Collecting & Pressing Plants

Today, we went up to about 4,000 feet above the desert floor and photographed, collected, and pressed plants. We saw some remarkable specimens (hmmm, what does that word mean?). This week I want all of you to try doing what we did.

1. First, break off part of a plant that's big enough to fill up a sheet of paper (about 8 inches long).
2. Next, put a paper towel on each side of it.
3. Finally, put it inside a big, fat book so that it gets pressed flat.

You can use a telephone directory or a big dictionary or even your Open Court Reader. Then you're going to LEAVE IT ALONE until I get back. You can pick a flowering plant, or one that's woody, or one that soft and green.

When you're done, you will have pressed a plant, just like a real botanist.


Meanwhile, here's a slideshow of where we hiked today and what we saw. These are just some of the pix I took!