King's Chapel, Springfield MO

I had a great interaction with this Church’s leadership regarding property access to their future building site.
I reached out to ask for permission to walk the plot of their future church and transplant potential native plants there to another location. I’m involved in several environmental restoration areas around the city, and by collecting these plants I would be able to begin a nursery for future plantings in project areas. I would also be able to preserve genetic ecotypes of these species, an important part of conserving local biodiversity.
But I didn’t even need to explain all of that. I just reached out and expressed general interest in collecting plants, the question was taken to wider church leadership, and the quick answer I got back was not only an encouraging green light but came with a detailed property map and friendly advice on avoiding chiggers & co. The area of the future church is still wildish, and did in fact host many native species, plant and animal.
One species that did especially well in the transplant process was Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), a North American woodland native that benefits pollinators and holds medicinal value. I visited the church site this spring of ‘23 and transplanted several groups of these plants, which were just a few inches high at the time. Today, in the home garden where they’ll be used to provide seed for new plantings, they are several feet tall and glowing with coral-colored blossoms.
As the seeds ripen and get collected to plant in new areas, I’ll be thinking of this Church and how friendly and forward-thinking their leadership is.