Allison Dixon

5/21/2018
Biology B
Lab Report

Introduction:

The purpose of the wildflower project was to learn about wildflowers, time management, and

organization. The project also created curiosity for me about a new topic that I had not examined

much before. In addition, I think that a goal of this assignment was to inspire our class to explore

nature more be more aware of our surroundings, and appreciate the little things that make us

happy, like pointing out a wildflower you know growing on the side of the street to your family.

I conducted most of my collecting at Sandy Spring Friends School and in parks near where I live.

Materials:

-spray glue

-newspaper to protect surface from spray glue

-binder/album with protective sheets and filler paper

-laptop

-Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide

-iPad

-paper towels

-pen

-tape or glue stick

-scissors

-books for pressing

-printer

Procedure:

1) Search for flowers in parks or at school

2) Identify flowers using Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide 3 Key Code (How many petals,

leaf type, and leaf shape)

3) Collect/pick flower and any basal leaves

4) Press flower by laying out flat on between two paper towels and then sliding between a

heavy book

5) Add flower to database on Google Sheets

6) Repeat steps 1-5 for all flowers

7) Create labels using instructional video

8) Print labels

9) Mount flower by spraying spray glue to the back of the flower and pressing it onto sturdy

paper

10) Add label to mounted flower sheet

11) Put mounted flower into protective sheet in the album/binder

12) Repeat steps 9-11 for all flowers

13) Write lab report and put it in the front of the album/binder
Analysis:

From this project, I learned about numerous wildflowers and how to identify them. I learned

about the importance of time management and organizational skills. The wildflower project also

enhanced my appreciation for nature by going on several ‘wildflower walks’ that were always

educational, but fun as well. Some mistakes that I made include misidentifying various flowers

and spraying the spray glue on the first mounted flower page instead of on the flower itself. I

also wrote ‘Montomergy County’ instead of ‘Montgomery County’ on several labels, but caught

that mistake before anything was glued down. Other than that, the project went fairly smoothly.

If I were to do this project again, I would take extra care in pressing the wildflowers, since the

position they are in when they are pressed is how they will stay to be mounted. I think that I did a

good job at not putting off collecting wildflowers. I was never stressed by the deadlines of how

many flowers were needed during a check-in. I made this happen by going on walks outside of

school with my family. Some tricks that I learned were how to use the 3-key code in Newcomb’s

Field Guide and to spray the glue on the flower when mounting it on the page. I also color coded

the names of the wildflowers in my database with the color of the book that I was pressing them

in. I enjoyed this project because I love nature and being artist while designing the finished

product of my binder. I didn’t really find any reason to dislike this project since I always had

more flowers than necessary, so deadlines weren't stressful. If I hadn't gotten ahead however, I

probably wouldn't have liked this project as much. In addition, the fact that my brother had done

this project two years before, gave me an idea of what was expected and how to manage my time

well. I also remembered several of the flower names. One trend that I noticed in my data was that

out of the thirty-five flowers that I collected in Maryland, I got twenty-seven from an area that
was at least partially shady. This leads me to believe that the flowers that grow in this area need a

healthy balance between the sun and shade. However, the nine flowers that I picked in Virginia

were all found in the sun on the roadside. Perhaps the flowers have adapted to the respective

conditions that their habitat presents, with or without more sun. Another trend that I noticed was

that often, flowers from the same family look similar. For example, the Spring Avens, Dwarf

Cinquefoil, and Indian Strawberry are from the Rose family. Each of them are yellow with five

petals. Another example is the Lesser Celandine and the Bulbous Buttercup from the Buttercup

family which share a very similar yellow and shiny look minus the difference in the number of

petals. A third trend that I found in my data was that flowers from the same family often grow in

a similar habitat. I found Purple Dead Nettle, Henbit, and Ground Ivy all in grassy areas with

partial to no shade. From the Poppy family, I found Yellow Corydalis, Dutchman’s Breeches,

and Bloodroot in areas with shade that were grassy and wooded.

Conclusion:

Overall, the wildflower project was a good learning experience and introduced me to a topic that

I didn't know much about before. I learned to press and mount wildflowers and create an

organized finished product. I am now more appreciative of nature and am more aware of my

surroundings. Based on my observations and data, I believe that flowers in different geographical

regions will adapt their surrounding conditions in order to survive. I think this because the

flowers that I saw or collected in Maryland that I only saw in at least partial shade, I was able to

find in the sun in Virginia. I did not see the flowers in the shade in Maryland in the shade in

Virginia, nor did I see the flowers I saw in the sun in Virginia in the sun in Maryland. I know
that plants and animals are able to adapt to their surrounding habitat in order to survive, so it

would make sense that the flowers I saw could be doing this too. This project inspired several

scientific questions about wildflowers and ecology. How are some flowers able to grow in areas

with no sunlight when flowers use energy from the sun to produce the nutrition they need to

survive? Why do different wildflowers bloom at different times during the same season? How

can some wildflowers grow in sandy areas when most plants need to have their roots grow into

the earth beneath them to soak up water and gain nutrition from the soil?

Note to Teacher:

Just a few days after our school year ends in June, I will be headed to Hobart, Tasmania in

Australia. I am very much looking forward to this once in a lifetime opportunity to learn

academically, create new friends, and experience a different culture. The real question, however,

is: what kind of wildflowers do they have in Australia, a country 10,131 miles away? Will I

recognize any? Will they be flowers from the same families that grow here in Maryland? The

wildflower project has definitely sparked a curiosity in me to try to find the answers to these

questions! Lastly, I would like to thank you for your eagerness to check the identification of

wildflowers, your timely feedback on the database and lab report, and continuous support to give

our class the tools we needed to succeed in the Wildflower Project.