[PCA] QUESTION: Wildflower Seed Postcards

[Becky Erickson]

I agree -
The general public does not know wild seed should be planted in December to 
germinate. Fewer know what the seedlings look like and fewer yet know the 
specific habitat of most wild species. How many people know that Iris 
virginicus takes about 4 months to stratify (cold/wet), then needs to be 
planted in a moist/wet, sunny spot such as a rain garden? If this habitat is 
good, it will bloom the second year. It is a mystery to most that Indian 
paintbrush is an annual that needs other native plants to parasitize. Blue 
columbine is indigenous to montaine wetlands (high altitude moist soils). 
Gaillardia and Oenethera usually prefer dry sandy soil in full sun; if sent 
to be planted in damp clay soils of the Midwest, they certainly won't 
persist.  And on and on . . .    I think it is absurd to use these valuable 
seeds to be "thrown to the wind" (sent to people ignorant of their value or 
habitat needs). Usually these seeds will be sent to people and places where 
they won't persist so they can't really be considered alien invasives, but 
what a waste!!!!!!!!

A postcard with a good photo of the plant, their cultural/habitat needs and 
encouragement to visit the plants in their ecoregion printed would be of far 
greater benefit toward the education of the uninitiated than to send them 
seeds that need to be used in the region they came from.
Becky Erickson
Retired Missouri Ecotype Program Coordinator
Ashland MO 65010-0496

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Erickson" <wean at whidbey.net>
To: "Olivia Kwong" <plant at plantconservation.org>
Cc: <native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org>; 
<apwg at lists.plantconservation.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 6:16 PM
Subject: Re: [PCA] QUESTION: Wildflower Seed Postcards


|I don't know of any regulation, but how about common sense.
| The NPS should know better than to sell these things.
| -Steve Erickson
| Frosty Hollow Ecological Restoration
| ==================================================
| > I thought I'd just bring this up as an interesting topic for
| discussion.
| >
| > The Alien Plant Working Group Chair, Jil Swearingen,
| recently got an
| > e-mail from a bookstore manager for two National Park
| Service National
| > Monuments about wildflower seed postcards.  Although the
| product in
| > question instructs the buyer not to open it within National
| Parks, it
| > also
| > said that the packets can be sent & planted in most parts of
| the world.
| > The species used for the product being discussed were Wild
| Iris, Indian
| > Blanketflower, Primrose, Indian Paintbrush, and Blue
| Columbine.
| > However,
| > quick Google search shows that all sorts of companies sell
| similar
| > postcards with a variety of species and I know I've seen
| cards made from
| > plantable paper with seeds embedded in the fibers.  I know
| that people
| > already trade seeds for things via postal mail, but postcard
| products
| > like
| > these have the potential to become popular with the general
| public and
| > increase planting of seeds outside their natural areas.
| There's also
| > the
| > invasiveness question as well.
| >
| > Anyone have any thoughts about the matter or know of any
| regulations
| > that
| > come into play here?  It seems like it would be nearly
| impossible to
| > enforce rules for mailed postcards because they might not
| be easily
| > detected.
| >
| > Olivia
| > CPC/PCA
| > http://www.nps.gov/plants/
| >
| >
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| ---------------------------------------------
| Frosty Hollow Ecological Restoration
| Helping Nature Heal
| Box 53
| Langley, WA  98260
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