How to make a herbarium from berries. Leaf crafts: new photo ideas, tips, instructions

Autumn always gives us a lot natural material for the implementation of various creative ideas. Leaves of various types and colors can become the basis for creating a herbarium, panels with dried flowers or various paintings. To preserve the gifts of nature in their original form, you need to be able to properly dry the leaves. If you follow all the subtleties of this process, then they will not lose their bright colors and form.

You can collect both fallen leaves and those that have not yet completed their growth. To do this, you need a sharp knife or scissors. The collection is made on a dry sunny day, after the dew has disappeared.

Collected wet leaves after drying may become covered with brown spots. This rule does not apply to the collection of mosses and lichens. They just need to be collected after the rain.

When collecting fallen leaves, be sure to pay attention to the following points:

leaves should be fresh, recently fallen from the tree;
the leaf should be flat, not twisted from old age;
in appearance, the plant must be clean, without damage and traces of rot;
leaf petioles should be fresh and not twisted.

After collection, you must immediately begin drying.

Methods for drying leaves for herbarium

Natural drying method

If the collected foliage will be used to make garlands and other crafts involving three-dimensional view plants, then you can dry it on a sheet of paper. To do this, the leaves are laid out in one layer on parchment, and left in a dry, dark place. After a few days, the leaves will begin to dry out and curl into graceful shapes. With this method of drying, the color of the foliage will change. It will become dull and faded, but this situation can be easily corrected with a spray of shiny paint.

In the book

Drying the plants in the book is the easiest and most familiar way. To do this, the leaves are inserted between the pages of the book, not overlapping. The book is closed, and a load is placed on top of it. To protect the surface of the pages from moisture released by the leaves, additional sheets of perforated paper or paper napkins are placed between them.

under pressure

This method is considered professional, as it involves the use of a special device - a press for drying plants. The use of such equipment allows you to maximize the structure of the plant, its shape and texture.

A plant press is a rather expensive pleasure, so you can look for drying leaves at home. alternatives. For example, a press made from books and sheets of paper will do. Plants are laid out in one layer on a sheet of parchment, and covered with another sheet on top. For these purposes, you can use ordinary old newspapers. Now you need to put a load on the workpiece, for example, books.

Plants will dry under such pressure for 2 to 3 weeks.

With an iron

It can be said to be an express method. It allows you to dry the leaves in record time, while maintaining their natural color.

The collected leaves are laid out on paper, trying to arrange them so that they do not touch each other. Cover with another layer of paper on top and begin to iron the plants at medium iron power. The drying process only takes a few minutes. It is very important to turn off the steam function before ironing!

The disadvantage of this method is that the leaves dried with an iron become thin and brittle, which does not allow them to be stored for a long time.

Galina Pchelka in her video will tell you how to dry the leaves instantly

To keep the herbarium as long as possible, the foliage can be "sealed" in wax. For this method, in addition to the iron, you will also need wax paper. In order not to stain the ironing board with wax, first put a sheet of plain paper. Then a waxed sheet is laid on it, and plants that need to be dried are already on it. From above, the sequence of layers is preserved: waxed paper is laid out on the foliage, and ordinary paper is laid on it. Instead of sheets of paper, you can use soft tissue which also conducts heat well.

You need to iron this "sandwich" on maximum power within 3 - 5 minutes. In order for the wax to stick to the plant evenly, the structure must be turned over and ironed on both sides. After the wax paper has stuck together tightly with honey, the iron can be turned off. The cooled sheets of paper are carefully cut out along the contour of the plant, leaving a few millimeters from the edge. The paper is then removed and the dried sheet is laminated in a thin layer of wax.

Marina Khvaleva in her video will talk about how to properly prepare dried flowers and dry the herbarium in different ways

How to store dried leaves

The room for storing leaves for the herbarium should be dark and dry. The storage temperature does not matter. The air in apartments in winter is often too dry, which can adversely affect the collected material, therefore great place storage can be glazed balcony or loggia.

