Google Maps Foraging Database Mashup

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

they co-inhabit togather like the chicken of the woods mushroom live with the oak tree. each one breaks down compounds and the other uses it. unable to support themselves,they work with each other to survive. i have never seen chokes without urtica growing right in there with them. New England has this common structure of inhabtiation with urtica and chokes. the sun flower like chokes reach up to 6 or 8 feet, the nettle reaches 3 to 4 feet, the urtica being the under story plant surruonds the chokes in the center. chokes look like sun flowers with a single small yellow flower at the top. they bloom in early fall. if you find urtica you have also found chokes!

[erunkiswldrnssurvival]

care to explain that in more detail? not sure i have found that yet

they co colonize. they form a micorzial relationship, or they break down compounds, and share

[Chris]

By the way people. There is going to be a contest on the site this summer where you get points for locations you mark and pictures you upload and plants you add. Prizes include a lot of books, including an autographed Les Stroud book, knives, and whatever else I can find. Any things you add now (or already added) will count towards the prize totals (it'll all be retroactive).

[mountain mama]

bribery, i shoulda known he would resort to bribery *mumbles*

[Chris]

Anyone else have comments? Please go give the thing a try. Only rick has marked something people! Don't let him get away with being the onlyone!

[Rick]

Yes. I am superior. There is an air of...well, never mind that...I am superior.

[oneraindog]

ok so sometimes the obvious escapes me...how exactly do you pin a location on the map?

[Rick]

We have a hold on that at the moment. I'll have my people call your people as soon as we figure it out. Seriously, I'm stumped. I've got a note in to Chris.

[Ken]

ok so sometimes the obvious escapes me...how exactly do you pin a location on the map?

Just ask Rick. He's a MASTER of the obvious!

"Banned." I just know he's going to use the word "Banned."

[Rick]

No need. You did it for me.

[Chris]

There was a bug, but it was fixed last night. The pinning should be working appropriately.

There are two ways. You browse with the map to the spot, zoom in all the way to be sure (in much of the country you can zoom in to the point of seeing individual trees), then mark it.

OR, if you have a GPS device, visit the location and write down the GPS coordinates, then you can mark it that way.

[Chris]

Alright people it is fixed, play with it, add some plant locations you know, please?

The contest will be this, and any stuff you add now will count.

Every action gets you a point, marking a location, uploading a picture, adding a new plant.

At the end of October the chap with the most points get first pick on the prizes, the chap with the second most gets second pick, etc.

The prizes are (mostly books):

Autographed copy of Survive! by Les Stroud
A Wall of White by Jennifer Woodlief - true story of avalanch survival
Small Scale Grain Raising by Gene Logsdon - guide to growing and processing your own grain
The Winter Harvest Handbook by Eliot Coleman - guide to growing produce year round, even in cold climates
Stuart Robertson's Tips on Organic Gardening
Stuart Robertson's Tips on Container Gardening
Gaia's Garden
Some field dressing knife kits

I'll be posting more about each prize eventually, and I hope to scare up more. There will be enough for quite a few people to win something.

Any stuff you add now will count, even though it is not officially launched yet.

[Pal334]

Chris,, I just added (I think) two plant locations, cranberry and blueberry in NJ. THey are not showing. Does it take some time for it to process? Followed directions and it seems to accept my entries

[Chris]

No, it should happen instantly, can you go over what you did? Maybe you didn't finish the process & save it.

gryffynklm, is there really a plantain growing in a parking lot north of chicago?

Also, you don't copy and paste the page info into the description box, that is not for a description of the plant, but for a description of the location.

[gryffynklm]

Thanks Chris, it must operator error. I have edited the location. Thanks for the clarification to the Notes box.

[Pal334]

Ooops,, operator error here also. Now they are there

[Chris]

Thanks Chris, it must operator error. I have edited the location. Thanks for the clarification to the Notes box.

Yup, you've got it now.

[Chris]

Ooops,, operator error here also. Now they are there

Now you know, the goal isn't to mark commercial farms, but wild growing locations.

[oneraindog]

ok a few questions.

do plants that are extremely common count? i think i could win this thing just by pinning all the places ive seen dandelion within an 80 miles radius of where i live.
same for black berry bushes which are rampant in the puget sound area

how "edible" are you talking here? i know of a few skunk cabbage spots which is "edible" but it is not necessarily PALATABLE.

if i hike 6 miles and see 15 different locations for plantain what is the best way to indicating its location without pinning 15 locations?

sorry if some of these are obvious. like i said im bad at that. and just want to be sure.

[oneraindog]

also i assume urban locales are acceptable right? even if its in our back yard?