From Trail to Press: Flower and Leaf Workshop

The flora on NTU campus is abundant, filled with trees and shrubs of great diversity. Plants may not be the most charismatic when compared to animals and insects that are often more attractive to others. However, many tend to forget that these flora are what sustains the animals and insects that thrive on the campus. The workshop’s goal was to hopefully allow participants to understand the roles of the different plants on the campus and that even trees grown for ornamental purposes in Yunnan Garden, provides ecosystem services that we may take for granted. Thus, we organised a guided walk session at Yunnan Garden to introduce various plants there.

Moreover, NTU Biodiversity Week Team wanted to rekindle the art of flower and leaf pressing that have been practiced over centuries by different cultures. Through rekindling interest in this art form, we hope that participants are able to forge meaningful connections with the flora on campus, being more appreciative and curious about the stories behind the aesthetic flowers that they see around campus and just in nature generally.

Through the workshop, we were able to educate the participants on some plant identification basics, major groups of plants, and highlight some of the species that they are able to spot on the campus! We were also able to provide them with hands-on experience in creating crafts with pressed flowers and leaves, while introducing pressing methods in hopes that they will continue this hobby!