The best storage containers are spacious carton boxes, which do not allow the workpieces to break, and protect them from sunlight.

The colors of autumn leave almost no one indifferent. How to keep this beauty not only in memory, but also so that you can look at it again and again? Of course, collect a herbarium!

The word "herbarium" is of Latin origin and translates as "grass". But in our language it means a whole collection of different plants. To create it, plants are dried according to certain rules, and this makes it possible to store them for a long time. The main thing is to know how to make a herbarium correctly.

Varieties

The herbarium is a great opportunity to explore plants and open up creatively. Therefore, children are given tasks to collect herbs, starting from kindergarten. Parents with children go to the autumn park, looking for beautiful leaves. You can collect a picturesque armful in 5 minutes, but then you will need to carry out a large number of actions to create a beautiful herbalist.

Different herbarium collections differ from each other. They are:

periodic - compiled at specific time intervals;
systematic - based on some system (alphabetical order, same color, plant family);
thematic - certain types of herbs are collected for them (medicinal, indoor, etc.).

In any case, the herbarium is made from natural material. Samples for collections are leaves, stems, buds, flowers and even roots of various plants.

Collection rules

Herbarium is easy to do with your own hands. The first step is to collect material. Once you've decided what your collection should consist of, go on a little hike. Take along a cardboard folder, sheets of paper (to transfer specimens), a knife and a small spatula (if stems or roots are needed), paper and a pen for writing down data.

In order for the collected plants to be stored in the collection for a long time, follow a few rules:

most the best option for collection - a sunny day. Morning and evening hours are not suitable, because there may be dew on the plants: moisture will not allow them to dry well. For the same reason, you should not go looking after the rain. It is better to wait until the sun dries up the representatives of the flora;
you must select uncorrupted instances for the collection. If you need to cut the stem, do it at an angle. Carefully dig out the roots, and if they are too large, then cut in half;
choose plants that are not in the withering stage, otherwise you risk not even bringing them home;
collect several copies of each plant, then to choose the best one;
all the treasures found are put in a folder and shifted with paper sheets. Make notes on each page: sign the name and date of collection.

Drying

There are several ways in which you can dry plants for later long-term storage:

in the book. Spread the leaves, flowers or stems well and place between the pages. It is best to separate them from the printed sheets with napkins or white paper. So the book will not deteriorate, the paper will absorb the moisture released from the plants, and the lines will not be printed on your herbarium. Put the book under the press. Representatives of the flora will dry for about three weeks. During this time, periodically change the paper;
iron. Put the plant between two sheets and iron it with an iron. This method significantly reduces the drying time, but has several nuances. Do not forget to turn off the steam function, otherwise the leaf will not dry out, but, on the contrary, will soften. Iron several times on each side for 3-5 minutes, but do not hold the iron for a long time in one place - this can ruin the color and texture of the instance;
V microwave oven. Place the plant between sheets of cardboard, and these, in turn, are placed between flat ceramic tiles. Fasten it all with rubber bands and put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes at medium power. When the whole structure has cooled, check if the specimens have dried and repeat the procedure as needed.

Decor

After that, it remains to arrange the collection. The easiest option is to glue the plant onto a white sheet of A4 paper and place it in a transparent file. You can use glue or thread to secure it.

You can buy a special album for the herbarium. But a regular sketchbook will do as well. To not crumble collected material, each page is overlaid with tracing paper - this reduces friction, and the collection objects are well preserved.

A leaf with a plant can be placed in a frame or in glass. The whole composition, made up of collected greenery, looks beautiful. For example, if you want to make a herbarium of flowers, choose roses and add butterflies, birds, and various natural objects to them.

There are also unusual ideas on design: for example, placing plants in epoxy resin. This is a laborious process, so kids are unlikely to cope with it. But students in grades 5-6, under the guidance of one of their parents, can easily create an unusual collection.

How to make a herbarium from leaves?

