Increasing Bio-Diversity in Our Local Parks

The stars of the Minnesota native prairie landscape: rattlesnake master, purple coneflower, goldenrod, aster, milkweed and big/little blue stem. Conservation interns were busy as bees this fall, collecting close to 13 pounds of seed from over 40 different native plant species. Collecting seed from local parks, like the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary and Lake Phalen, interns will then disperse the native seeds at Willowbrook DNR Preserve and Bruce Vento in areas that have previously had invasive plants removed and are ripe for native species regeneration.

In addition to restoring those bare spots, we will be helping to increase biodiversity in our public parks. Interns will design the seed mixes this winter, based on plant habitat needs, and will then frost-seed (while snow is still on the ground), at Willowbrook DNR site. We’ll be seeding at a rate of 1 pound of seed per acre – covering over 13 acres with beautiful native blooms!