A woman in Louisiana says she planted seeds that arrived in the mail before the USDA put a warning out about the mysterious packages of seeds

• By the time the US Department of Agriculture put out a warning this week about mysterious packages of seeds arriving in the mail, dozens of residents across the country had already received them.
• It's unclear what type of seeds they are, but authorities worry they could be invasive species that harm native plants and animals.
• A woman in Louisiana, Shelley Aucoin, told the local news outlet WAFB this week that she had already planted some seeds before the warning. Aucoin told Insider she had ordered seeds from Amazon and didn't think anything of it.

Residents in all 50 states have reported getting unsolicited packages — the majority of which appear to come from China — with mysterious seeds.

A woman in Louisiana told the local news outlet WAFB this week that she planted a package of seeds she received before she became aware of the trend. The Department of Agriculture has since told people not to plant seeds they receive, for fear that they could be invasive species that harm native plants and animals.

"USDA is aware that people across the country have received suspicious, unsolicited packages of seed that appear to be coming from China," the agency said this week. "USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection, other federal agencies, and State departments of agriculture to investigate the situation."

But by then, Shelley Aucoin, who lives in Berwick, Louisiana, had already planted seeds she got in the mail in May, she told WAFB.

Aucoin told Insider that she had ordered seeds from Amazon so didn't think anything of it when she planted them.

She told WAFB she got another package of seeds earlier this month. "Then we saw the post saying don't plant them," she told the outlet. "I mean, I'm not scared about it, I'm not worried about it, but I guess people are."

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry said it had received more than 300 calls about the seed packages and told recipients not to open the bags.

"The packets we have picked up so far are coming predominantly from China, but also Uzbekistan, Solomon Islands, areas of Russia," the department's commissioner, Mike Strain, told WAFB. "Most of them say earbuds, jewelry, earrings, and one said garden supplies."

Strain told WAFB that the department was working with federal authorities to figure out what type of seeds they were and whether they could cause any damage.

Officials are advising people not to plant the seeds, to kill them if they do, and to save the packaging

Strain advised people who've planted the seeds to kill them as soon as they sprout.

"Use some type of herbicide, spray them, and if anything comes back, spray it," he told WAFB. "Anything you do, do not let those plants grow. The risk is too great."

The USDA advised people who receive them not to plant them but to hold on to the packaging and seeds so the department can test them.

"Please hold onto the seeds and packaging, including the mailing label, until someone from your State department of agriculture or APHIS contacts you with further instructions," the agency said. "Do not plant seeds from unknown origins."

Editor's Note: This story was updated on Friday with comment from Shelley Aucoin.