Still, a herbarium of leaves is the most popular option. It is also the simplest, because there are a lot of trees everywhere. You can collect leaves quickly, the main thing is to save them correctly.

From what types to collect an herbalist depends on the purpose for which you are compiling it. If this is a school assignment, you will have to follow it. With their own creative impulse, they usually prefer maple, oak, mountain ash. These trees are very picturesque, so they most often become objects for collecting leaves. The autumn version of the herbarium is especially good because the leaves become colorful.

A herbarium of dry leaves can be supplemented with dried rowan berries or a couple of flowers. Be sure to fasten the sheet in the middle so that nothing breaks off and does not crumble.

From the finished collection, you can make a task-game for children, if you do not sign the names of the leaves. They will have to guess which tree the leaf belongs to.

How to make a herbarium in a kindergarten?

Even small children who go to kindergarten, educators give the task to make a herbarium. Of course, without the help of adults, they will not do. When collecting material with a child, give him the opportunity to choose the leaves himself. Then do all the other steps together - do not do everything for the baby, but do not leave him alone.

How to make a herbarium for school?

The school curriculum in biology also provides for the compilation of herbariums. But for primary grades 1, 2 and 3, such tasks are also characteristic. It will be more difficult for a first-grader to create a collection, because school has higher requirements for design than kindergarten. But gradually a habit is developed to do everything carefully. Remind the student about the title page, on which the name of the herbarium, name, surname, class and date of compilation are written. As a rule, work is submitted in a binder.

Creating a herbarium is simple and an exciting activity. The leaves themselves have a unique charm, in addition, they can be combined with flowers and included in others. interesting projects. The collected herbarium can also become good study guide. Although drying herbarium leaves is not at all difficult, a number of precautions must be taken to achieve the best results.

Steps

Identification and selection of leaves for herbarium

Learn to recognize poisonous plants before collecting leaves. For example, the leaves of hogweed, sumac, or wolf's bast can be a beautiful addition to the herbarium, but they can also cause an unpleasant skin reaction. If you want to include these leaves in your collection, be sure to use latex gloves when you collect and dry them. Dried leaves will then need to be covered with a transparent acrylic varnish so that they do not provoke a skin rash.

Collect leaves in sets from the youngest to the most mature leaves in the juice itself. If you take too mature leaves, they will be already drier, and their color will become faded.

The leaves can be harvested at any time during vegetative growth, but if you want them to look as green as possible, they should be harvested in the spring before the hot summer weather starts, which can damage chlorophyll.

Choose leaves that are in good condition and are free of stains, tears, and pest damage, as these imperfections will become more noticeable as they dry. On the other hand, carefully inspect the leaves gnawed by insects. They can take on a beautiful lacy texture with a naturally defined partial or full veined skeleton. Such leaves can also be an excellent addition to the herbarium.
1. Make or buy a herbarium press. The press is a simple device made of wood, cardboard and thick paper with mounting bolts, weighting material or fastening straps. The idea of a herbarium press is to dry the leaves under pressure. You can look for such a press in a needlework store, purchase it in an online store, or make it yourself.
  - The manufacturing process of the press is described below.
    - Buy two pieces of plywood measuring about 20 cm by 30 cm and about 1 cm thick (or any other size that suits you). Usually lumber shops can cut pieces to your measurements.
    - Drill holes for the bolts in the corners of both boards. It is best to pre-mark the position of the holes so that they match when you align the boards with either side.
    - Insert the bolts into the four holes of one plank, placing washers under their heads.
  - Cut pieces of clean cardboard and paper to fit inside the press. They must be clean, so replace them as needed. If you have a rectangular press, then corrugated cardboard it is better to lay in channels along its short side in order to provide increased air circulation.
2. Put the leaves under the press. For each layer of leaves in the press, you will need two pieces of cardboard and several sheets of absorbent paper of the appropriate size.
  - Place the bottom plate of the press on work surface. Put a piece of cardboard in the press, put paper on it, then leaves, another sheet of paper and finally another piece of cardboard.
  - Repeat the procedure as many times as necessary. It is permissible to impose leaves on each other only if they do not have pronounced veins. Do not allow cuttings of one leaf to go on the surface of other leaves, as they leave behind unsightly marks. Close the contents of the press with a second plank and tighten the bolts with nuts and washers.
3. Take the leaves out of the press when they are dry. Check the condition of the leaves after a couple of weeks. Place your hand on the sheet of paper covering the leaves, if it is cool to the touch, then the leaves are not yet dry. Close the press again to complete drying. In this case, there is no need to change the paper to a new one.
Drying leaves in a book
Drying in the microwave
1. Place the leaves in the press. Put the bottom ceramic tiles or cardboard on the work surface. Place a piece of cardboard and a couple of sheets of paper on top. Lay out the leaves on the paper, cover them with a couple of sheets of paper, a piece of cardboard and a top tile or cardboard press. Tie the press with rubber bands.
  
