Why I'm a Seed Disperser
Adventures in Native Plant Seed Distribution, Part One
Just like wind, animals and water—among other ways that flowering plants spread—humans are already seed dispersers. Accidental or not. In fact, that’s how we got most of our naturalized “weeds” here in North America / Turtle Island. Let’s reverse that trend and make intentional seed dispersal of native plants a thing, once and for all. Thanks to a donation from the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library, I got to distribute the seeds of 24 species this winter. I noticed some pain points and got some tips along the way.
Here’s what we all could do to share our nature, and restore biodiversity to our cultivated places!
And here is a diagram of the guide I am developing in partnership with the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library.
I was in Ottawa when I chose seeds to bring home, all native to my region : the Canadian Maritimes.
Read more about the trip and how to start a seed library in this article.
This is the winter that mail was paralyzed throughout the country, due to a carriers’ strike. FedEx was still going though, even though the cost per package wasn’t worth sending anything less than bulk amounts of seeds.
Eventually, the Post Canada strike subsided and people were able to order from Ottawa. Meanwhile, I had hundreds of packets to give away. So what to do?
I couldn’t count all the people I have given packets to (something I recommend doing), but I got to distribute seeds to around a hundred people or more since December.
I noticed lots of enthusiasm among the population, as much of my outreach was done by piggybacking on existing events.
Seeds, seeds! : the source of a passion
I was fully enthralled by seeds when I realized the whole ecological restoration movement depended on them.
And first, as many people would, I had already started saving heritage vegetable seeds. Until I discovered Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), the native host of the Monarch Butterfly.
That plant, as it did for many others, ignited the spark that eventually gave way to my involvement as a Butterflyway Ranger.
Having been given plants by my local watershed organization, I created a pollinator garden at my collective garden, and at a middle school. Even though it was only Milkweed, it created habitat. That’s when I saw my first caterpillar.
Seeing the seed-pods come up, it awakened, in my head, a certain realization : native plants are much easier to save seeds from than vegetables.
Put simply, native seeds are easier to spread in the community than garden seeds. When you want carrot seeds, you have to sacrifice those roots for the sake of future carrots. The same goes for beans; any pods harvested for seeds will be sacrificed and won’t go into our dinner.
It quickly dawned on me that people could be great seed-spreaders, as much as wind is for the milkweed. Maybe even better in some regards, and more efficient judging by the quantity of plants we produce with so little seed. Could that compensate for all the damage we’re doing?
Organizations like Nature NB were already sending out Milkweed packets. With so few local distributors of local species, what we were lacking in my head was a reflection of the true biodiversity we see around us.
That’s when I found out about Wildflower Seed Libraries.
More than Milkweed — Sharing our nature by distributing biodiversity
The guide I am currently writing will talk about ways to collect, receive and pack, but you might be able to receive seeds to distribute from another established Wildflower Seed Library, to boot your own.
But regardless, what to do with all these packets?
The goal of distribution is to, ideally, expend them all! This model does not warrant hoarding seeds for next year, so you’d keep them only a few months until they go out in the public.
There are several means to do this seed dispersal, but the best is through a distribution event. There are ways to piggyback onto other places’ events—with permission, of course.
Here’s a list of some I can think of :
Farmers markets
Seedy Saturdays
For this one, the earlier the better — most are in March but some go to January. Nothing prevents you from holding one in December!
Christmas/Holiday markets
Naturalist clubs
Winter carnivals
Hold your own event, like the Ottawa Wildflower Seed Library does!
An article is coming up on how to do this.
The educational component
Along the way, I’ve noticed that people don’t realize they can do it all outside, in the winter.
That’s probably one of the biggest myths to crack—stratification is necessary for lots of native plants, and by nature, all of them thrive with it. Our native plants have a natural propension to cold.
“What, outside? The whole time? With the freezing and all?”
— Average surprised winter sowing initiate
To me, this kind of public outreach is like climbing a mountain path : you can either see it as a chore that never ends, or as a fun hike that will get you to meet people and discover new things. I prefer the latter.
I’m sure you’ll notice some more common gaps in knowledge along the way, too. I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments.
We all have a part to play in teaching—environmental education shouldn’t fall on the shoulders of scientists only. That’s why in my guide, education & outreach is something to be done in all seasons.
Read the Native Plant Blog of this site, which will soon have more information on native plant education.
But I don’t want to start a seed library. How can I help regardless?
There are many ways to help, without necessarily being the initiator of a native plant project like a seed library.
Let people know about native plants, that’s a first step. If you stumble upon a species and you’re not sure (for Canada), check VASCAN.
If you have a yard, add native plants to it. Try one plant at a time if you’re overwhelmed. Here are some resources on how to do this.
Be a citizen scientist! Use iNaturalist and other means to contribute to science while having fun in your yard.
Be curious. Keep a nature journal.
Volunteer in your nature club to plant pollinator gardens, in your local watershed group’s rain garden projects, in your community garden, or in the garden of someone you particularly enjoy!
With that, I think I’ve said enough for this first instalment of a seed distribution series. Have a great time sharing our nature!