Seed collections
Western forests are suffering from a scarcity of native seeds to use in restoration after wildfires have swept through an area. The National Forest Service has initiated a new program wherein we gather seed from a target list of species that will provide a genetically diverse restorative base to the plant community. During these seed collections, we are making field cyanotypes by bending plants over prepared paper to cast shadows to expose the works.
We believe that creating ecological works of art using plants allows us the opportunity to get to know the plants on a new level. In collaboration with the National Forest Service, CoNPS volunteers are gathering native seeds from robust communities of native species targeted for wildfire restoration. While scoping out robust plant communities and later gathering seeds, we are creating cyanotypes of this collection of plants found to be essential in the first stages of forest succession. The plants are etched into paper and fabric by sunlight as we print them in the field at different phases of their lifecycle.
CoNPS is dedicated to furthering the knowledge, appreciation and conservation of native plants and habitats of Colorado through education, stewardship and advocacy.
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