  Dry the leaves. Place the filled press in the microwave, turn it on for no more than a minute on low power. Then take out the press and open it to release steam. Once the press has cooled, close it again and return to the microwave for 30 seconds. Continue heating the press for 30 seconds, and then open and cool it until the leaves are dry. Be sure to ventilate and cool the press each time so you don't accidentally boil the leaves. You need to dry them flat. And cooking will never give the desired result.
- In order to apply uniform pressure to each sheet, you can lay in the press paper towels or napkins. This is useful in cases where the leaves are not uniform in thickness and are very rich in moisture, such as hosta. But usually this is not required.
- You can use an old telephone directory as a press. If it is not available, it is permissible to take any book.
- Leaves of maple, ginkgo, fern, peony and iris look amazing in the herbarium. To make your collection more interesting, collect leaves various forms and sizes.
Warnings
- Be careful when collecting leaves. Some of them can sting you or cause a rash, while others can be poisonous. Remember that the leaves of hogweed, sumac and wolf's bast are best left alone.
- Never put metal objects in the microwave and always use oven mitts to remove the hot ceramic press from the microwave.
- Respect the law. Do not collect plants from protected nature reserves, nurseries and national parks without permission. The easiest way is to ask the responsible staff what can and cannot be done in such places. If there are no rare endangered plants in this area, most likely you will be allowed to collect a herbarium.
What will you need

Drying leaves under a wooden press
- Two identical plywood boards
- Drill
- 4 bolts with washers
- 4 wing nuts
- Cardboard
- Paper
Drying leaves in a book
- Big fat book
- Paper
- Heavy load
Drying in the microwave
- 2 ceramic tiles
- Rubber bands
- Cardboard
- Paper
- A heavy weight to put on top (such as books or a microwave-safe airtight container of water)

Probably, each of us at least once in our lives had to wonder how to make a herbarium.

Why is this needed? The reasons can be very diverse. For example, to save a plucked flower, save leaves for some kind of craft, or just prepare for a biology lesson at school.

This article will not only talk about how to make a herbarium on your own. The reader will immediately get acquainted with several ways of drying plants at home. In addition, valuable tips and advice will be provided on how to achieve remarkable results with a minimum of effort.

Leaf herbarium. General definition of the concept

First of all, we note that a herbarium should be understood as a collection of dried plants made in accordance with certain rules. As you know, after the necessary samples dry, they are laid out on sheets of thick paper.

IN Lately herbarium in biology is created by almost all schoolchildren and students studying this subject as part of the educational program.

But the first herbariums arose in the 16th century in Italy. They were invented by a physician and botanist named Luca Ghini. By the way, he is also the founder of the world-famous Pisa Botanical Garden.

Unfortunately, the herbarium, created by the inventor himself, has not been preserved, but the works made by his direct students have survived to our time. Considering the concept in a broader sense, it should be said that it is a process that includes the storage of a collection and its processing.

Note that all created herbariums are registered in a special international database under titled The Index Herbariorum. Each set of dried plants is assigned a unique code consisting of one to six English letters.

