In a gram of orchid seed, there may be two million potential beings. Conversely, a single seed of the coco de mer can weigh in at 50 pounds. Seeds may travel on a breeze, a boot, a wave, a hoof, in a beak or belly. Some will wait dozens of years until conditions are favorable to germinate. They may require a cold spell, a fire, or a passage through an animal's gut before they can sprout. Other seeds have a natural period of dormancy, regardless of the favorability of external factors. In the soil's seed bank, some viable seeds of a particular species will sprout, while others in the same location will wait for a later opportunity. Ultimately, this durability and adaptability is what guarantees the longevity of a plant species. 

These same survival skills have had a great effect on humankind. Agriculture and the permanent settlement of an area only became possible with the discovery that seeds collection and dispersal could offer a steady supply of nourishment to a community. However, one hundred million years ago, spore-bearing plant life dominated, and humans could not have thrived in the ways we do now. Today, ninety percent of the earth's flora propagate by seed. 

Seeds are the gifts that have allowed our development. Each is a parcel coming pre-equipped with an entire condensed plant body, a meal, and the volition to endure. we collect them with hands, fans, screens, tarps and jars. It is a task so simple and accessible, and to which we owe our lives. 

Jillian B. Intern, Spring 16