Two nonprofits are distributing 12,000 packets of native wildflower seeds at nine locations in Cuyahoga and Lake counties.

For all their variation, these seeds share a common trait: They’re native to the Midwest. These species genetically adapted over thousands of years and sustain the region’s ecosystems. That ...

Each one was destined for long-term cold storage alongside roughly 46 million other seeds at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Every seed in the garden’s vault is different. Some seeds have hooks. Others ...