Dry the old fashioned way

Experts say that making a herbarium with your own hands is quite simple, but some general rules still need to be taken into account.

First of all, we remember that we collect flowers not wilted, but fresh. As a rule, buds and stems with leaves are used. Only if necessary, you can dry the root system.

The collected plants must be made flat, which means that the petals are removed from the massive flowers, after which the flowers are carefully aligned and squeezed with your fingers.

Then an ordinary book comes to the rescue, and preference should be given to the one that is heavier. We open the edition on any page and put a couple of napkins inside, placing flowers and leaves neatly in the middle.

If the representatives of the flora are modest in size, skip a few pages and repeat the procedure. For large copies, it is recommended to use separate books.

Sometimes, when drying particularly fragile flowers, a fabric may also be needed. For what? The fact is that in this case the herbarium (flower, leaf, root system) turns out to be more durable, and if such a need arises, it can be easily transferred to another book.

In general, experts advise doing just that. Those. after several days of drying, transfer the fabric with flowers to another book. For what? To get rid of the moisture inside the plant as soon as possible.

After all these manipulations, the dried flowers are transferred to the so-called acid-free paper.

What is the principle of the modern approach?

Do-it-yourself herbarium can be made with the help of more modern methods. For this you will need:

Chipboard (2 sheets);
several rubber bands;
absorbent paper;
microwave.

We put 3 sheets of absorbent paper on the chipboard, place the flowers, which are covered with paper and the remaining piece of chipboard on top.

Each side is secured with rubber bands. We put it all in the microwave, turn on the device at medium temperature, setting the time to a few minutes.

We take out our plants and wait for them to cool completely. Most likely, the task will be completed perfectly, but it is still recommended to check if the flowers are dry. If necessary, the procedure will have to be repeated.

Do-it-yourself herbarium using modern devices

It should be noted that the implementation of this method will have to spend some money.

First of all, we get a press for a microwave oven. Please note that it must be made of a safe material, such as ceramic, and consist of two pieces, between which flowers and leaves should be placed.

You can buy such a press in a store or even make it yourself. To do this, you will need two ceramic tiles, 2 small sheets of cardboard, paper to fit the tiles, and a few large rubber bands.

1. Put one piece of cardboard and paper on the prepared ceramic tile.

2. We place flowers on top and cover with the remaining paper, cardboard and a second ceramic tile.

3. Tie with rubber bands and place in the microwave.

4. Turn on the device for literally a minute.

5. We check how the drying process is going, and return the structure to the oven for another half a minute, until the flowers are completely dry.

6. We take them out of the press and use them to create our own creative compositions.

Plants are harvested exclusively dry.
It is desirable to save all parts of a flower or leaf, carefully straightening them first.
Sometimes, in case of emergency, plants are dried between sheets of paper with a warm iron.
For fixing use the so-called fish glue.
Stored plants in full size.
One copy per sheet.
The folder is not bound.
The genus of the plant is written on top and the title page of the herbarium is drawn up.
On the back, the type of collected flowers or leaves is indicated.

What plants should be collected?

First of all, we note that for the herbarium, specimens should be collected without obvious damage caused by insects, fungi or mold.

Herbaceous, as a rule, are taken along with the root system, but to dry trees and shrubs, it is enough to take a shoot or twig. Considering that some of harvested plants during drying and storage it can be spoiled, it is necessary to collect with a margin (instead of one leaf or flower, stock up on two or three).

It happens that during the so-called quiet hunt for representatives of the flora, the weather is not too hot, and the plants required are not very tender. In this case, the collected collection can be stored for some time in a polyethylene bag, and then transferred to a herbarium folder.

Labeling

How to arrange a herbarium correctly? This process is no less important than collecting and drying. Agree, you want to periodically look through specimens of amazing beauty on your own, or even brag about the collection to friends or colleagues.

