Since mid-July we have been joined by young volunteers every Friday, the Guardians of Cabeço Santo! This is a project supported by the public institution IPDJ, which promotes Youth Volunteering for Nature and Forests.

Noticing that the first rains of autumn were approaching, we embarked on a journey to the Vale de São Francisco, an area where we've made significant strides in controlling invasive mimosa plants, with the mission to kickstart replanting efforts! 🌱🔜🌳
The significance of sowing and planting new native species cannot be overstated. It's our safeguard against leaving the soil exposed to erosion. In the absence of a native plant succession, invasive species would quickly reclaim the territory, leading us back to square one.
To combat this, we dispersed the seed bombs we crafted the previous week and carefully sowed acorns, chestnuts, loquats, ash trees, and various flowers. All of this perfectly timed to complement the nourishing rainfall they received over the weekend.

And, speaking of seed bombs, we made some! 💥🌱
The only bombs that should exist 🌍💛

The IPDJ volunteers were busy creating these little wonders. They're nothing more than a blend of potting soil, clay, and various seeds! A touch of water, a lot of kneading, and we have a malleable paste to form the balls ready for deployment.
This ancient Japanese technique allows us to effortlessly sow hundreds of specimens in all kinds of terrains, even those hard to reach.
Seed bombs don't need to be buried or watered; they'll sprout when the right conditions occur. Protected from insects, birds, temperature, and light, the seeds will be activated by the rain.
The seed selection was deliberate. We opted for legumes to fix nitrogen in the soil (broad beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas) and aromatic herbs and flowers to attract pollinators and enhance biodiversity (rosemary, lavender, oregano, pansies, valerian)

Give it a try, and let's release the bombs our planet truly needs!

Reg