If you plan to keep your flora reference collection long term, then you will need to take a few extra steps to ensuring the collection will last beyond your life time.
Properly Freezing Your Specimens
Though you might not have thought about it, when you picked your plant, you also picked up insects and their larva. Once the larvae open, they will eat your flowers, as they love pollen and seeds since they are packed full of rich nutrition. Freezing the specimens once they have fully dried can protect the specimens from short and long term insect damage.
- Wrap up your specimens in their newsprint and tie together between 2 pieces of cardboard.
- Take these bound specimens and seal them in a plastic bag.
- Place the bag of specimens in in a freezer for 10-14 days.
- Remove from the freezer and do not open the bag for 24hrs to confirm all the condensation has evaporated.
- Repeat every 1-2 years as insects always find their way to any collection.
Properly Storing your Collection
Most long term collectors have a small herbarium cabinet to organize and store their specimens. There are 3 key elements that you need to consider for long term storage; temperature, humidity and UV light.
- Store your collection in a dry, cool area of your home, in which the environment stays fairly consistent.
Mounted Specimens:
- Store your collection in a dark place, as UV light is damaging to the herbarium mounting paper and the colour of the specimen.
- If you can, store the specimens in non-acidic, archival folder.
- Store your specimens flat, and face up within a folder.
Packaged Specimens:
- Shoe boxes make excellent collection storage for packaged specimens (bryophytes, lichen, fungi).
