Resources

Web Sites

How to Start Your Own Herbarium
This school site features details for teachers and students on collecting, pressing, and identifying local plants, and creating herbaria. Dig around their site and you'll find even more gardening, botany, and habitat gems!

A Herbarium (Fun Science Gallery)
A British site with lots of detail on collecting and identifying plants, and creating herbaria.

Wildflower Identification
Although the site doesn't include any flower images, your students can fill out the interactive form with characteristics of an unknown flower to identify it. (They'll want to go to a book or wildflower site with images to verify their results. See the following entries.)

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (Directory of Native Plant Species)
The Center is a resource and clearinghouse for wildflower and native plant information for all regions of the country. This section is a photo-rich database of regional native plant species that you can search by common name, scientific name, and other features.

Wildflowers in Bloom
The entry for each of nearly 100 common wildflowers features a photo and details on height, planting time, blooming period, and growing conditions.

Books/Field Guides


National Audubon Society First Field Guide: Wildflowers

by Susan Hood
Designed for ages 9 to 12, this field guide includes stunning photos, descriptions of common wildflowers, and current information on endangered species.


Tree Identifier
Like our Wildflower Identifier, this field guide is easily carried by small hands in the field. The leaf pictures and tree descriptions on the reverse side help young naturalists identify and learn about 48 North American trees.




opyright© 2002 National Gardening Association

 


Collecting Plants

Contents

Plants: A Pressing Project

Background

Materials/Procedures


Curriculum Connections

Creating Field Guides

Cultivating Mentors

Growing Classroom Exchanges

Pressed Plant Projects and Products


Resources

Web Sites

Books and Field Guides


Related Articles

Petal Attraction: Weaving Wildflower Lessons

Flower Courtship

Pick with Caution!
Never collect or disturb any plant species that may be endangered or protected. Learn your state laws by contacting a natural resources agency. It's a good idea even with non-protected plants to use the following rule of thumb: never pick a plant unless you can see at least six in the area. Also, always get permission from the owner of any property on which you intend to collect plants.