Indian Paint Brush, Would love to trade a few sprigs of GA plants for Sagebrush sample. But mostly I press foliage as this is my real interest...very few flowers. You may be surprised to learn that some of your native plants have "kinfolk" here; for example I've seen Prickly Pear in several places...also the edible fruit for sale at our Farmers Mkt. And I'm sure you have Yucca.

I'm not sure about refrigerating your plants (although florists of course do it). I almost always try and press immediately...just in newspaper if necessary, although I almost always have a book with me. Sometimes years later I'll find a pressed blossom or leaf when I reopen a book~~Smile. I've found that often a flower will close up quickly once clipped or start browning on edges or lose its form in some way...and also have read that the quicker the moisture is removed the better the retained color. I have a good site from the Missouri Botanical Garden which details how to prepare herbarium specimens "in the field"...I'll look it up & post later...maybe has a good hint or adaptable practice you could use.

Have you looked at the Natives Forum here...maybe a poster there from your area who knows good sites for id. There probably is a Native Plant Society in Idaho. I'd check on internet sites of any botanical gardens nearby, Universities with botany programs, your USDA county extension office might have booklets on natives at low cost. I'd want a good Field Guide for your region too.

I really envy you your "field trips"...but even on your own ranch it's probably surprising what tiny flowers you might find. I've been seeing a lot of tv news about how some of the deserts are blooming this year and often the flowers are dime-sized but exquisite. Would enjoy your posting some of your finds...maybe a wideshot of general landscape and then closeups of treasures you find there.

Just experiment and have fun...josh

Here's the MOBOT site...it's very detailed but their collectors go into the most inaccessible places, and unlike our collecting just for fun, it's their job...those specimens are expected to be around for hundreds of years.

Probably a lot more than you wanted to know but I've just always enjoyed looking "behind the scenes". I always admired the herbarium specimens and detailed drawings which were crucial before photography, but even with photographs, today's botanists still use the herbarium material. josh

Here is a link that might be useful: MOBOT Herbarium Instructions

Here's a great site on MO plants...probably similar to ID plantlife? josh

Here is a link that might be useful: MO Plants

And an even more helpful site on Montana plants. I'm supposing that some plants grow in Idaho too...at any rate I wish we had helpful sites like this for GA-AL. josh

Here is a link that might be useful: Montana Plantlife

Whoa Josh!!! Gee, thanks for all the neat "links" you posted for me!! I was in reading last night for quite a length of time, & there is much info on alot of this stuff! Now, I'm not sure if Missouri's type of foliage & flowers are similar to ours here in Idaho, as I think they might "differ" a bit... mostly due to our Desert climate right in our area. The MOBOT Herbarium Instruction page was a "mind-blower," as it was some really in-depth reading, and I could go for hours on that one! Wow!

I was really glad to hear you know what "Prickly-Pear" Cactus' are, because they grow wild here, by the "scads," and alot of folks use them in their rock gardens & such. When roaming or hiking in the mountains or Desert areas around here, you really have to watch where you're stepping, because of the large groups of them that grow everywhere! I've even seen them growing right out of the tops of lava rocks around here... with no soil!!! Too bad I can't figure out a way to get the beautiful blossoms off of them to "press & dry!" (... that would be a real fiasco` though, because of how sharp they are!)

You had mentioned the "Yucca" Plant. That is one I am not very familiar with. I did try to grow some "Yucca" at one time out here, but as usual, I had no luck. It is just too dry on our Ranch here. I will have to ask around & see if folks grow any Yucca around here.

I have not navigated around on the Site much here yet, since I have been a Member, so haven't went into the "Native forum" yet... but will do that. Thanks.

You are right when you stated that right now, we should have a vast array of tiny flowers & things growing out in the Desert here on our Ranch. Always in the Spring time here in our area, everything of Nature is just loaded with many unusual Spring flowers & foliage. I am hoping to get out and pick some wild "Indian Paint Brush" to press & dry, that's for sure! This was something I wanted to do over the Easter week-end, but our weather was really stormy with alot of high gusts of Wind,... so I couldn't get out to do that.

