The Kane County Forest Preserve District’s seed harvest moves to Aurora West Forest Preserve on Wednesday morning.

From 10 a.m. to noon every Wednesday during the harvest season from late August to late November the Forest Preserve District of Kane County’s Natural Resources Department teams with volunteers to harvest native seed. The next meeting is Wednesday, Oct. 8.  This is a family-friendly, all-ages event that requires no prior experience or plant identification knowledge.

“Do not miss a great morning out in the preserves collecting important native species!”said Volunteer Coordinator Robb Cleave. “This coming week we will be collecting seed at Aurora West in Aurora. We will be meeting at the Natural Resources shop off Hankes Road, not the main preserve parking lot. It is a great way to explore new preserves, learn about plants and how to identify them and meet some fun people.”

For a map and address, visit the Forest Preserve website.

Cleave asks volunteers to please come prepared for the weather and with a refillable water bottle to stay hydrated. The Forest Preserve District  will provide all the snacks, drinks, tools and other supplies.

“We will be focusing on harvesting Round-Headed Bush Clover,” he said. “Just to help everyone become better at recognizing plants, please feel free to study up on next week’s target species.

Here is a helpful fact sheet from the Department of Agriculture.

SOURCE: Kane County Forest Preserve District