Collect wildflower seeds and help Highland pollinators
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Making Space for Nature by Jenny Grant
As late summer comes, the colour fades and petals fall from our native wildflowers. It can be sad to see the once blooming flowers wilting but this is not the end. If you look a little closer, you’ll see it is the beginning of new life.
Collecting wildflower seeds is a wonderful focus for a late summer walk that can mark the beginning of your very own wildflower patch. In the right conditions they will spring up and into whole flowers, ready for pollinators to thrive and for us to enjoy. Quite amazing when you think about it.
Before you start collecting, it is worth noting two things – it is legal to collect most wildflower seeds, but it is illegal to uproot plants without the landowner’s permission.
It is also best to avoid collecting on designated sites, and there are some plant seeds that shouldn’t be collected without a licence because they are protected – such as bluebells. For a full list of protected species visit www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-species/protected-species-z-guide
You will need something to collect seed heads in, such as a cotton bag – or for a DIY approach, a pillowcase or an envelope will do the trick. You will also need secateurs or scissors for cutting off tougher seed heads.
Some flowers can cause irritation or are poisonous, such as foxgloves or poison hemlock, so wearing gloves is advised to help reduce the risk.
Collecting seeds within your local area improves your success rate, as the plants are accustomed to the local climate so they will also suit the local pollinators when you choose to plant them.
Choose a dry day if you can, as collecting wet seed heads means you will have to dry them more at home and there is risk of seeds becoming mouldy. To start your seed collecting journey, cut the seed heads off your wildflower of choice, and put them in your container so that any seeds fall into it.
Leave some flowers untouched so they can naturally seed themselves within the area they are growing.
Different seeds need different methods of separation. For example, each tiny vetch pea pod needs to be opened by hand, whilst poppy heads can be shaken upside down.
Seed heads such as knapweed need the fluffy parts pulled out with your fingers to get to the seed. The more you go out to collect seeds, the more you will get to know how to handle different types of wildflowers.
Whichever seeds you manage to extract, take some time to marvel at the array of shapes of them. If you have a microscope, have a closer look!
Store your seeds in a cool dry environment as you would other seeds, until sown. Whether they are sown in autumn or spring, some seeds will germinate and survive, and others will not.
Scattering your seed over a grassy area will have poor success rates and all that time collecting seed will be wasted.
To find out more about successful sowing, read up on our guidance for creating a wildflower area: https://highlandenvironmentforum.info
Enjoy this wildflower seed collecting experience as a personal experiment and share in the peace of mind that you are helping to create a miniature nature reserve for local pollinators in a world of increasingly monocultured grass and garden spaces.
- Making Space for Nature is a monthly wildlife column with tips about how we can act to help wildlife in our communities. This month’s wildlife columnist is Jenny Grant, the High Life Highland countryside ranger for Wester Ross. Jenny grew up in Sutherland and studied ecology at the University of St Andrews. She has held positions within conservation from Handa Island Nature Reserve to the Isle of Skye, before taking up her position.
