Sometime during my childhood I remember being shown a way to preserve a leaf. The leaf was placed in between the pages of a book and left to dry. Even more interesting if that leaf was pressed a decade before you were born and has been in the book for over 80 years. My old book collection has books dating back to my Great-grandmother, with books going back the 1880’s but a textbook from my fathers college days(late 1920’s) contains more than just chemical engineering info. Between several pages were pressed leaves dating back to the 1930’s, from where might by a small mystery but I might hazard a guess. Recently I purchased a book from Amazon about using the pattern recognition method of plant identification. Botany in a Day by Thomas Elpel, ISBN 978-1892784353. An interesting direction to take on a subject that has a broad spectrum of subject matter. I only had to read to page 10 before a shape caused me to stop. I had seen that shape before….I remembered scanning through through the old textbook and and finding the leaves. Now that very leaf pressed between those pages so long ago by one of my parents was staring at me from page 10. In all likelihood it was my mother’s doings as she was the plant person in the family. The old leaf and the ‘new’ leaf were from a Ginkgo tree, probably in Washington DC. The pattern is now burned into my mind. Had it not been in that old book I would have easily passed over the reference and continued to read the book. We don’t have any Ginkgo trees in the neighborhood, but the next time I see one, it will be more than just a tree, some memories will be attached. Jerry
Cool story! I love Ginko trees (except the female's fruit is kinda stinky) The leaf shape is easily recognized.
What a wonderful story! I love ginkos and for some reason you do not see them this far west. I first saw them at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN and fell in love (my office is decorated with ginkos) I ordered 2 off ebay and planted them. They did really well the first year, then after last year's winter I was afraid we had been too cold and dry for them to survive Hallelujah I found leaves on them late last fall! That tells me there is life in the roots so I hope to see more signs of life this spring!
That is so wonderful....Great to find something that someone you know placed in a book...Memories are so great....My Mom passed away about a year ago and in her wallet she had pressed some four leaf clovers that she had found in her 87 years being here on earth.
