PRESERVED LEAVES
Huntington Library Conservatory
c. 2006 Susan L. Friesen
I love visiting botanical gardens and conservatories. You've seen quite
a few of my photos from Huntington Library and Gardens, also the
Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco.
It's so interesting to take time and pay attention to even simple
things like leaves. Actually, they're quite complex. As a kid, a
teacher shared how humans take-in oxygen, but plants give off oxygen,
which we eventually breathe-in. I thought that was so amazing.
As a teenager, I started saving leaves during my journeys, and taping
them in a "Leaf Book." High school friends started mailing me leaves to
add to my journal. I didn't know the proper way to affix the leaves for
long-term preservation, so they eventually turned brown or black,
brittle, and decomposed.
I never did take a college class in botany, but wish I had. It's so
interesting to study plants. It's my dream someday that we build a
backyard greenhouse, so I can learn to grow tropical flowers,
especially orchids and bromeliads.
This time of year is so nice, as the trees change color. I love seeing
my poinsettia bushes in full flower. We have the fancy red flowers in
full bloom now.
I'd love to travel to New England someday in Fall and see the amazing foliage.
Hugs, Susan
