Painting the prairie with golden paintbrush

See photos of our volunteers at work below.

golden paintbrush seedling
photo by Ann Anderson

Tiny seedlings less than an inch high hold hopes for a brighter future for Puget Sound prairies. Cool fall weather sent Conservancy staff and volunteers out into six preserves in the south sound area and two sites on Whidbey Island to plant golden paintbrush seedlings recently. Click here to learn why it matters to you.

Teams of staff and volunteers worked their way across south Puget Sound prairies this fall, planting nearly 6,000 tiny golden paintbrush seedlings in six prairie preserves: Morgan Preserve, Wolf Haven, Glacial Heritage Preserve, Mima Mounds Natural Area, West Rocky Preserve, andScatter Creek Preserve. Two weeks later, more volunteers and staff planted seedlings at two sites on Whidbey Island.

They’re working to restore populations of this federally listed endangered species, and in so doing, create healthy prairie communities around Puget Sound. “This is a species that was found in fewer than a dozen sites,” said Peter Dunwiddie, director of stewardship for The Nature Conservancy in Washington. “By working to recover this species, we’re creating prairie ecosystems that benefit many other species.”

Read a story in the Skagit Valley Herald about planting on Whidbey Island.

volunteers planting golden paintbrush