God has created many,
many types of plants. There are well over one hundred thousand known
species of flowering plants. Some plants, however, do not have
flowers. Ferns, mosses, and mushrooms are plants that never have any
flowers at all. In place of seeds, they have tiny spores from which new
plants grow. Flowering plants have roots, stems, and leaves and at
certain times they also have flowers, fruits, and seeds.
You will find some plants growing in only certain places in the world while
others grow wild everywhere. Some grow where people don't want them to
and crowd out the plants people do want. Plants growing where they are
not wanted are called weeds. However, what may be a weed to one person
may be a beautiful flower to another. Dandelions on someone's lawn may be
considered a pesky weed while dandelions in other's field may harvest a crop of
delicious leaves for salads.
Wildflowers grow everywhere: near lakes, rivers, marshes and seashore, on
mountains, in meadows and forests, and along the roads. Each kind needs
special conditions to grow. Some need a lot of sunshine; others do well
in shade. Some grow in the water and others close by it. Look in
many different areas to find a wide selection for your collection.
Seeds of wild plants that are collected and sown in fields and gardens are
called cultivated plants. When picking plants and flowers for your own
collection, be sure to ask permission first before picking from someone's yard.
In some areas of our country, there are wild flowers and plants so rare that
laws have been passed to protect them. It is unlawful to pick these
plants. Remember that picking flowers prevents seeds from forming and new
plants from growing. Before you pick any, make sure there are at least
twenty of the same kinds growing in the same area. Only pick what you
need for your collection. Never eat any part of a flower or plant unless
you are very certain it is safe; many parts of plants are poisonous.
Pick dry flowers. Midday is the best time to collect. Use scissors
to cut them and include several inches of stem and some leaves. Never
pull a flower up by the roots! Immediately scotch-tape your flower into a
temporary (field) notebook so it doesn't curl up or fall off before you get
home. On the same page write down the date, location found, name if you
can identify it, and any other special information you might want to
remember. Bring a wildflower guide with you on your collection hikes.
To make your flowers last for years, you must remove all the moisture. An
easy way to dry flowers is to press them. Put your flowers face up
between five or six pieces of black and white newspaper with a piece of
cardboard over the newspaper. Write the field notebook page next to the
flower so you can add it to the correct page of your journal when it is
dry. Add layers of newspaper and cardboard if you have many flowers to
press at one time. Put several heavy books on top of your pile and keep
it in a warm, dry room for 3-4 weeks.
When your flowers are stiff and dry, squeeze some Elmer's glue onto a Q-tip and
paint it onto the underside of the flower (or put glue directly onto the
page). Carefully put your flower onto the proper page in your journal and
press down gently. Let it dry for 30 minutes before adding another
flower.
Have fun! And be joyous in God's abundant blessings of fragrance and
color to us! Susan and Cindy