A pea flower has three parts: banner, wings and keel, all on different planes. Put a few flowers face-on and a few in profile on the same sheet and let the arrangement show the structure. Be warned that the yellow is fugitive — golden banner browns more than almost anything else I press, and a specimen mounted in July will be duller by the following spring.

Press within the hour. Harebells begin to curl almost as soon as they're cut, and a wilted bell won't recover under weight. Lay it in profile rather than face-on — pressed head-down, the bell collapses into a shapeless disc; pressed on its side, it keeps the flared shape that makes it recognizable. Expect the purple to shift toward grey or white. Changing the paper after two days can help keep the purple color longer. Warmth and weight slow that down. Nothing stops it.

The most reliable color I press. The red isn't in the petals at all — it's in the bracts, which are structural and hold pigment for years. Thought Foothill Paintbrush is more reliable than other species. The head is dense, so give it extra time and change the blotting paper twice in the first week. Leave the roots in the ground. Paintbrush is partly parasitic on the roots of its neighbors, and pulling one takes more than the plant in your hand.