Biology I: Spring Wildflower Project 2009

Biology I: Spring Wildflower Project 2009

Honors Biology: Wildflower Project

Spring 2013

CHECKPOINT: Friday, April 19, 2013

FINAL PROJECT DUE: Friday, May 3, 2013*

*10 points will be deducted from final grade for each school day late.

Purpose:This project is meant to develop creativity, time management, research, and organizational skills. It is also an exercise in properly classifying and identifying organisms while at the same time encouraging an appreciation of nature.

Requirements:

  1. Student must collect 5 wildflowers and correctly identify them. It is highly recommended you originally collect more than 5 in case a few do not press nicely or become moldy.
  2. Project must be displayed in an album, with proper labeling (see specifics).
  3. You will write a lab report. It must include all required parts and be thoroughly written (see specifics). Include this report in your final album.
  4. Neatness & creativity count. Take pride in your work – do not be messy or turn in moldy flowers.
  5. Bring in all flowers you have identified, pressed and labeled to the“Checkpoint” on Friday, April 19, 2013. This will count as a “LAB” grade. You will complete a peer evaluation with another student where you will verify each other’s identification of the correct species. This will help ensure you have not incorrectly identified a flower and then lose points on your final project grade.

Collecting Techniques and Helpful Hints:

  • It is recommended you secure your own copy (from local library or by purchasing, if desired) of a wildflower guide (make sure it covers the Southeast US or Georgia, specifically). I have 5 personal copies you may borrow/sign out for 2 days at a time. Our media center also has a couple copies. Additionally, the internet can be a valid resource.
  • When picking the flower, be sure to include at least 1 leaf, the stem, and flower. Some flowers have leaves at the very base near the ground.
  • You should have your identification guide with you when picking, or immediately after.
  • Flowers should be identified as soon as you pick them and before they are pressed! It may be helpful to take a picture of the flower before you pick it! You could use this for identification purposes later OR to include in your final album.
  • Collect soon and often. Different species bloom at different times.
  • Collect MORE THAN the required 5!

Instructions for Pressing Flowers: (See additional sheet)

Mounting and Presentation:

Once plants are dry and pressed they can be displayed in several ways. They can be glued to heavy mounting paper, or put in “photo” pages, either the sticky ones or plastic protectors.

You need to have a label on each page in lower right hand corner with classification information (see below)

All pages should then be placed in a notebook/binder for display.

Lab Report:

  • Introduction: Write your introduction in complete sentences and include the following:
  • the purpose for the project
  • where you conducted most of your collecting
  • Materials: List all materials you used to complete this project. Be precise and thorough.
  • Procedure: Outline in numbered steps how you conducted your project. Be sure to include all aspects of project. Include steps for:
  • Identifying flowers
  • Collecting
  • Pressing
  • Mounting
  • Labeling
  • Data: These are your flowers!
  • Each pressed flower must be accompanied by an information label (see next page).
  • Neatness is critical. Give thought to design and presentation.
  • Discussion: This is an in-depth description of your project. Include answers to the following questions in your analysis:
  • What did you learn?
  • What mistakes did you make?
  • What would you do differently?
  • What went well?
  • Did you learn any tricks which helped you?
  • What did you enjoy and/or dislike about the project?
  • Conclusion: Final thoughts on the project and what you have learned.

Format for each Information Label:

Common name______

Scientific name______(Genus species or Genus species)

Geographic location(city, county, state)______(this is where you found the flower; ex: Marietta, Cobb, Georgia)

Habitat______(this is the habitat where you found flower, not from book; ex: “side of road,” “open field”)

Date collected______

ID Resource______

Collector______(name, not “me”, ‘Dad”, etc.)

Instructions for Pressing Wildflowers:

1. Search for fresh flowers to press and arrange. (IDENTIFY THEM BEFORE PRESSING!!!!)

2. Lay the intact flowers or individual petals on a sheet of newspaper, avoiding overlap. TAKE CARE TO ARRANGE NICELY FOR DISPLAY.

3. Trim thick flowers to 1/16 of an inch or thinner so they will lie flat and dry evenly.

4. Place a second newspaper sheet on top of the flowers; make sure no plant parts stick out of the paper.

5. Sandwich the newspaper between several heavy books for two to three weeks or until all moisture is removed.

6. Use glue to adhere the dried flowers to paper and allow to dry.

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