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Introduction
Although there was only one returning team member this
year, the botany team accomplished a lot during these past two
semesters. Working under the guidance of Dr. Neese, a professional
botanist, they catalogued and examined over two hundred specimens of
plants. Besides cataloguing plants, they also conducted a field burn.
As part of prairie restoration on the farm, it is necessary to burn the
field every 2 to 3 years.
Goal
The goal of the Botany team is to see their work
submitted and recognized by herbariums in Iowa and Illinois. While
Botany groups from previous years were focused on collecting different
plant species, the current team is more interested in identifying the
majority of the samples collected. The current list of plants
identified can be found here. Ultimately, they hope to discover a
rare or endangered plant species.
Method for
Collecting Plants
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In an area abundant with the desired species of
plant, one should look for the best example of said specimen (i.e. No
torn or wilted leaves. The entire blossom should be intact.
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Take a picture of the specimen. Note: Keep in mind
the scale. Don’t take a photo of the specimen standing too close or too
far away.
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Carefully dig the specimen out of the good. Be
careful to take a good sample of the root system.
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Store the specimen in a safe carrying bag. There
should be some sort of identification on the bag listing the location
of the specimen and the collector.
Method
for Pressing Plants
The most common way to press plants is to use a plant
press; however, if you don’t currently own one, here’s an easy way to
make a press using common household supplies.
For more information on plant pressing, you can visit one
of these sites.
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/edu/activities/time/plant_press.htm
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/plants/plantid/press.html
http://www.agri.idaho.gov/animal/PressPlant.htm
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