Did you know that May 18th is Plant Conservation Day? Likely not, as Plant Conservation Day (PCD for short) is a relatively new grassroots celebration of plants, started in 2001 by horticultural staff at zoos in the United States who wanted to make sure visitors knew that plants AND animals are important, interesting, and in many cases equally in need of conservation. Things have changed a lot since 2001, and PCD is now celebrated by zoos, botanic gardens, schools, garden clubs and individuals around the world (now including The Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, China, Australia, Mexico, the UK, and Venezuela).
PCD is really what you want to make of it, and I’m thrilled to see so many organizations and individuals finding creative ways to celebrate and conserve plants on and around May 18th this year. This includes volunteer work days in natural areas, native plant sales, planting native trees or wildflowers in schoolyards and backyards, planting and sharing heirloom vegetables for local produce, and reading books about the incredible world of plants to children, to name just a few.
Interested? Visit www.plantconservationday.org to find all sorts of information about plant conservation and Plant Conservation Day celebrations. Check out our Learn More section to find out why plants are so important, why they need to be conserved, and learn what you can do to help. And if you want to hold a Plant Conservation Day celebration of your own, check out our Celebration Stories for ideas and visit our Resources For Organizers section for useful celebration tools.
Latest posts by Andrea Kramer (see all)
- Plant Conservation Day - May 17, 2009
- The Call of the Prairie - April 19, 2009
