​February 9
TBD

Topic: "The Role of Seed Banking in Native Plant Conservation"

A seed is one of nature’s marvelous adaptions. It makes the perfect receptacle for an embryonic plant, providing protection from the elements and transportation to a new home. Early humans took advantage of seeds’ longevity, storing them through winter months and transporting them over trade routes. One could argue that without the seed, the course of human society may have taken a drastically different trajectory. Today, seeds are serving another purpose, this time for their own species benefit. In seed banks across the country, scientists and land managers hold millions of seeds of the nation’s native rare plants, painstakingly gathered from wild populations. In this talk, Wendy Gibble will explore the biology of seeds, the science of seed banking, and an overview of the conservation efforts to protect rare native plants by the Washington Rare Plant Care and Conservation (Rare Care) program.  

Speaker Profile:  Wendy Gibble

​Wendy Gibble is Associate Director at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens and the Manager of the Rare Care Program.

In her 18 years with the program, she has conducted research on rare plant ecology to support recovery of endangered species, overseen the seed banking program, developed propagation protocols for rare native plants and conducted outplantings to establish new populations in the wild.

​She completed her master’s thesis in plant ecology at the University of Washington. 

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Brought to you by:

Snohomish County Master Gardener Foundation
425-357-6010 - Master Gardener Hotline
Email: SNOMGFoundation@yahoo.com
Web site: www.SNOMGF.org