It is believed that the herbarium must contain the following information:

date and place of collection (region and district, neighborhood of a settlement, shore of a reservoir, etc.);
habitat (for example, wet meadow, birch forest, lawn, roadside, swamp, etc.);
the name of the assembler.

Temporary labels are filled in during the collection of plants in order not to forget where what material was obtained. Plants with an already permanent label, made in accordance with all the rules, are laid in the herbarium grid.

How to attach and store a herbarium?

Remember: you can not rigidly attach the plant itself or its parts to a sheet of paper. Otherwise, your copy will break even with a slight bend.

We attach it so that the leaf (or flower) does not hang on the paper, and its parts do not hang down.

Thick roots and shoots are sewn with cotton threads of a soft color. Stitches should be single, double knotted at front side herbarium sheet. On the other hand, each stitch must be smeared with thick glue. This action will prevent the thread from slipping, which should not be pulled from the reverse side between the stitches, because. this can damage the underlying herbarium leaf.

With the help of strips of paper, thin parts of the plant are attached. The strips, in turn, are attached to the paper.

Do not fix the plant by the tip. This will lead to breakage. A strip of paper, as a rule, is located near the base of the leaf (under the flower).

The label is placed in the lower right part of the sheet, although it can be in another place. You can store mounted sheets in shirts (newspaper, kraft paper).

Many collectors advise to additionally capture the herbarium. A photo, you see, is stored longer, although it has no real value.

Picking and drying plants is a fun activity for the whole family

If you are not a biologist and not a student of the corresponding faculty, before making a herbarium, it is still worth wondering if this activity will bring the expected pleasure. Experienced people in this matter assure that by all means, especially if you introduce your baby to this exciting pastime. When a child takes part in the collection of plants, he remembers what they look like, what they are called.

It will be interesting for both the child and the adult to learn about the origin of such unusual names like a shepherd's purse, celandine, coltsfoot. For example, not everyone knows that the celandine received such a name because of its properties that promote the rapid healing of wounds and abrasions. And if you look closely at the leaves of the shepherd's bag, you can see their resemblance to hearts or tiny bags of shepherds.

Informative facts

We already know how to make a herbarium on our own and without outside help, but it would not be superfluous to get acquainted with rare data related to this lesson.

For example, many people know that Luca Ghini invented the method of drying plants between sheets of paper. The invention of the term itself belongs to another person - Joseph Tournefort, a traveler and botanist from France.

No description in words can replace a herbarium sheet. Carl Linnaeus thought so. And it was he who determined the technology for collecting plants, which has practically not changed to this day.

By the way, great people also collected herbarium. The first leaf in Russia was dried by Peter the Great, who made a brief inscription to it: “Range of 1717”.

Probably, each of us at least once in our lives had to wonder how to make a herbarium.

Why is this needed? The reasons can be very diverse. For example, to save a plucked flower, save leaves for some kind of craft, or just prepare for a biology lesson at school.

Leaf herbarium. General definition of the concept

Recently, a biology herbarium has been created by almost all schoolchildren and students studying this subject as part of an educational program.

Note that all created herbariums are registered in a special international database called The Index Herbariorum. Each set of dried plants is assigned a unique code consisting of one to six English letters.

Dry the old fashioned way

Experts say that making a herbarium with your own hands is quite simple, but you still have to take into account some general rules.

First of all, we remember that we collect flowers not wilted, but fresh. As a rule, buds and stems with leaves are used. Only if necessary, you can dry the root system.

The collected plants must be made flat, which means that the petals are removed from the massive flowers, after which the flowers are carefully aligned and squeezed with your fingers.

If the representatives of the flora are modest in size, skip a few pages and repeat the procedure. For large copies, it is recommended to use separate books.

After all these manipulations, the dried flowers are transferred to the so-called acid-free paper.

What is the principle of the modern approach?

A do-it-yourself herbarium can also be made using more modern methods. For this you will need:

Chipboard (2 sheets);
several rubber bands;
absorbent paper;
microwave.

