track native species diversity, monitor ecosystem health, and learn how to transform properties into thriving wildlife habitat.
Provide researchers and municipalities with real-time biodiversity data to make informed decisions about conservation investments.
Hortus began with a simple observation: gardeners across the GTA were independently planting native species, but had no way to see the collective impact of their efforts. Were they creating connected corridors? Filling bloom gaps? Supporting year-round pollinator populations?
We built Hortus to answer these questions—and to help communities coordinate their planting efforts for maximum ecological benefit. What started as a mapping tool has become a platform for citizen science, community engagement, and evidence-based conservation.
Citizen Science: We believe residents are the best observers of their own neighbourhoods. Hortus empowers everyday gardeners to contribute valuable biodiversity data.
Open Data: We're committed to making aggregated, anonymized data available to researchers and conservation organizations working to protect pollinators and biodiversity.
Community-First: The platform is free for individual gardeners. We generate revenue by providing data and engagement tools to institutions, ensuring the community always comes first.
Science-Based: Our 187-plant native catalog is curated from authoritative sources. Analytics are grounded in pollinator ecology research, not marketing hype.
Our native plant catalog is sourced from Native Plants in Claremont, a trusted Ontario native plant nursery. We're grateful for their comprehensive database of native species information that helps gardeners make informed choices.
We're actively seeking partnerships with:
Live data from Greater Toronto Area communities