‘Seeds are life’: How a seed bank in the Mojave Desert is preserving an ancient ecosystem under threat

The Mojave Desert Land Trust is working to scout, catalogue, collect and preserve millions of seeds from 250 species and counting in a race to save an ecosystem.

Inside a Mojave aster flower, a tiny bee is fast asleep. At night, the pale lavender petals close, providing a safe resting place. In the morning, as birdsong rings out across the desert, the flower opens, revealing its tenant. Here in southern California, in the middle of the Mojave Desert’s vast and arid landscape, it’s just one of many natural treasures hidden from view. In long sleeves, pants, and wide-brimmed hats to guard against a harsh sun in a cloudless blue sky, a team of four led by Madena Asbell crouches in the dirt, looking for another treasure. They are searching for a plant called erodium texanum, (common names Texas stork’s bill or heronbill), a type of herb native to California. More specifically, they are looking for its seeds. “There’s so much life here,” Asbell says, “but it’s easy to not realize that when you’re in the desert.” Asbell is the director of plant conservation for the Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT), a non-profit land conservancy that works to preserve and protect the Mojave and Colorado desert landscapes of California.