Description
Students study the biology of seeds and reproductive biology of common native species used in native pollinator gardens and in restoration projects, and they discuss the rising need for seeds to meet society's needs in ecosystem restoration and in plant conservation. Students visit field sites to learn about ethical and proper seed collection methods, they clean and curate seed collections for seed banking, they learn about seed quality and viability testing, they apply appropriate stratification methods to increase germination success of native plants, and they discuss seed provenances and genetics considerations in native plant restorations. The course capacity is limited and restricted to students majoring in Natural Resources or Biology, minoring in Sustainable Agriculture, or by Instructor Consent. The course meets once a week for 8 weeks September-October, including one Saturday morning. Course Fee $35