Monday, January 14, 2013

Move over, Johnny Apple Seed

Our 16 year old became interested in trees this past summer. When I say "interested," I mean "obsessed." He taught himself all about them, searching the internet for info, and reading a ton of books, such as The Sibley Guide to Trees.* He can identify all the ones native to southern Indiana with relative ease and also has extensive knowledge of trees in the rest of the country, including non-native species from other continents that have been perpetuated here.

Because we're nature- and conservation-minded, he decided that he would collect seeds from native species wherever he finds them to propagate on our land.

Here's a photo of his collection so far:
Pretty, aren't they?
Besides having plans to re-naturalize our property, Son1 also wants to sell seeds to those who want to grow certain types of native trees. He was dismayed by the number of non-native trees that various companies (even Arbor Day Foundation) sell, so he'd like to start up a business educating others about the virtues and care of native - that is, North American - species, and selling their seeds, and possibly seedlings.

I'm tickled that he's gotten a bit of the entrepreneur bug and is combining it with a passion. I can't wait to see what he comes up with.

*please note: link above is an Amazon Affiliates link

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams