Library visitors can stop into one of eight participating libraries around Madison to pick up seed packets while supplies last as part of Madison Public Library’s Seed Library which makes it return in 2025 with a collection of native Wisconsin plants seeds starting today.
“We are pleased to partner with the Madison Public Library and other libraries in the county to provide native seeds collected by our volunteer program,” said Laura Hicklin, Director of the Dane County Land & Water Resources Department, in a press release. “Native plants provide important ecosystem services such as improved water quality, habitat, and food for local wildlife, including numerous pollinator species.”
This winter, Dane County Land & Water Resources Department donated eight species of native plant seeds collected by Dane County Parks volunteers including wild bergamot, black-eyed Susan, butterfly weed, rattlesnake master, little bluestem, smooth blue aster, golden alexander, bottlebrush grass, and a Native garden mix that contain seeds from all of the aforementioned species.
Library volunteers helped package the donated seeds at communal events in December and January, preparing more than 5,700 packets to be given away for free to library visitors. No library card is needed to enjoy this collection and there’s no limit to the number of seed packets visitors can take, but once seeds are gone, they won’t be restocked until later this Spring when the collection switches over to vegetable, flower, and herb seeds.
Native seeds are available at the following participating libraries that includes Meadowridge Library, Alicia Ashman Library, Goodman South Library, Hawthorne Library, Lakeview Library, Meadowridge Library, Monroe Street Library, Pinney Library and Sequoya Library
