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Hortus can tell you when monarch butterflies have been reported in your area—but it does not detect a butterfly beside your phone. Its Wildlife Pulse feature uses recent research-grade iNaturalist observations within about 30 km, then relates nearby wildlife reports to the plants you have logged in your garden.
How does Hortus know a monarch is nearby?
Hortus says Wildlife Pulse draws on recent research-grade observations posted to iNaturalist within about 30 km. It can list butterflies, moths, bees and birds reported in that area and connect each species with plants in your garden. The radius and data description come from Hortus’s July 4, 2026 changelog entry; they describe the observation search, not an exact distance from you to an animal.
For its monarch example, Hortus shows the message “Monarch reported nearby” and notes that Common Milkweed in the user’s garden is a caterpillar host plant. The app’s wording matters: Hortus says it reports that a species was observed nearby, not that it is in a particular garden.
Does it track butterflies in real time?
No live phone-side detection is described. Hortus’s published explanation points to community-submitted iNaturalist observations; it does not document the phone camera, microphone, GPS or another sensor identifying a monarch in real time. Nor does it promise an alert for each new monarch report. A nearby report is a useful prompt to look outside, not confirmation that a butterfly is at your home.
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Hortus’s July 4 example included “266 sightings this month.” That was an illustrative count in a dated product entry, not a current total or a forecast of what a user will see.
What does the app do with your garden plants?
Hortus presents itself as a neighbourhood gardening app: users log plants, see regional wildlife matched to those plants, and can consult a Wildlife Guide and Field Journal. Its homepage presents more than 1,200 native species as plant choices in its garden-planning experience; that figure is not a count of monarchs or a measure of wildlife coverage.
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The plant connection helps explain why a species might use a garden, but it should not be read as proof that the animal visited. In the monarch example, Hortus identifies Common Milkweed as a caterpillar host plant. If you want to plant for monarchs, select a milkweed native and suitable to your location and follow local planting guidance. A host plant can provide habitat; it cannot guarantee a monarch sighting or an app notification.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Will Hortus send a phone notification?
Hortus describes a weekly phone notification when wildlife that a user’s garden can support is reported nearby, with separate notification controls. That is a summary alert, not a claim that every sighting triggers an immediate notification. The changelog’s July 3, 2026 entry said the iPhone app was live on the App Store and Android was in development. These are dated statements, so check Hortus’s current listing and in-app settings for present availability.
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What the alert can—and cannot—tell you
- It can tell you: Hortus found recent research-grade iNaturalist reports of a species in its stated nearby area and sees a relationship to plants logged in your garden.
- It cannot establish: that a monarch is in your yard, beside your phone, or currently flying nearby.
- It does not establish: that using the app increases monarch populations or produces a particular conservation outcome. Hortus’s feature description does not quantify those effects.
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