# Wildflower.org Native Plant Database Scraper (`jungle_synthesizer/wildflower-org-native-plant-database-scraper`) Actor Scrapes the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center NPIN — the canonical US native-plant database with ~9,000 species. Returns scientific name, common names, USDA symbol, growing conditions, bloom data, wildlife value, pollinator and butterfly larval-host data, and commercial availability. - **URL**: https://apify.com/jungle\_synthesizer/wildflower-org-native-plant-database-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [BowTiedRaccoon](https://apify.com/jungle_synthesizer) (community) - **Categories:** E-commerce, Education - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 25.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Wildflower.org Native Plant Database Scraper Scrapes the **Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center NPIN** (Native Plant Information Network) — the canonical US native-plant database with ~9,000 species. Returns scientific name, common names, USDA symbol, growing conditions, bloom data, wildlife value, pollinator and butterfly larval-host data, and commercial availability. ### What does it scrape? - **Source:** [wildflower.org/plants](https://www.wildflower.org/plants/) — the authoritative North American native plant reference maintained by the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at UT Austin - **Coverage:** ~9,000 native plant species (all plant families) - **Data per plant:** ~30 fields covering taxonomy, growing conditions, ecology, and horticultural use ### Use Cases - Building native plant recommendation tools and apps - Ecological research and biodiversity analysis - Horticultural and landscaping databases - Pollinator habitat and butterfly larval host mapping - Retail nursery and seed catalog enrichment ### Output Fields | Field | Description | |-------|-------------| | `id_plant` | NPIN plant symbol (USDA-aligned primary key, e.g. `HEAN3`) | | `scientific_name` | Scientific name (genus + species) | | `common_names` | Common names (comma-separated) | | `family` | Plant family (e.g. `Asteraceae`) | | `genus` | Genus | | `species` | Species epithet | | `synonyms` | Taxonomic synonyms (comma-separated) | | `usda_symbol` | USDA PLANTS cross-walk symbol | | `usda_native_status` | USDA native status codes by region (comma-separated) | | `plant_type` | Plant habit/type (tree, shrub, forb-herb, grass, vine, cactus) | | `duration` | Life duration — annual, biennial, perennial (comma-separated) | | `native_distribution` | US states and Canadian provinces where native (comma-separated abbreviations) | | `native_habitat` | Natural habitat description | | `bloom_color` | Flower bloom color(s) (comma-separated) | | `bloom_time` | Bloom months (comma-separated, e.g. `Jun, Jul, Aug`) | | `height` | Plant height range | | `leaf_description` | Leaf description | | `flower_description` | Flower description | | `fruit_description` | Fruit/seed description | | `sun_exposure` | Sun requirement (comma-separated — sun, part shade, shade) | | `soil_moisture` | Soil moisture preference (comma-separated — dry, moist, wet) | | `soil_description` | Soil type and conditions description | | `cold_tolerant` | Cold-tolerant flag (`Yes`/`No`) | | `heat_tolerant` | Heat-tolerant flag (`Yes`/`No`) | | `drought_tolerant` | Drought-tolerant flag (`Yes`/`No`) | | `water_use` | Water use category (low, medium, high) | | `maintenance` | Maintenance level | | `use_ornamental` | Ornamental use notes | | `use_wildlife` | Wildlife value notes (birds, mammals, insects supported) | | `use_pollinators` | Pollinator value (comma-separated — bees, butterflies, hummingbirds) | | `butterfly_larval_host_for` | Lepidoptera species for which this plant is a larval host (comma-separated) | | `conspicuous_flowers` | Conspicuous flowers flag (`Yes`/`No`) | | `deer_resistant` | Deer resistance rating | | `propagation` | Propagation instructions | | `seed_collection` | Seed collection notes | | `commercially_available` | Commercially available flag (`Yes`/`No`) | | `image_urls` | Image URLs from the NPIN gallery (comma-separated) | | `wildflower_url` | Canonical NPIN detail page URL | ### Input Parameters | Parameter | Type | Description | |-----------|------|-------------| | `maxItems` | integer | Maximum number of plant records to return. Set to `0` for all ~9,000 plants. Default: `10`. | | `families` | array | Limit scraping to specific plant families (e.g. `["Asteraceae", "Fabaceae"]`). Leave empty to scrape all families. | | `proxyConfiguration` | object | Proxy settings. Residential proxy is required and auto-configured. | ### Example Output ```json { "id_plant": "HEAN3", "scientific_name": "Helianthus annuus", "common_names": "common