When: September 5, 2026 @ 10:00 am
Learn to collect and process wild, native seeds through our WNC Wildseed Library program
The native wildflower diversity of the Southern Appalachians is nearly unmatched. From early spring bloomers in hot, humid bottomlands to autumn asters on dry, rocky summits, there’s a beautiful flower for every habitat and season! Inviting these wild creatures to live in our gardens, wildflower meadows, or even pots on our porches benefits humans, wildlife, and the environment, but how do we collect seeds mindfully without impacting the plants and their habitat?
During this walk, we will touch on the basics of ethical and sustainable wild seed collection, focusing on methods that backyard gardeners can use to collect and process seeds by hand in small, home-garden quantities without any special tools (except for little bags!). We will also discuss the benefits of growing wild, native plants, and introduce participants to our WNC Wildseed Library program.
This workshop will occur on Saturday September 5th from 10:00am-12:00pm at Welch Farm Preserve just south of Andrews. Please plan to arrive a few minutes early to park and get settled; the workshop will start promptly at 10:00am. This event will be a 1 mile walk along the trails at Welch Farm so we recommend dressing for the weather, including water-resistant shoes for the dewy grass. We also suggest bringing water.
The missions of the WNC Wildseed Library is connecting people to the natural heritage of the Southern Blue Ridge by providing wild, local, native seeds and information on how to grow them. We seek to empower communities with knowledge and seeds, so they may steward the environment by nurturing native plants on any scale, from a window basket to a whole yard. To learn more about this volunteer program, click here. To register to volunteer with us, click here.
Meet Your Teacher
As Mainspring’s Conservation Outreach Associate, Alina Martin aims to encourage the protection and appreciation of land by connecting communities to the birds, lichens, plants, amphibians, and insects that share our home here in the Southern Blue Ridge. Her birding adventures up have introduced her to a wide variety of habitats, and those experiences make her love South Appalachia all the more and inspire her to continue nurturing her understanding of ecology. Armed with her strong identification knowledge, Alina leads a variety of educational programs here at Mainspring, and finds something curious and new each time. She is a life-long birder, all-around naturalist, and avid user and of eBird and iNaturalist.
