InsectNet forum

Cornell recently received a huge lot of "papered" specimens, field stored as shown:



These are made from five pieces of semi-glossy paper, with tape for hinges, and batting. Cheap, and easy. And, many of these small envelopes will fit into a drawer or tupperware. Another plus, as opposed to standard envelopes is that the body isn't squished, and the wings are already horizontal.

Yes, there are some drawbacks, but those I looked at hadn't removed much from the upper surface of the wings- it was negligible.

Each envelope is number, which is entered into a log book.

Strikes me as a great way to field pack specimens for later relaxing and setting.

When I've been on collecting trips with Russians in the past, they've usually used this method of storage, usually for butterflies with wings folded. It works very well!

bobw wrote: ↑Wed May 31, 2023 2:15 pm When I've been on collecting trips with Russians in the past, they've usually used this method of storage, usually for butterflies with wings folded. It works very well!

A considerable volume of the specimens I have received from Ukraine and Russia have been packaged in this manner. The ones I received used one larger cut paper rather than 5 sheets taped. They also have a loose glassine paper on top of the specimens. It works remarkably well!

Chuck wrote: ↑Wed May 31, 2023 2:02 pm Each envelope is number, which is entered into a log book.

Strikes me as a great way to field pack specimens for later relaxing and setting.

Great, until the log book accidentally gets lost. It's best to write the data on one of the flaps. You can reuse the same packet another trip just by crossing out the old data and writing the new data below it.

Adam.

Here's a photo of a Russian field collected 'flat'.
As you can see it is made from a single sheet of (in this case) newspaper, with the corners cut out and a thin layer of cotton wool on which the specimens are placed.

Adam.

Wow, that is amazing and quite innovative at the same time !

Thank you for showing us Adam !

It definitely beats standard envelopes - especially since the upper surface of the wings isn't compromised and the body stays nice and intact. It's super convenient too - I can see why the log book is necessary to keep everything organized. Cost-effective and efficient!