|
BACPS | Newsletter |
| Winter 2008 |
| Next Meeting: April 5, 2008 |
| January Meeting Minutes | |
| BACPS at the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show | |
| Splinter Hill Bog Campaign | |
| Nepenthes Artwork | |
| BACPS in the News | |
| Bug Day Is April 26 | |
| Treasurer's Report | |
| Help Wanted | |
| Upcoming Events | |
Model of the BACPS booth at the SF Flower & Garden Show |
Date and Time: April 5, 2008, 12 noon to 4 p.m.
Location: University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley
Program: Joe Mazrimas on Bogging the Panhandle of Florida
About 11 years ago Larry and I were invited to go bogging with Don Schnell. With my trusty GPS and camcorder I was happy to record 14 sites from Mississippi and Alabama to northern Florida over several days. We found many species of Drosera, Sarracenia, Pinguicula, and Utricularia along the way. Many complex hybrids of Sarracenia also were recorded. Unfortunately, many of the sites you will see do not exist today because of extensive draining and planting of Tupelo pines, which are used to make paper pulp. Some ponds dried up in the recent droughts that plagued this area. So for the half the film you will be viewing the history of where our favorite plants used to prosper. This part takes about 50 minutes to see. After a break, I also have on the DVD the collection of carnivorous plants that the Atlanta Botanical Garden is growing. This is followed by a short trip to North Carolina coast to see more plants growing in the Green Swamp.
by Doris Quick
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Acting President Larry Logoteta called the meeting to order at 12:45. Larry welcomed members and visitors.
There were four new members in attendance.
Betsy Mason from the Tribune Group was there, with her photographer, to do an article on our meeting.
[Editor's note: See the article at www.contracostatimes.com/ci_8281377]
Annual Show and Sale: Larry reported that there are no useable dates available at the Lakeside Park Garden Center for June. The next available date was July 5. It was agreed that this date would not work out. Larry and Joe Mazrimas will contact the people at the Garden Center regarding dates in July or August and also to confirm that we are members and entitled to a lower rental fee. Larry asked Doris Quick to, when she gets the new dates, contact our vendors and make sure there are no major conflicts.
New President: Larry announced that Bill Weaver has agreed to take over the office of President for the rest of this term.
Comments: Larry reminded everyone to bring plants for the raffles and auctions held after the meetings. Larry thanked Stephen Davis for all of his work in the past three years as club President. Larry recommended the book American Pitcher Plants by McPherson as an excellent resource.
S.F. Plant and Garden Show March 12-16: Doris and Stephen discussed their mockup for the booth in the Sprouts (kids) section of the show. They are planning on having VFTs available in flats for kids to pot up and take home, and pictures to color, as well as information about the club, plant care, etc. A member had given Stephen a lead on where we can acquire plants for a dollar each. The show will provide $250 for supplies. There was a vote in favor of using club funds to pay for the balance.
The following is needed from members:
Upcoming Dates: Out next meeting will be Saturday, April 5. The Fall meeting will be Saturday, Nov 15.
Speaker: Larry introduced our speaker, Bill Weaver, who has been raising CPs for over thirty years. Bill presented a terrific slide show and talk about his trip to Asia for the "2007 Sarawak Nepenthes Summit." There were some nice photos of the displays at the summit. Most of the slides were from the side trips Bill and fellow attendees took. Many of the trails would be daunting for a mountain goat. In fact the word "trail" was a gross exaggeration in many instances. In addition to the fantastic shots of Nepenthes, Bill had pics of the local fauna, accommodations, and produce in the markets. He really shared the whole experience with us. It was an excellent presentation.
[Bill's Borneo slide show: flickr.com/photos/bill_weaver/sets/72157604166031403/]
After the talk, Larry adjourned the meeting and the raffle and auction were held.
by Doris Quick
The BACPS booth at the S.F. Plant and Garden Show was a resounding success. It's quite possible that they'll want us back again next year.
For those of you who missed it, we were in the Sproutopia (kids) area. We
had the new club banner and some wonderful poster-size prints of pictures
taken by club members across the back of the booth. In front of that were
display plants, one lonely frog tucked in a Sarracenia pot, and Lindsay
Davis's VFT science project boards. On either side of the booth were tables
for coloring pictures of CPs or potting up VFTs for the kids to take home.