I am like you Josh... not only do I like to attempt to press & dry "flowers," but I also like the foliage... alot of it, & am always so interested in dried "leaves" and such. "Moss" fascinates me too!! I was reading on some of the previous "links" you gave to me on various plants, & it was telling how to "skeletonize" leaves & such... That was quite interesting to me! (maybe something I'll have to try sometime, but realize it's also difficult to do.)

As far as me "trading" any plants from your area, I would be willing just to send you some of my Western "sage" foliage from out here... because that's all it is, is "leaves," but I would have to "press & dry" some first. Let me know what you think?

Thank you for responding & Posting Josh.. it's always good to hear from you, & I will be in reading more of the info in the "links" you sent to me as well. Take care, & I will anticipate hearing from you again~

Warmest regards,
~ IndianPaintBrush ~

Thank-you Sonshinepat!

I really enjoyed your feed-back here, & I also went into your Web Site, & loved looking at your Page... that was great! Thank you very much for your comments & the tips in your Post. I will contact you for further information, as I need all the help I can get, with being "new" to pressing & drying flowers & foliage.

Many blessings,
~ IndianPaintBrush ~

my wife and I will be travelling through Idaho along Interstate 15 in our motor home around the fourth week in May (~22-28). Are there any suggestions of places to photograph wildflowers near this route .. we can afford to take extra time. Any and all suggestions are very much appreciated. This is our first glimpse of Idaho.

IndianPaintBrush
Although I like to press immediately as well, a full sized press is cumbersome with carrying water, and eveything else I take for collecting. What works really well for me is one of those "cold" keeper bags for Ice Cream and whatnot that you can get at the grocers or WallyWorld. At $3 a piece or so they are well worth it. They moderate the temps (especially midsummer) and keep some moisture in before pressing. I keep a frozen bottle or two of water in it when I start out. By the time I throw specimins in-the water goes in the fanny pack and the bag stays nice and cool.

Oh, and a pair of kitchen tongs works great for cacti flower collecting.

halboye~
Sorry I'm so slow in my response to you, but hadn't been on the Group board here for quite awhile. I had a bit of problems with my ISP Service Provider here, & we also had many Power outages due to Spring Storms... thus, I got very behind in my emails & Computer Reading, so I'm trying to play "catch-up" right now!

Thanks for posting to me... Soooo, this will be your first trip to IDAHO? WOW-- if you get to the Southcentral or Southeastern part of Idaho, you will observe that there is much flat, "desolate-looking" areas here... so just pull off the side of the road at any Rest Stop Area, and take a "gander" out in the brush & open areas, & you might get lucky enough to see some neat little "Desert" type flowers that grow along the floor of the dry Earth---

At this time of year, there are so many unique little flowers that seem to spring up all over in the most amazing places. I like to get right down & "zoom-in" with my Camera on some of them! (as well as pick some for Pressing, etc; etc;...)

I do gurantee you, there won't be a shortage of "Sage-brush" for you to look at! This stuff is great for collecting little "sprigs" of, and if you dry it, you will find, it has a very pungent smell to it... most fascinating!

This is a good time for you to be traveling thru, because it gets very dry & hot here later on, and at this time of year, you will be avoiding the diamond-back Rattler's we have here! yikes!

Happy traveling... be Safe, & let me know how your trip goes!

Warmest regards,
~IndianPaintBrush~

Hello again Rosa!
Thanks for your post & the many "tips" you gave in regards to "collecting," also out hiking and looking for flowers... gee, I never thought to use a pair of Kitchen thongs for the "prickly" cacti flowers!! Great idea!!

The "cold-keeper" bag for Ice Cream is an excellent idea too! Now I have more good ideas to go with, so maybe this will help me on some of my Camping "outings" this Summer for when I want to do some collecting...

Just wanted to tell you, thanks for all your help Rosa, it's greatly appreciated!

Hugs,
~ IndianPaintBrush ~