Today is the first day in the class since Monday. This week has been interrupted by two field trips and one assembly. Yesterday, The Herbarium team visited the Chrysler Herbarium at Rutgers University. We were in touch with the head of the Herbarium there regarding mentorship. We learned about their methods of collecting, pressing and preserving, mounting and labeling specimens.
We were given a tour of their Herbarium and Ms. Spitz described to us how her Herbarium is organized: from most simple to most complex. We were shown their photography set-up and we were given a demonstration of how the Chrysler Herbarium creates digital records of their plants. We were shown different ways of mounting specimens on paper and plan to make the transition from foam-filled Riker boxes to paper. We learned how to press and preserve submerged aquatic plants, and we will use these skills later in the spring when we may collect moss, algae and lichens. The information given to us my Lauren Spitz was eye-opening and the visit was extremely valuable.
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