Spring planting is around the corner, and the Colorado Department of Agriculture wants residents to know where their seeds are coming from.

Officials with the department warned Tuesday that they received reports of unsolicited packages containing plant seeds mailed internationally to Coloradans, according to a news release.

While small, the contents of the package are indeed still mighty, as the seeds could potentially be of an invasive species or attract certain pests or diseases not native to Colorado’s environment, according to the release.

“The introduction of a new invasive species or plant disease is one of the greatest threats to our state’s biodiversity and farming industry,” said Wondirad Gebru, director of the department’s Plant Industry Division, in the release. “We need every resident to treat these unsolicited seeds as an urgent agricultural threat.”

It isn’t the first time the department has warned of such a phenomenon.

In July 2020 — in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic — the department said people reported receiving packages appearing to be from China that were labeled to contain jewelry and other items but actually had seeds inside.

Last May, the department said on social media that people had again reported the packages and officials said to throw them in the trash instead of planting them.

This time, though, officials do not want recipients to throw out the seeds. Rather, they are asking for those on the receiving end of such a package to leave the seeds sealed in their original packet, place all the package materials including the mailing label inside a sealable plastic bag and to mail said bag to the department for testing, according to the release.

Those who have received the packages are asked to ship all the materials using an envelope or box to the following address for testing and secure destruction:

USDA APHIS PPQ
3950 North Lewiston Street, Suite 104
Aurora, CO 80011-1561

Anyone who has any questions about the seeds can contact the department’s Plant Industry Division at (303) 869-9052 or email cda_nursery@state.co.us.