sunflower", "family": "Asteraceae", "genus": "Helianthus", "species": "annuus", "usda_symbol": "HEAN3", "plant_type": "forb/herb", "duration": "annual", "bloom_color": "yellow", "bloom_time": "Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep", "native_distribution": "AZ, CA, CO, ID, KS, MN, MT, NE, NM, ND, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WY", "sun_exposure": "sun", "soil_moisture": "dry, moist", "drought_tolerant": "Yes", "commercially_available": "Yes", "use_pollinators": "bees, butterflies", "wildflower_url": "https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HEAN3" } ```` ### Notes - The scraper discovers all plant families automatically from the NPIN search index, then collects plant IDs from each family listing, and finally fetches each plant's detail page. - Use the `families` input to limit coverage to specific botanical families (faster runs for targeted research). - `maxItems: 0` returns all available plants — expect a full run to take several hours for the complete ~9,000 plant dataset. - Residential proxy is required to access the site reliably. # Actor input Schema ## `sp_intended_usage` (type: `string`): Please describe how you plan to use the data extracted by this crawler. ## `sp_improvement_suggestions` (type: `string`): Provide any feedback or suggestions for improvements. ## `sp_contact` (type: `string`): Provide your email address so we can get in touch with you. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of plant records to return (0 = all ~9,000) ## `families` (type: `array`): Limit scraping to specific plant families (e.g. \["Asteraceae", "Fabaceae"]). Leave empty to scrape all families. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Proxy settings. Residential proxy required (auto-configured). ## Actor input object example ```json { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "maxItems": 10, "families": [], "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "maxItems": 10, "families": [], "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("jungle_synthesizer/wildflower-org-native-plant-database-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "maxItems": 10, "families": [], "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"], }, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("jungle_synthesizer/wildflower-org-native-plant-database-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "maxItems": 10, "families": [], "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } }' | apify call jungle_synthesizer/wildflower-org-native-plant-database-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=jungle_synthesizer/wildflower-org-native-plant-database-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Wildflower.org Native Plant Database Scraper", "description": "Scrapes the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center NPIN — the canonical US native-plant database with ~9,000 species. Returns scientific name, common names, USDA symbol, growing conditions, bloom data, wildlife value, pollinator and butterfly larval-host data, and commercial availability.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "ubnqtvtDKGmreFsGg" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~wildflower-org-native-plant-database-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-jungle_synthesizer-wildflower-org-native-plant-database-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~wildflower-org-native-plant-database-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-jungle_synthesizer-wildflower-org-native-plant-database-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~wildflower-org-native-plant-database-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-jungle_synthesizer-wildflower-org-native-plant-database-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "maxItems" ], "properties": { "sp_intended_usage": { "title": "What is the intended usage of this data?", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Please describe how you plan to use the data extracted by this crawler." }, "sp_improvement_suggestions": { "title": "How can we improve this crawler for you?", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Provide any feedback or suggestions for improvements." }, "sp_contact": { "title": "Contact Email", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Provide your email address so we can get in touch with you." }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max Items", "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of plant records to return (0 = all ~9,000)" }, "families": { "title": "Plant Families", "type": "array", "description": "Limit scraping to specific plant families (e.g. [\"Asteraceae\", \"Fabaceae\"]). Leave empty to scrape all families.\n", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy Configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Proxy settings. Residential proxy required (auto-configured)." } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```