Efforts to protect and create urban habitat are getting a boost this spring via the SF Plant Finder, a new searchable database of plants that can be used to support key species living in SF. The SF Plant Finder is the newest release in SF Planning Department’s Green Connections Plan, launched in 2014 in collaboration with Nature in the City, SF Parks Alliance, and Walk San Francisco. The Green Connections Plan aims to build a network of connected streets that are designed, planted, and beautified to make traveling through SF by foot or bike more pleasant and viable.

The SF Plant Finder targets the dovetailed goal of making those “green connectors” into habitat for key wild species. Residents on or near the 24 Green Connections habitat routes can use this tool to make informed planting choices.

“I often find that it’s easier to connect with your own personal garden space if you can think about its role in a larger picture,” says Small Spot Gardens owner Elisa Baier. “The SF Plant Finder is a super approachable way to do that.”

Pick a species-targeted route, for example the Cedar Waxwing on Page Street from Market to Golden Gate Park, then find the recommended plants for that route in the SF Plant Finder. You’ll get tons of information about whether those plants will work in your particular space. Or alternatively, drop a pin on the map for a big grid of potential plants for your location, and whittle it down with filters for your space (sandy soil? Part shade?) and goals (nectar-producing? Small size?).

The location specificity of the SF Plant Finder makes it unique as a resource. “San Francisco is a small place, so you’d think that plant choices might be pretty much the same across it, but in fact the number of microclimates is staggering,” says Baier. With SF Plant Finder you can focus on a particular point on the map, and you’ll be choosing from plants that will all fit with the existing environment, rather than fighting against it.