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Home scat seed balls

scat seed balls

The elves at Natural Lands are hard at work hand-crafting seed balls that mimic the poo of native wildlife. Does that sound odd? Well, 2020 has been an odd year, so…

sometimes beautiful things come in gross packages.

It might look like a box of poo, but our Scat Seed Balls are so much more! Each seed ball contains a mix of native wildflower seeds and ideal growing medium to help the seeds get started. Plant these seed balls in your yard and enjoy beautiful wildflowers that will help attract insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Our wildflower seeds are responsibly harvested from Crow’s Nest Preserve in Elverson, PA, and shaped into scat seed balls by volunteers. All proceeds from the sale of the scat seed balls go towards scholarships to Crow’s Nest Summer Camp. 

Choose from one of two mixes of wildflowers, or one of our featured species. All packages include educational labels about how to identify animal scat and instructions for planting your seed balls.  

White-tailed Deer Scat – Meadow Wildflower Mix

$20/package (includes tax)

It looks like a pile of deer scat, but tucked inside each pellet are seeds from native wildflowers suited to a meadow ecosystem. The mix includes: 

  • Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) 
  • Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) 
  • New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis) 
  • Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor) 
  • Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana) 
  • Meadow Phlox (Phlox maculata)  

Raccoon Scat – Garden Wildflower Mix

$20/package (includes tax)

Our raccoon scat contains seeds from wildflowers that are excellent additions to a native plant garden. The mix includes: 

  • Giant Hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia) 
  • Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea)  
  • Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis)
  • Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum) 
  • Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)  
  • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) 

Red Fox Scat – Featured Flower Species

$10/package (includes tax)

Each box contains a replica fox scat with seeds from a featured species of wildflower. Options are: 

  • Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) 
  • Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida) 
  • Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) and Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) – ideal for swampy, wet areas

 

quantities are limited

Please pre-order using our secure, online order form. All orders must be received by Thursday, December 10, 2020.  

Sorry, we do not ship. Contact-free pick-up of orders:

  • Sunday, December 13, from 10:30am to 12:30pm at Crow’s Nest Preserve in Elverson, PA, OR
  • Sunday, December 13, from 3:30pm to 4:30pm at Hildacy Preserve in Media, PA.
  • Alternative pick-up times at Crow’s Nest Preserve only can be scheduled by request.

 

 

 

Questions? Email Molly or call her at 610-659-4813.

What happened to edible scat?!?

Sadly, we are not be able to offer edible scat this year. While the Edible Scat Fundraiser is one of the highlights of our year, the way that we need to structure our production to meet Health Department food safety standards means that we spend long hours with a lot of workers crowded into a small space—conditions that are not safe during the COVID-19 outbreak.

We know, however, that many people look forward to our edible excrement each year. We also realize that this year, more than ever, it feels appropriate to give gifts that reflect the crappy nature of 2020, so we’re offering a different scat-themed fundraiser.

We hope you’ll enjoy our special scat-themed seed balls, and we hope that conditions will allow us to hold our regular Edible Scat Fundraiser again in 2021!

An orangle sulfer butterfly climbs on milkweed blooms.

the meadow mix.

  • Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
    A beautiful, hardy milkweed with pinkish-purple flowers that blooms from late-spring to mid-summer. The flowers attract an array of insects, and the leaves are a crucial food source for the caterpillars of monarch butterflies. Full sun.
  • Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
    Beautiful spikes of light purple flowers bloom starting in mid- to late-summer. These flowers attract a wide variety of insects, including many species of moths and butterflies. Plant in full sun to filtered shade.  
  • New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis)
    A tall plant, growing to 5-7 feet, with bright purple flowers blooming in late-summer into early fall. Does well in full sun to partial shade in a wide range of soil conditions.  
  • Field Thistle (Cirsium discolor)
    Pink to lavender flower heads bloom from July through October, providing an important late-season nectar source for many insects. The seeds are popular with goldfinches and other birds through the late fall and winter. Although this spikey thistle might not be a plant you want in your garden, it’s an excellent addition to a meadow. Full sun.  
  • Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana)
    A vine that will erupt in sweet-smelling white flowers in late-summer into early fall. Following the flowers, whorls of seeds with feathery tails make an equally stunning display.  
  • Meadow Phlox (Phlox maculata) 
    A late summer bloom of pinkish-purple flowers. The flowers are a nectar source for hummingbirds. Full sun to part shade. 
A black and orange monarch butterfly on a purple coneflower

the garden mix.

  • Giant Hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia)
    This species thrives in many garden conditions. Its long-blooming purple flowers will attract a wide range of butterflies and other insects, keeping your garden buzzing for much of the summer. Full sun to part shade. 
  • Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea) 
    Beautiful umbrellas of tiny yellow flowers bloom in mid- to late-spring. The leaves are a food source for the caterpillars of the black swallowtail butterfly. Full sun to filtered shade.  
  • Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis)
    A tall plant with striking bluish-green leaves. Spikes of violet-blue flowers bloom mid-spring. Full sun to filtered share. 
  • Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
    Tall spikes of white flowers bloom in early- to mid-summer, attracting a wide variety of insects. In the fall, the seed pods are an attractive accent in the garden. Full sun.  
  • Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
    White flowers bloom from mid-spring to early summer. Clumps of plants will seed in from initial plants. Full sun.  
  • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
    One of the most popular native garden plants. These show-stopping, magenta-purple flowers bloom for most of the summer, attracting many types of native insects to your garden. In the fall, the seed heads are a popular food source for birds. Full sun.  
An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly with wings open standings on a cluster of orange Butterfly Weed flowers.

featured flowers.

  • Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
    Bright orange flowers bloom in mid-summer, followed by beautiful seed pods and seeds on silky white fluffballs in the fall. A species of milkweed, Butterfly Weed is a popular late-summer food source for Monarch caterpillars. Plant in full sun in average to dry soil.  
  • Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida)
    Bright, eye-catching yellow and black flowers bloom from mid-summer into early-fall. After the blooms, the seed heads are a great food source for a variety of birds. 
  • Great Blue Lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) and Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
    Great Blue Lobelia forms tall foot stalks of blue flowers late in the summer, and continues blooming through the early part of the fall. It’s an adaptable species that can do well in a range of sun and soil conditions, but it thrives in wet soils with filtered shade. 
    Cardinal Flower has spectacular red flowers in mid- to late-summer, often attracting hummingbirds. It does best in wet soils in full sun to filtered shade, and would thrive along a creek bank, along the edge of a wet meadow, or in a damp corner of a garden.