Multiple dates vs date ranges

[mossysal]

We seem to be recording multiple date collections esp for Salices, as date ranges. This creates problems when searching. Should these not be documented as two (or more) separate dates? The first one I looked at - one of Tom's - was the latter way. Makes sense, but I have been doing it wrong, as have most others.

[Tom Humphrey]

In general I think multiple single dates are preferable - as you note it makes searching work more reliably, but mostly I don't think that it's worth going back to alter records from ranges to separate dates.

Part of the confusion may have occurred because originally it wasn't possible to record multiple single dates and many Salix records from MANCH where documented quite early on.

[hallucigenia]

I found this interesting, I thought about this long ago and the way I think of it is this;
If the date are close at most 5-6 months,
and the site is the 'same' as covered by say a village or park,
and the specimen is buds/flowers- seeds/leaves then I count it as one specimen, even if it came from different plants.
As it serves to illustrate a 'growth' period.
However, if the specimens are from different years/places/collectors etc. then I treat them as individual specimens.