California’s big bloom aids seed collectors as climate change and wildfires threaten desert species

By AMY TAXIN
Associated Press

JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (AP) — After massive winter downpours, conservationists in California are eager to gather desert seeds as an insurance policy against a hotter and drier future. Staff and volunteers have been fanning out across areas such as the Mojave Desert to collect seeds from flowers that had not previously bloomed in years due to drought. The hope is to build out seed banks for restoration projects in case of wildfires as climate change steps up pressure on desert landscapes. The recent York Fire is an example of why conservationists are focused on collecting seeds and banking them.