Harvesting Seeds

"What a package of potential a seed is! Most of the prairie seeds I harvested weigh almost nothing but contain the genetic plans for a future.”

JAN GRAINGER
Volunteer Steward

Tiny, golden–brown seeds from the Prairie Cinquefoil (Potentilla arguta).

Nachusa volunteers and stewards collect 125+ seed species for both new and field–overseed plantings. Seed collection begins at Nachusa around mid–May and continues through the first week of November. This year 100 new acres will be planted to prairie and about a dozen stewards will overseed 150 acres or more on various newer restorations.
 
How much seed is needed to plant 100 acres to prairie this fall?

About 5,000 pounds!!!!
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​“It takes a lot of seeds per acre to make sure an area fills in with native plants, not weeds. Planting seeds too thin is a common cause for poor results. In a new planting that was a former row crop field, we are planting 40 to 60 pounds per acre. We don’t clean our seed, so perhaps 40% of that bulk weight is chaff. The bottom line is a lot seed per acre.”

BILL KLEIMAN
Preserve Manager
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A steward shows volunteers how to recognize Birdsfoot Violet (Viola pedata lineariloba).

Native plant species do not all grow together in one spot, so the first challenge is to know where to find them on the 4,000 acre preserve. The next task is to decide when the seeds are ready to harvest, for there is only a short window of time to gather each species. Stewards and staff will consult one another to determine the optimal time a species is ready to pick because the exact seed maturation can vary from year to year. Now, be amazed, because much of the seed has been hand–picked!

A steward cuts the umbel–shaped seed heads of the Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea ).

Equipped with buckets, bags, scissors and clippers, stewards and volunteers walk through the fields searching for mature seed. Harvesting seed by hand is time–consuming and labor intensive, but there are advantages. Some seeds are on tiny plants close to the ground and located on rocky slopes. The only way to harvest these is for collectors to crawl on their hands and knees to pick each seed individually.

Volunteers search for the tiny Birdsfoot Violet (Viola pedata lineariloba).

​When found, not all seed is ready to pick, so when hand–picking, only the ripe seed is chosen. The rest of the seed is left on the plant to mature and is usually revisited when ready.

Seeds drying in the HQ barn prior to milling

​Once seeds are collected, they are dried on racks or placed in large barrels where dry air is circulated throughout. After a seed species is dried, it is milled with a hammermill to ensure seeds are freed from the chaff. Each seed species along with the chaff are stored so it can be easily divided and later added to different mixes at ratios required for specific plantings. 
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Countless hours of collecting and planting over the past 30 years has resulted in a rich and diverse grassland, supporting creatures both great and small.

Bison graze on the abundant native grasses found in Nachusa's prairies.

Nachusa's wetlands support the Blanding's turtle, a threatened Illinois species.

Join Nachusa volunteers and bring in the final seeds for the season! For more information, visit the Saturday Workday page on the website.

​Today’s author is Dee Hudson, a photographer and volunteer for Nachusa Grasslands. To see more prairie images, visit her website at www.deehudsonphotography.com. ​​