Making a Flower Press

Kids can preserve their favorite flowers by pressing them and using the flowers in artwork or handmade cards.

Here's what you'll need:

two 12- by 12-inch pieces of cardboard
newspaper
string or large rubber bands
heavy books
blank note cards
all-purpose glue
toothpicks
clear self-adhesive shelf paper

1. Help your children pick flowers and other plant parts, such as fern leaves, that they would like to use to make colorful art and gifts. Pick on a sunny day and try to choose flowers that are about to bloom or have recently opened, since old parts won't keep as well. Leave about an inch of stem attached.

2. Make the press. Lay down a square of cardboard, and on top of that place two or three sheets of newspaper. Next, arrange the flowers and other plant parts. (Take apart larger flowers and use just the petals.) The plants will dry best if you make sure they don't touch each other.

3. When the first layer is filled with plant parts, place several more sheets of newspaper on top, then start a new layer. Try to keep flowers and other parts with the same thickness on the same layer. Continue layering in this way and finish off with a layer of newspapers and a final piece of cardboard.

4. Tie a string or place a rubber band around your plant press, then set a heavy stack of books on it. Allow your plants to dry for two or three weeks, or until they're dry to the touch.

5. Kids can arrange and mount the flowers and leaves on note cards or plain white paper. Attach them by applying spots of glue with a toothpick. If a flower, petal, or leaf seems breakable, put the glue on the paper, let it sit until somewhat dry, then pick up the flower with a damp fingertip and place it on the glue. To protect their artwork, you may want to cut a piece of self-adhesive paper to size and press it in place over the arrangement. (This paper is tricky for kids to use.)

Flower Courtship

Flowers have long inspired humans with their beauty and fragrances, and we've bestowed them with symbolic meanings. Myths and symbolism aside, the real job of flowers is to ensure that plants produce offspring. Animals can roam about and seek mates with whom to reproduce, but imagine the challenge for a plant, rooted firmly to the ground, to achieve this same end. Over millions of years, flowers have evolved a remarkable range of strategies to guarantee that male pollen is transferred to female flower parts so fertilization and seed production can occur.

Colors. Since most pollinators fly, flower color sends a bold signal to potential partners passing by. Different pollinators may see the same colors differently, and some can't see certain colors at all, but they may be drawn by other characteristics, such as scent. The colors that humans see are not necessarily what bees or beetles see. Regardless of how it is perceived, color is a primary means by which flowers grab attention.

Patterns. Many flowers, such as foxgloves and irises, also feature stripes, spots, or other markings that guide pollinators toward food. (Some of these nectar guides are invisible to humans but quite apparent to hungry bees!) Some, such as Gaillardia (blanket flowers) have concentric rings, providing a target focused on the nutritious nectar "bull's eye." Lilies have ridged petals that similarly guide their guests. Have your child look at a delphinium blossom. Don't those tufts of hairs in the center look like a bee? This fake bee helps lure other bees into the flower.

Shapes. Flowers' shapes are important for protecting pollen, attracting or precluding certain pollinators, or ensuring that pollen is picked up and transferred. For instance, butterflies tend to prefer flat, open surfaces with views (e.g., zinnias), while certain bees seem to like those with special petals that serve as landing platforms (e.g., delphiniums). Open, bowl-shaped flowers (e.g., poppies) can be easily seen by and offer warm access to short-tongued insects. The shallow blossoms of milkweeds, phlox, mints, and similar flowers also appeal to short-tongued insects such as honeybees and wasps. The nectar in tubular flowers, such as bee balm, is available to beaks and tongues with a long reach.

Drooping, bell-shaped flowers protect their sexual parts from weather and offer food and shelter for honeybees and bumblebees, who can feed while hanging. Some flowers, such as snapdragons, have hinged petals or other mechanisms, to conceal their sexual parts and nectar. They are closed to all but selected pollinators (in this case, certain bees) who have the dexterity, strength, and tenacity to open the flower.

Courtesy the National Gardening Association's Kids Gardening Web site.

"When you garden, you grow" is trademark of the National Gardening Association. For more ideas and inspiration on gardening with children, visit NGA's Kids Gardening Web site.