Seeds: Nature’s Artful Engineering

About the Exhibition

Seeds: Nature’s Artful Engineering is an exhibit vividly portraying the incredible diversity, ingenuity and beauty of seed dispersal mechanism of plants native to California. Seeds and their dispersal mechanisms are one of the final stages in the evolutionary biology of flowering plants. Against many, many odds they are the final step in ensuring the survival of plant life. The exhibit is based around 30 + high-resolution, close up photographs of the seed structures and dispersal mechanisms of California native plants taken in the wild and in garden settings by Northern California plantspeople and naturalists, John Whittlesey and Jennifer Jewell.

Seeds aims to increase awareness and appreciation of the beauty, diversity, ingenuity and critical importance of seeds and their dispersal mechanisms in California native plants. Through large, detailed photographs and supplemental materials, this exhibit introduces viewers to a wide range of seed dispersal mechanisms and their valuable roles in the environment, ensuring species survival, diversity, and seed banks for the future.

The exhibition explores:

  • Different kinds of seeds
  • Various seed dispersal modes
  • Parts of a seed and function of each
  • Life cycle of a seed: from fertilization to germination
  • Ecological roles of seeds
  • Cultural roles of seeds

Exhibition Credits:
Seeds: Nature’s Artful Engineering is curated by Exhibit Envoy.

Highlights