Understanding the Fascinating Life Cycle of Native Plants

In this presentation, Heather McCargo, founder and Executive Director of the Maine Wild Seed Project, showcases the fascinating reproductive lifecycles of different plants native to New England, and explains how we can change our landscaping practices to support wild plants, their pollinators, and other wildlife. She then describes simple outdoor seed sowing methods that anyone can do to help increase native plant populations. This practice is a great way to protect the genetic diversity of our native flora and produces an abundance of plants inexpensively. Be part of a grassroots movement to sow native seeds!

Wild Seed Project encourages the use of native plants in all landscape settings to safeguard wildlife habitat, support biodiversity and mitigate the effects of climate change. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based out of Portland Maine, Wild Seed Project sells seeds of wild-type native plants, educates the public through programs and its website, produces publications, and promotes rewilding efforts in Northeast landscapes. To learn more about Wild Seed Projects' activities and publications, go to the Wild Seed Projects' website at: https://wildseedproject.net/ 

Wild Seed Project founder Heather McCargo is an educator with more than 35 years of expertise in native plant propagation, landscape design, and conservation. In 2014 she launched Wild Seed Project, where she created a web-based resource to educate others about native plants and wild seed propagation.

Previous to her work at Wild Seed Project, McCargo was head plant propagator at the Native Plant Trust’s Garden in the Woods during the 1990s. She also worked at several landscape architecture and planning firms specializing in ecological design and contributed to research projects including the USAID Plants & Mountains, the National Gardening Association, and MOFGA. McCargo also designed the master plan for the medicinal gardens at Avena Botanicals in Rockland, ME. Heather has a B.A. in plant ecology from Hampshire College, and an M.A. from the Conway School of Landscape Design..

This program is part of the Ridgefield Pollinator Pathway series and is presented by the Ridgefield Library, Norwalk River Watershed Association and Ridgefield Pollinator Pathway.

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