The Foundation’s greenhouse facility at Tupancy Links is an important component of many of the Ecological Research, Stewardship and Restoration Department’s research and management projects. Each year, we collect seeds from common native plant species found on our properties. Plants are propagated in our greenhouse and then out-planted along eroded trail and road edges, around the perimeter of newly-established parking areas, and in areas where invasive plant species treatment has taken place.
Using seeds of native species harvested from our properties is an important way of maintaining the genetic integrity of local plant populations, which have evolved under Nantucket’s unique physical and environmental conditions. Our native plants are well-adapted to Nantucket’s coastal habitats and have formed complex and interdependent relationships with the island’s wildlife.
