Maricopa County Parks and Recreation: Estrella Seed Harvest

“Seed Collection Time!! The Desert Defender Team spent months removing Invasive species. It is time to collect native seeds, which will be used to make seed bombs this summer and then deployed in the parks, planted in areas where invasive species were treated earlier this year or in wildfire-impacted areas. We will be improving the park’s native biodiversity and preventing more invasive species from invading. Participants will learn to identify native plant species in seed form, proper and sustainable collection methods, and how to collect native seeds and bag and label them properly; the seed will then be saved in appropriate climate conditions until we host seed bomb workshops. Participants will physically cut, clip, or break off the seed from the entire plant (taking only a percentage from each plant/population) to ensure the plants are still dropping seeds in their current location. Registration Required. Meet at the Nature Center parking lot. FREE Desert Defender T-Shirts when you participate in four or more events (while supplies last) thanks to Arizona Master Naturalists and Central AZ Conservation Alliance. Please bring gloves, water, a snack, and dress in long sleeves, pants, and closed-toed shoes. We will collect native seeds in the desert environment with many spiky plants using gloves and/or clippers to collect and bag the seeds by individual species. To register, please click on the link https://signup.com/go/RZCSFvi