Creating a Simple Pressed Leaf Collection

By Spotting Red Squirrels in Northern Woodland Habitats
Comments 35
14 Sep 2026

Creating a Simple Pressed Leaf Collection

Why Press Leaves at All?

There is something quietly satisfying about opening a book months later and finding a beech leaf you picked up on a blustery October afternoon, still holding its shape and that warm copper colour. Pressing leaves is one of the oldest and simplest nature journaling habits there is. It costs almost nothing, needs no special kit, and produces something you can keep for decades.

It also changes how you walk. Once you start collecting, you begin to notice the difference between a sessile oak and a pedunculate oak, the way field maple turns buttery yellow while sycamore goes a duller brown, and how much variety there is in a single hedgerow. Your eye sharpens, your walks slow down, and you end up with a record of where you were and what you saw.

What to Take on Your Walk

You do not need much, but a little preparation makes all the difference. Leaves bruise and curl quickly, so the sooner they are flat and dry, the better.

A small hardbacked notebook or a few sheets of stiff card, to carry leaves flat between the pages
Blotting paper or plain kitchen paper, to absorb moisture
A pencil, not a pen — pencil survives damp and does not smudge
A small field guide or a phone app for tree identification
A bag or rucksack so your hands stay free on stiles and gates

If you are walking somewhere muddy or wet, pop the collecting card inside a plastic wallet. A soggy leaf will go mouldy rather than press, so keeping things dry from the start saves a lot of trouble later.

Gathering Leaves Wisely

Collect fallen leaves rather than pulling them from living trees. They are already shed, often in superb condition, and you avoid damaging the tree or stripping a hedgerow that wildlife depends on. On protected sites and nature reserves, check local guidance before taking anything at all — many ask you to leave everything where it lies.

Look for leaves that are dry, intact and free of mould, insect holes or heavy spotting. Slightly curled specimens will flatten beautifully; ones that are already brittle and cracking will crumble. Aim to pick up two or three of each type — some will press better than others, and spares are useful if you want to give a page away.

While you are there, note whether the leaves grow in opposite pairs along the twig or alternate. That single detail is one of the most reliable identification clues in the whole of the British countryside, and it is almost impossible to work out once the leaf is loose in a press.

How to Press a Leaf

Classic pressing between newspaper and heavy books works perfectly well. Lay your leaf flat between two sheets of blotting paper or kitchen paper, then sandwich that between pages of newspaper. Place the whole thing under a stack of books, or inside a heavy book with more weight on top.

Change the blotting paper every day for the first three or four days, then every few days after that. This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that decides whether you get a crisp, colourful leaf or a brown, mouldy one. Leaves are typically fully dry in two to three weeks; thicker leaves such as oak or horse chestnut take longer than thin ones like birch or rowan.

A few practical points worth remembering:

Keep the press somewhere airy and out of direct sunlight, which fades colour fast
Do not stack too many leaves in one layer — give each its own paper sandwich
Arrange the leaf as you want it to look now, because repositioning a dry leaf will crack it
If a leaf is damp, blot it gently and leave it an hour before pressing

Recording Species, Place and Date

A pressed leaf on its own is a pretty thing. A pressed leaf with a label is a real record. For each specimen, write three things: the date, the location, and the species.

For the date, the full day, month and year is best. For the location, be as specific as you can manage — the name of the wood or common, the path or ride you were on, and a grid reference if you carry a map. Even something like "east side of the beech hanger, above the old lane" will bring the day back vividly years later. For the species, use the common name plus the scientific name if you know it, for example Pedunculate Oak, Quercus robur. Add a note of anything else you saw: a jay caching acorns, a late red admiral, the first frost of the year.

Loose-leaf paper is ideal, because you can write the notes directly on the sheet that holds the leaf, then mount the whole lot later. Keep the label close to the specimen or write the details on the mounting sheet itself.

Storing and Revisiting Your Collection

Once dry, mount your leaves on acid-free paper or card using thin strips of gummed tape or a few tiny dots of clear glue at the stalk only. A simple ring binder with punched pockets makes a fine nature journal, and it grows easily year after year.

Store the binder somewhere dry and dark, away from damp sheds and sunny windowsills. Then, on some grey January evening, leaf through it. You will find that you remember not just the tree, but the weather, the smell of the wood and exactly who you were walking with. That is the real value of a pressed leaf collection, and it costs nothing but a little patience.

Nature Journal

Safe Beginner Guide to Foraging Wild Garlic

Compare capacity, harness comfort and rain cover options before buying a day pack for long walks through mixed woodland.

Previous Post At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium.

Next Post Dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentiu deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores

5 Comments

Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply
- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

Jenny Watson

Hi! beautiful people. I`m an authtor of this blog. Read our post - stay with us

Instagram

How We Can
Help You!

Learn how bluebells, wood anemones and old coppice stools can reveal the long history of a British woodland.

section heading hidden

Our Latest News

Choosing a Comfortable Day Pack for Woodland Rambles

Reading Ancient Woodland Indicators on a Country Walk

Planning a Spring Bluebell Walk Without Damaging Plants

Contact Us

Article