The mystery seeds that have been showing up in the mail from China and other countries are now being seen in the Quad Cities area, including Milan, Bettendorf and Rock Island.
The Illinois and Iowa Departments of Agriculture is asking anyone who receives seeds they didn't order to contact them. People are asked to hold on to the seeds but not to plant them or open them.
”We don’t want people to plant the seed because first we don’t know what it is. Is it an invasive species. Second that seed could contain a seed pathogen or a seed-borne disease that we don’t have in the United States and we don’t want here,” Robin Pruisner with the Iowa Department of Agriculture tells KWQC-TV 6.
“Here in the United States and especially in Iowa we take seed very seriously because of our livelihood and we would not like to accidentally put something in our environment we don’t want there,” she says.
KWQC-TV 6 reports if you received a package of seeds call 515-281-5321 if you are in Iowa. If you are in Illinois you can email agr.seeds@Illinois.gov with your first and last name, phone number and number of packages received.
(Photo: KWQC-TV 6)