The piles of pressed plants have been slowly inputted into the museum database. Every imaginable piece of data is typed in with care: collection location (both in written description and map coordinates) and description, plant associations.
All the data was then transferred (through the magic of Microsoft mail merge) into herbarium labels. With the labels, I had the satisfying moment of seeing my name typed neatly in the line: collected by. Now for making the specimen complete.
Ready for mounting, I took my piles of specimens upstairs.
At the museum, we mount specimens with a water-based glue and completely adhere the specimen onto the herbarium sheet. It's a delicate process that left my first specimens looking rather like an 8-year old had put them together. Too much glue makes the label curl, your fingers get sticky and leave traces of fingerprints everywhere. Too little glue means the specimen isn't properly adhered and you must go back with a small spatula and some glue to touch up.
With the specimen, the label, and the capsule (filled with small bits of material available for later keying or testing) placed on the sheet, it's placed with others in the presses. The presses are fantastic. They are old book-binders presses. They are sturdy, metal contraptions, with a satisfying handle that cranks the top down tight. In the small presses, only three specimens can fit. They are layered with the specimen, a sheet of wax paper to keep any excess glue from traveling, and lastly a foamed board. the foam helps protect the specimen and provide a consistent pressure while acting as the solid base for the next specimen. The handle is then cranked down and it's left to rest while the next three are prepared.
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| the high-adrenaline world of mounting |
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| a finished specimen from the press |
After mounting, I put my last initials on the back as the person who mounted the specimen, giving my initials to the entire process.
The process of mounting was a slow one. On my best day, I could mount only twenty four. The time-intensive nature of the herbarium continued to sink in. It is estimated that each specimen would require approximately $15 each for time spent collecting, processing, and preparing for the herbarium. The amount of time spent on each species seemed even more daunting when thinking that the British Herbarium has something on the order of 60,000 specimens.
In all, I collected, pressed and prepared 117 specimens. These were split into two collections for the museum. Half of them went into the general British Herbarium. The other half continued a collection that has been started by a previous volunteer. It's called the Synoptic Collection, and has the goal of having one specimen of every plant in the UK. The collection is focused on plant identification and will be used as a working collection for teachers and students working with UK plants.
Finally, I took my completed specimens, made folders for them in their own little corner of the herbarium and laid them in. It's a collection I will enjoy coming back to see grow with further volunteers or staff members adding to it.
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| my own small collection. |
