By mowing it annually, we intentionally keep the meadow in that garden in the temporary state of early succession I referred to earlier. A few years ago we removed all the woody species that had started to invade the site. The area was tilled, and we planted a modest number of native plant seedlings that thrive in full sun. Then we just sat back and let nature take over. Today, although some natives persist, it is a good place to see and study the kinds of non-native wildflowers that have become naturalized along roadsides and in old fields in our area.
Some seed companies pride themselves on offering seeds collected in the wild by professionals.
Plants that produce abundant seeds may not be endangered by that activity, but I wonder whether the seed collectors' activities will deplete the seed sources of some species of prairie plants. Today less than 1 percent of our nation's prairies exist in their natural state. Instead, wheat and corn fields occupy that ground. If seeds sold in meadow mixes don't naturalize, then we aren't perpetuating or preserving the species. I am also concerned about the potential consequences on native flora of introduced wildflowers.