Seed collecting is a hands-on way to learn and care for native plants, plant communities, and the insects that live among them. So who can collect seeds and how do you do it? How do you store the seeds and when is the best time to plant them?

To answer these questions and take a deep dive into seed collection is Eric Lee-Mäder and Stephanie Frischie.

Eric has a background in conservation, commercial horticulture, and the nursery industry. Eric was previously the co-director of the Pollinator Conservation team at Xerces focused on large-scale habitat restoration for bees on farms across the U.S. and Canada, and helped develop seed production for native plants important to pollinators. Eric now works full time co-running his family business, Northwest Meadowscapes Conservation Seed Company.

Stephanie is an Agronomist and Native Plant Materials Specialist at Xerces. Stephanie brings technical expertise on native plant materials, native plants, and plant-insect interactions to her work across conservation agronomy; plant ecology; ecological restoration; and native seed production, use, policy, research, and quality — all to improve the supply and growth of important plant species for restoration of insect habitat.

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Photo: Eric Lee-Mäder/Xerces Society

Thank you for listening! For more information go to xerces.org/bugbanter.