Above: OSPC will be running another project this winter to nurture seeds into plants that support native pollinators. But first, volunteers need to properly clean and prepare the seeds. (images of cropped flyer and pics edited from photo by Freddie Gillespie and past OSPC communications)
The Open Space Preservation Commission (OSPC) is inviting the public to join them at their fun “Seed Cleaning Workshops” this month.
Volunteers will prepare seeds from native plants to be sown later this winter. No experience is needed to take part. The first session is this weekend.
The seeds volunteers will be cleaning were all harvested from plants identified as helpful for supporting at-risk native pollinators.1 The workshops are part of OSPC’s ongoing initiative to increase the number of native plants around town. (OSPC is also encouraging the public to stay tuned for the next stage, “winter sowing”, in January.)
The sessions will take place at Cordaville Hall (the Senior Center, 9 Cordaville Road), on Saturdays, December 20 and 27th from 1:00 – 3:00 pm. OSPC Chair Freddie Gillespie invites:
Attendees will learn how to clean and package native seeds from Dr. Robert Gegear’s Plant List for At-Risk Pollinators, to help preserve biodiversity while we also have a lot of fun. All are welcome!
We invite anyone interested to stop by. No experience needed. . .
We provide all the equipment and teach you what to do.
Gillespie promotes the workshops as something that participants will enjoy:
Attendees find the seed cleaning process to be meditative, it’s an opportunity to slow down and relax during this hectic holiday time. We also have a lot of fun.
Last year Gillespie, shared the following pics from a past event:
This year, she shared:
The OSPC and volunteers from the Native Plant Gardens of Southborough Facebook Group started working on seed cleaning in November and hope you can join us to help get all the seeds prepared before the Free Seed Distribution and Winter Sow Workshop. . .
The resulting plants are beautiful flowers and grasses to enhance your yard while also preserving biodiversity. Last year we distributed over 2,000 seed packets of 63 species while also sharing bulk seed to school and community groups.
- The plants are all from a list of plant species compiled by Dr. Robert Gegear, a professor of biology at UMASS Dartmouth. His research includes the neuroecology of plant-pollinator interactions. OSPC has been working to support native pollinators for years, including collaborating with Dr. Gegear since 2015 to provide native gardens used in his Bumble Bee Project study.
