Touch grass. Look closer.
A nature discovery game that turns a walk into a collection, a challenge, and a reason to keep looking around.
Live app · What you can do · Architecture · Walkthrough · Article
A walk becomes more interesting when you have something to look for. Wildmon turns a photo of a plant, bird, or insect into a discovery you can revisit. You can follow your curiosity, choose an ecosystem to explore, or invite a friend to find the same targets.
The camera interaction is brief. Identification continues while you keep walking, and your findings are waiting when you return.
| Experience | What you do |
|---|---|
| Discoveries | Photograph something that catches your eye and build a collection of verified findings. |
| Ecosystems | Choose a timed nature checklist and make new discoveries for that challenge. |
| Timed hunts | Spend time outdoors, collect findings, and earn a focus bonus for eligible time away from Wildmon. |
| Friend challenges | Invite a friend, agree on targets, and start a shared clock when both players are ready. |
| Rewards | Follow your progress through XP, badges, and weekly or all-time leaderboards for the global community and your friends. |
Focus rewards estimate time away from Wildmon during a timed hunt. A website cannot verify that a phone's physical screen was off. Identification can also be uncertain; Wildmon shows that clearly and lets you retry a failed discovery.
flowchart LR
Explorer[Explorer] --> Web[Wildmon website<br/>Vercel]
Web <--> API[Game API<br/>Render]
Web --> Photos[(Private photo storage)]
API --> Data[(MongoDB Atlas)]
Worker[Background worker<br/>Render] --> Data
Worker --> Photos
Worker --> Gemma[Gemma 4<br/>Google AI Studio]
Worker -. Provider fallback .-> Backboard[Gemma via Backboard]
The website keeps capture and challenge screens simple. The API holds accounts, discoveries, and game progress. A separate worker identifies photos and settles timed activities, so the experience continues after you leave the page. Gemma 4 interprets images; Backboard provides another route to the same model when the primary request fails.
| Location | What you'll find |
|---|---|
apps/web/ |
The website and mobile-friendly game screens. |
apps/api/ |
The API, background worker, and model evaluation utilities. |
artifacts/ |
Local walkthrough exports and captions. Watch the public video on YouTube. |
docs/ |
The submitted article's local Markdown, screenshots, and upload bundle. |
Walkthrough exports and local editorial assets are kept out of the Git repository. The website, API, and worker are deployed separately on Vercel and Render.
Try the live app: take a photo of one clear organism, start an ecosystem for a longer outing, or challenge a friend to explore alongside you. Keep a safe distance from wildlife and leave plants, nests, and habitats undisturbed.