Can YOU help me with my wildflower press?

Question

I have about twenty different wildflowers from the Mississippi gulf coast including: carnivorous flowers, and intricate hard-to-find flowers.

i have cut them down to size and i smashed them in the pages of books in between napkins.

How long should i leave the flowers in the press?

Are there any suggestions to how i can make this a spectacular wildflower presentation?

Answer 1

Every 8-12 hours, switch the flowers to a dry section of paper (old phone books are great for this!) until the flowers are dry.  

I would remove them from the napkins because napkins often have an embossed surface that transfers to the flowers, ansbecause the slightly fuzzy surface of many napkins may cause the flowers to stick.  (Professional botanists use newspaper for pressing most plants.)

More on how botanists collect and use plant specimens:

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/herbarium/herba...

BTW, carnivorous plants are usually pretty badly overcollected and quite vulnerable to human impact.