We put 3 sheets of absorbent paper on the chipboard, place the flowers, which are covered with paper and the remaining piece of chipboard on top.

Each side is secured with rubber bands. We put it all in the microwave, turn on the device at medium temperature, setting the time to a few minutes.

Do-it-yourself herbarium using modern devices

It should be noted that the implementation of this method will have to spend some money.

First of all, we get a press for a microwave oven. Please note that it must be made of a safe material, such as ceramic, and consist of two pieces, between which flowers and leaves should be placed.

You can buy such a press in a store or even make it yourself. To do this, you will need two ceramic tiles, 2 small sheets of cardboard, paper to fit the tiles, and a few large rubber bands.

1. Put one piece of cardboard and paper on the prepared ceramic tile.

2. We place flowers on top and cover with the remaining paper, cardboard and a second ceramic tile.

3. Tie with rubber bands and place in the microwave.

4. Turn on the device for literally a minute.

5. We check how the drying process is going, and return the structure to the oven for another half a minute, until the flowers are completely dry.

6. We take them out of the press and use them to create our own creative compositions.

Plants are harvested exclusively dry.
It is desirable to save all parts of a flower or leaf, carefully straightening them first.
Sometimes, in case of emergency, plants are dried between sheets of paper with a warm iron.
For fixing use the so-called fish glue.
Stored plants in full size.
One copy per sheet.
The folder is not bound.
The genus of the plant is written on top and the title page of the herbarium is drawn up.
On the back, the type of collected flowers or leaves is indicated.

What plants should be collected?

First of all, we note that for the herbarium, specimens should be collected without obvious damage caused by insects, fungi or mold.

Herbaceous, as a rule, are taken along with the root system, but to dry trees and shrubs, it is enough to take a shoot or twig. Given that some of the collected plants may be damaged during drying and storage, it is necessary to collect with a margin (instead of one leaf or flower, stock up on two or three).

Labeling

It is believed that the herbarium must contain the following information:

date and place of collection (region and district, neighborhood of a settlement, shore of a reservoir, etc.);
habitat (for example, wet meadow, birch forest, lawn, roadside, swamp, etc.);
the name of the assembler.

How to attach and store a herbarium?

Remember: you can not rigidly attach the plant itself or its parts to a sheet of paper. Otherwise, your copy will break even with a slight bend.

We attach it so that the leaf (or flower) does not hang on the paper, and its parts do not hang down.

Thick roots and shoots are sewn with cotton threads of a soft color. Stitches should be separate, tied with a double knot on the front side of the herbarium sheet. On the other hand, each stitch must be smeared with thick glue. This action will prevent the thread from slipping, which should not be pulled from the reverse side between the stitches, because. this can damage the underlying herbarium leaf.

With the help of strips of paper, thin parts of the plant are attached. The strips, in turn, are attached to the paper.

Do not fix the plant by the tip. This will lead to breakage. A strip of paper, as a rule, is located near the base of the leaf (under the flower).

The label is placed in the lower right part of the sheet, although it can be in another place. You can store mounted sheets in shirts (newspaper, kraft paper).

Many collectors advise to additionally capture the herbarium. A photo, you see, is stored longer, although it has no real value.

Picking and drying plants is a fun activity for the whole family

Both a child and an adult will be interested to learn about the origin of such unusual names as shepherd's purse, celandine, coltsfoot. For example, not everyone knows that the celandine received such a name because of its properties that promote the rapid healing of wounds and abrasions. And if you look closely at the leaves of the shepherd's bag, you can see their resemblance to hearts or tiny bags of shepherds.

Informative facts

We already know how to make a herbarium on our own and without outside help, but it would not be superfluous to get acquainted with rare data related to this lesson.

No description in words can replace a herbarium sheet. Carl Linnaeus thought so. And it was he who determined the technology for collecting plants, which has practically not changed to this day.

By the way, great people also collected herbarium. The first leaf in Russia was dried by Peter the Great, who made a brief inscription to it: “Range of 1717”.