About Us
Swallowtail Native Plants is a small native seed farm located in Durham Region, Ontario. We sell wildflower, grass and shrub seeds from plants native to Ecoregion 6E.
Andrea D’Silva founded Swallowtail Native Plants in 2022. She is dedicated to producing locally sourced, genetically diverse native plant seeds that can be used to create habitat and restore biodiversity from small backyards to restoration sites. She is an ecologist with a professional certificate in ecological restoration and is a certified seed collector with the Forest Gene Conservation Association.
Locally Sourced
Our parent stock is sourced from wild populations of plants growing in Ecoregion 6E, the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Lowlands of Ontario. This ensures that our seeds are genetically adapted to our local climate and environmental conditions. We collect a small percentage of seed from many different plants to maximize genetic diversity, following the guidelines set out by the Society of Ecological Restoration. If you require more specific information on our seed sourcing please contact us.
If you live outside of Ecoregion 6E our seeds may not be adapted to your area. In order to ensure that our seeds are planted within local ecosystems we only ship to locations in Ontario.
Field Grown
Our wild collected seed is planted in cultivated plots at the native seed farm. The plants in the cultivated plots provide us with a larger quantity of seed while maintaining high levels of locally adapted genetic diversity.
Land Acknowledgement
Swallowtail Native Plants is located in the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, Mississauga, Wendat, and Anishnaabeg nations. We offer respect and we commit to learning about and building relationships with our Indigenous neighbours.
