janetbeckclark's Profile

Bio

My enthusiasm for nature goes back to my childhood, when my biologist father was always calling attention to birds, insects, and a variety of wildflowers. He wanted me to notice them, as well as know their names.

After I was married and had several young children, that interest was rekindled. Pressing plants became a family hobby after my father gave us a plant press—a tool of botanists and nature lovers. Preserving botanicals this way has been done for centuries. Scientists have found that even today, pressed plant specimens provide a more accurate record than even the most expensive camera.

I have found that gathering and preparing plants for pressing gives me an intimate look at what’s going on “out there.” Discovering the habitats, colors, textures, intricate patterns, and elegant forms are just some of the benefits of plant involvement. And a properly pressed plant can last for centuries.

Plant diversity in Utah is remarkable. Specimens are collected from deserts, forests, fields, and mountainsides. Cultivated garden varieties are included as well. Each plant expresses nature’s incredible colors and designs. Aristotle once noted, “Art takes nature as its model.”

Also, I couldn’t resist sharing some unique information about each tree, fern, and flower. Included with each arrangement is its delightfully descriptive name, historic use, and folklore. As the Roman natural historian Pliny once observed: “. . . Nature, there is none of her works that is unworthy of our consideration.”

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