Isaac

5/14/18
A
Biology
Wildflower Project Lab Write-Up

The purpose of the wildflower project is to get students out of doors and deepen the

understanding students have of how different species evolve separately in order to survive. The

wildflower project allows students to get outside and study nature in a way most probably have

not before. I collected nearly all my flowers in Sandy Spring next to campus with the exception

of an Herb Robert and a Star of Bethlehem, both collected at my house. In order to complete this

project I needed Newcomb’s Wildflower guide to identify flowers, paper towels and a textbook

to press them, and a binder with sleeves and black paper for mounting.

The first step in the Wildflower project was collecting and identifying flowers.

Newcomb’s wildflower guide was used by identifying the number of petals, types of leaves, and

leaf orientation. Flowers had to be identified before being picked and flowers that were rare or

hard to be pressed needed to have pictures taken of them. The parts of the plant that needed to be

clear in the pictures were, the flower itself, the stem, the leaf, and the entire plant. When pressing

picked flowers, paper towels were used to sandwich the flower and absorb moisture. The name

of the flower and ID number used to identify it were written on the paper towel. Then the flowers

were inserted into a textbook in order to press the moisture out of the flower. The flower also had

to be recorded in a database which included the scientific name of the flower in italics, the

common name of the flower, the family, the city, county, and state the flower was collected in,

the habitat it was found in, the date it was collected, the book used to identify it, the page number

the flower was found on, and the collector of the flower. When mounting flowers the back of the

flower was sprayed with glue and then stuck to a piece of paper that was then inserted into a

plastic binder sleeve. Labels including all the data recorded in the database accompanied each
Isaac
5/14/18
A
Biology
flower in the binder. I personally found forty four flowers and I presented them on black paper. I

chose black because most of the flowers I found were either white or yellow, both of which

contrast with black well. The green stem of flowers is also brightened by the black, and the solid

color allows the flower to be seen without the background taking any ease of visibility from the

specimen.

During the project, I learned that some flowers live for very short amounts of time while

still being very common. Others live for long periods of time and remain common, yet some live

for long periods and are very rare. A select few flowers live for short periods of time and are

rare. This all shows how flowers have adapted to survive, some of them choosing to thrive for

less than a week while others simply are found everywhere for long periods of time like the

spring beauty. Some others bloom rarely for short periods of time such as the Trout Lily, yet the

basil leaves of which are found in many places. This also demonstrates how flowers adapt bloom

time to fit their environment.

I often made the mistake of picking during freshman seminar, and I often found that I

didn’t have the time to identify or press flowers before my next class. I was most successful

when I used time after school to pick, identify, and press flowers. A simple trick I used to find

more flowers was to walk a different route every time I went picking in order to ensure I’d be

looking in different environments which are more likely to have a variety of flowers. If I were to

do this project again I would make sure that I don’t go picking during rushed times like freshman

seminar because that lead to getting behind on the database and poorly pressed or unidentified

flowers. I enjoyed that the project got me out in the woods more, something I love doing but

often don’t find the time to do.

Isaac
5/14/18
A
Biology
I noticed that flowers in the mint family often grow in grassy areas while flowers in the

Violet, Buttercup, and Rose, family were quite versatile and often were found in both grassy

areas and thick forest leaves. Larger, taller flowers such as Common Winter Cress or Field

Pennycress bloomed later in spring, while smaller forest flowers such as Spring Beauties,

Bloodroots, Rue Anemone, and Cut-Leaved Toothwort grew earlier in the season. Lastly, I

noticed that flowers that were more uncommon and that I found less tended to grow in shady

woods while common flowers preferred sunny grass. This is an example of how plants have

evolved to thrive within a certain environment, and because there is more sun than shade in the

Sandy Spring area, flowers that have adapted to grow in sunny areas are more plentiful. I am still

left wondering how species like Lesser Celandine that can thrive in any dry, damp, sunny, or

shady area, only last for a little more than a month. And what changes have to come about in

order for a species like bloodroot to be extremely plentiful this year while in past years they have

been harder to find?

During this project, I learned things that I will hold with me for the rest of my life. After

having certain information either missing or incorrect on my labels after the first four times of

making them, I do not think I will ever forget the name of one of the flowers I picked. I can’t

imagine walking outside without subconsciously identifying every flower I see with ease. The

information that has been ground into my head over the past few months was well worth the

sweat and stress, and I am quite glad to say that now the project is over, I am confident that I can

take away a new appreciation and skill when it comes to the outdoors.