[Nhcoll-l] [HERBARIA] displaying plants

Thu Jan 12 14:05:23 EST 2017

Hi Kent
I would also like to thank you for taking the time to post such wonderful photos, demonstrating fading of vulnerable herbarium sheets caused by filtered visible light.  I am sure we will use them in the future for educational purposes.
In the spirit of sharing, I thought I would pass along a wonderful Canadian resource we find extremely helpful, in case you are not familiar with it. The  Canadian Conservation Institute’s (CCI) web page on Light as an Agent of Deterioration https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__canada.pch.gc.ca_eng_1444925073140&d=CwIGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=xPTUIfpG-mFsC9TOvwbbxWtWgBmqXI-2JpvQFCHJAw8&s=ll2z76pwlyipG8B3bI6CQYVJU1lVb-yOplE3UbCYhw0&e=   does a great job explaining the relative risk caused by all types of light (UV, Visible and IR)  and the relative damage to a wide range of museum materials (Table 3). Not surprisingly, it classifies most plant extracts as highly light sensitive (ISO Blue wool #1, #2, #3). This was certainly our experience when we worked with CCI scientist, Season Tse, on a project to select and safely display some very valuable historic herbarium sheets for temporary exhibition (https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.spnhc.org_media_assets_cofo-2D25.pdf&d=CwIGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=xPTUIfpG-mFsC9TOvwbbxWtWgBmqXI-2JpvQFCHJAw8&s=4X2eQI-FPhJ7zjcZpun1-mFMc-h3ZurNsPWSwCACMuk&e= , Fig 4  pg 102 in the article or pg 140 in the pdf).
For permanent exhibition of herbarium material, we try to address this risk by (1) planning for fading e.g. having duplicates of non-scientific specimens we can replace over time or (2) or following the ROM’s lead and making high resolution photo reproductions.  Most excitingly, we are using live plants, by re-landscaping outside the Museum into a Landscapes of Canada Garden (https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__canadianmuseumofnature.wordpress.com_2015_07_13_the-2Dlandscapes-2Dof-2Dcanada-2Dgardens_&d=CwIGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=xPTUIfpG-mFsC9TOvwbbxWtWgBmqXI-2JpvQFCHJAw8&s=fLLg5INRdh3nidMqcjvGFtOgqw52MfWGuGzE5ISXB_w&e= ).
Carolyn

From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Herrick Brown
Sent: January-11-17 4:48 PM
To: Perkins,Kent D <kperkins at flmnh.ufl.edu>; Debra Trock <dtrock at calacademy.org>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu; herbaria at NACSE.ORG
Subject: Re: [Nhcoll-l] [HERBARIA] displaying plants

Hi Kent,

You’ve documented this very well and thanks for sharing.  I wonder though if light is the primary culpable agent, or if elevated temperature under display glass (i.e. greenhouse effect) may have played a larger role in the fading of the examples you shared.  I ask this since I’ve seen similar results when specimens spend too much time in a drying oven (with no light).  You note ‘little or no climate control’.

Best,
Herrick

From: HERBARIA [mailto:herbaria-bounces at nacse.org] On Behalf Of Perkins,Kent D
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2017 4:35 PM
To: Debra Trock <dtrock at calacademy.org<mailto:dtrock at calacademy.org>>; nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>; herbaria at NACSE.ORG<mailto:herbaria at NACSE.ORG>
Subject: Re: [HERBARIA] displaying plants

Hi Deb,

We have been working on an exhibit for the FLMNH 100th Anniversary (the herbarium is actually older ☺).

We learned from an earlier experience that light is certainly an agent of deterioration!  We placed some duplicate specimens in a display case for public viewing which faces a covered walkway from October to mid-Feb.  The window "supposedly" has UV protection but I believe it does get some strong direct sun. There is probably little or no climate control.

Here is a comparison of the specimens before and after:
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.flmnh.ufl.edu_herbarium_specimens_zoom_imagezoom-5Fhtml5.asp-3Ffolder-3D240-26image-3D240186a1-23ImageTop&d=CwIGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=xPTUIfpG-mFsC9TOvwbbxWtWgBmqXI-2JpvQFCHJAw8&s=YS7KqgbviuCFjlGYO6eNOwYC_4d9rfZGSA2dHFcImUA&e= <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.flmnh.ufl.edu_herbarium_specimens_zoom_imagezoom-5Fhtml5.asp-3Ffolder-3D240-26image-3D240186a1-23ImageTop&d=CwMGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=f0M-fqxKZZ5yzwldEzLPallEB40O2-xsim-s9B3N_j8&s=tACLtq4K6rV-iEi3Ebcg6T-iMa-TsCOjmGKZhT9s2oE&e=>
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.flmnh.ufl.edu_herbarium_specimens_zoom_imagezoom-5Fhtml5.asp-3Ffolder-3D240-26image-3D240186a2-23ImageTop&d=CwIGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=xPTUIfpG-mFsC9TOvwbbxWtWgBmqXI-2JpvQFCHJAw8&s=8SF-PqsCpTowcS1Eh9d5tWgwbRkVBcNEedPHpL6IgGw&e= <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.flmnh.ufl.edu_herbarium_specimens_zoom_imagezoom-5Fhtml5.asp-3Ffolder-3D240-26image-3D240186a2-23ImageTop&d=CwMGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=f0M-fqxKZZ5yzwldEzLPallEB40O2-xsim-s9B3N_j8&s=WjjV7v9qwncIWshAphP__Ne8seA0Q3cheD6SZLh1a8Y&e=>

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.flmnh.ufl.edu_herbarium_specimens_zoom_imagezoom-5Fhtml5.asp-3Ffolder-3D240-26image-3D240162a1-23ImageTop&d=CwIGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=xPTUIfpG-mFsC9TOvwbbxWtWgBmqXI-2JpvQFCHJAw8&s=jf0a1d3oM2cFTKIVbj3ZFdkWFbr95kumqwPmdDusTpI&e= <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.flmnh.ufl.edu_herbarium_specimens_zoom_imagezoom-5Fhtml5.asp-3Ffolder-3D240-26image-3D240162a1-23ImageTop&d=CwMGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=f0M-fqxKZZ5yzwldEzLPallEB40O2-xsim-s9B3N_j8&s=cbeXfu1Ju0B82CxirZmoDZ8NDkJnsqJ97nGPwzk1kWM&e=>
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.flmnh.ufl.edu_herbarium_specimens_zoom_imagezoom-5Fhtml5.asp-3Ffolder-3D240-26image-3D240162a2-23ImageTop&d=CwIGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=xPTUIfpG-mFsC9TOvwbbxWtWgBmqXI-2JpvQFCHJAw8&s=IbtwUFas7_XOIGs4X2r1DJy4QRbweiQ1GsxK2Gv3Zko&e= <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.flmnh.ufl.edu_herbarium_specimens_zoom_imagezoom-5Fhtml5.asp-3Ffolder-3D240-26image-3D240162a2-23ImageTop&d=CwMGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=f0M-fqxKZZ5yzwldEzLPallEB40O2-xsim-s9B3N_j8&s=2pvjx6CPbtbvXk_yxo-pOP3axl8tM8UTIeVrJ_33uHs&e=>

The specimens in our new exhibit will definitely be sheltered from light.  But, to be safe we are not using any accessioned material.  We are creating “surrogate” specimens or high quality photographs.  In fact, I think the public would be just as pleased with the photos of the specimens as they are with the real thing.

There was an inquiry on this subject some while ago, I think on NHCOLL.  Tim Dickinson (https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.eeb.utoronto.ca_people_d-2Dfaculty_Dickinson.htm&d=CwIGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=xPTUIfpG-mFsC9TOvwbbxWtWgBmqXI-2JpvQFCHJAw8&s=trjpgxe0kteZ0PQ6g_7GvbfEudye6xk7Z4tKYyo-uqQ&e= <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.eeb.utoronto.ca_people_d-2Dfaculty_Dickinson.htm&d=CwMGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=f0M-fqxKZZ5yzwldEzLPallEB40O2-xsim-s9B3N_j8&s=K1Az6OlE1PfI3wBLkReWeAT59S26mW72yhJ664IeWqw&e=>) responded with the following:
----
“The experience of the ROM Green Plant Herbarium is similar to that of others who have replied to this enquiry: herbarium specimens placed on display fade. In our experience, rotating the contents of display cases is usually impractical, and doing so would take away time from more pressing activities. Where they can be mounted a few feet away from a museum visitor, color scans of specimens are almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

My colleague, Deb Metsger, describes how she and her co-workers dealt with this issue in part of a report she made on the ROM's " Life in Crisis: The Schad Gallery of Biodiversity" that opened in 2009. This report was published in the Bulletin of the Canadian Botanical Association, and is available online at https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.cba-2Dabc.ca_Bulletin-5F43-5F3.pdf&d=CwIGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=xPTUIfpG-mFsC9TOvwbbxWtWgBmqXI-2JpvQFCHJAw8&s=DC53u7LFIoQUXD_nw2NJKql8ymxFe-qowf4Mnff11M8&e= <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.cba-2Dabc.ca_Bulletin-5F43-5F3.pdf&d=CwMGaQ&c=-dg2m7zWuuDZ0MUcV7Sdqw&r=CLFZJ3fvGSmDp7xK1dNZfh6uGV_h-8NVlo3fXNoRNzI&m=f0M-fqxKZZ5yzwldEzLPallEB40O2-xsim-s9B3N_j8&s=KgtQNw3Z5-Bfwgi5nHiSLNCa8uc2UnaYHw-l3QuuklE&e=> (p. 12 of the .pdf file, page 60 of the Bulletin). The report describes how the gallery team used scans of herbarium specimens, real plants, and models to convey the diversity of plants to museum visitors, not as backdrops to animal displays, but rather as vital components of diverse ecosystems. It may be of interest to others confronted with similar challenges
---TAD.”
We’ve found that publication to have a lot of helpful hints.
Best wishes,
Kent
---------------------------
Kent D. Perkins, Manager of the Collection
University of Florida Herbarium (FLAS)
Florida Museum of Natural History
379 Dickinson Hall
PO Box 110575
Gainesville, FL  32611-0575
Ph. 352-273-1990
---------------------------
From: HERBARIA [mailto:herbaria-bounces at NACSE.ORG] On Behalf Of Debra Trock
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2017 12:46 PM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu<mailto:nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu>; herbaria at NACSE.ORG<mailto:herbaria at NACSE.ORG>
Subject: [HERBARIA] displaying plants

Does anyone have experience with different ways of preserving/presenting plants for exhibitions?  We are planning an exhibit of California coastal life and a portion of that exhibit will be devoted to plants and algae.  Our exhibits team is asking for advice on interesting ways (besides herbarium sheets, fake plants, or living plants) to preserve plants for exhibition.

I have no experience in this realm, so am open to any ideas or suggestions.

Deb

Dr. Debra Trock
Director of Science Collections
Senior Collections Manager, Botany
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
dtrock at calacadmy.org<mailto:dtrock at calacadmy.org>
PH:  415-379-5363
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