We also sent larger plants home free with teachers. Across the front of the
booth were the two giant CP models loaned to us by the Conservatory of Flowers,
flanking a beautiful bog created in a half barrel by Stephen and Judith.
These really drew people to our booth.
We gave away over six hundred VFTs and hundreds of informational flyers. There were as many adults in the booth asking questions as there were children. We should be seeing some new members soon. Everyone I spoke with who took a shift in the booth really enjoyed it.... I know I did. (It's such fun to be able to talk about your hobby with people who are interested and excited to get information, instead of standing there with their eyes glazed over, wondering if you shouldn't be getting out more.)
And we got to attend the whole show for free. One of the perks that came with doing the setup was that Stephen was able to take some beautiful pictures of the display gardens with no one in front of them.
[Stephen's photos can be seen at
sundew.smugmug.com/gallery/4499761_XZxiU/1/264905135_RgaKq
Bill Weaver's photos are at
flickr.com/photos/bill_weaver/sets/72157604161355681/]
Lisa Quinn of ABC 7 News did a nice interview of Stephen Davis in our booth. She was really excited about carnivorous plants, and the film team had a great time. They got a neat shot of a fly that had been caught in a recently opened Sarracenia pitcher, although it looks like that ended up on the cutting room floor. The coverage was great as we had many, many people come in asking about the "gnat catchers" and saying they saw us on TV. We certainly had more kids than we expected.
Now we come to the Thank Yous.
When I inadvertently became a chairman for the booth, I was really nervous (read panicked). Stephen said he was committed to making the booth a success, and a team was born. He really was the architect of the whole project and the optimist of the team. When it got closer and closer to the show and the sign-up list was still woefully sparse, he said the members would come through, and they did.
We wish to thank all of the volunteers who helped staff the BACPS booth.
Special thanks are due to:
I wish to thank the academy, my mom...............
If I forgot anyone, I apologize. It was a real group effort, and you all made it a success.
by Barry Rice
I have very exciting news.
Have you ever heard of Splinter Hill Bog, in southern Alabama? This site is owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and is home to one of the largest remaining intact stands of Sarracenia leucophylla in the world. It is also home to many other carnivorous plant species, including Sarracenia rosea, S. psittacina, S. flava, S. rubra, Drosera capillaris, D. intermedia, D. filiformis, Pinguicula lutea, P. planifolia, and various species of Utricularia. In short, it is a carnivorous plant wonderland! You can learn more about the site at:
www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/alabama/preserves/art12813.html
Because of the value of this site, the International Carnivorous Plant Society (ICPS) has helped support management activities at Splinter Hill Bog since 2005; to date ICPS conservation grants have totaled $5500 at this important place.
So you can imagine how thrilled the ICPS was to hear that TNC is embarking upon a campaign to enlarge the landholdings in the Splinter Hill Bog Preserve by buying a crucial 40 acres. This will add land that includes yet more pitcher plant bogs, pinelands consisting of slash and longleaf flatwoods, and even a small stream site.
I am proud to announce that the International Carnivorous Plant Society is helping raise critical funds for the purchase of this site. The ICPS has pledged $2000 in matching funds for donations from the ICPS membership. For every $2 that you donate, the ICPS will add $1 of these matching funds to your donation. If this fundraising is successful, together we will be able to add $6000 to the purchase of this area!
If, like me, you think this is an important site that should be enlarged, please send your checks (payable in $US to "International Carnivorous Plant Society") to:
International Carnivorous Plant Society
Att: Splinter Hill Bog Campaign
P.O. Box 72741
Davis, CA 95617 USA
You can also donate electronically by pointing your web browser to:
and click on the "Donate Now" tab on the left.
If you wish to send your donations directly to TNC (such donations will not be matched by International Carnivorous Plant Society), send your checks to:
The Nature Conservancy
Att: Splinter Hill Bog Campaign
2100 1st Avenue North, Suite 500
Birmingham, AL 35203 USA
Incidentally, money being donated to Splinter Hill Bog Campaign will be added to money raised In Memoriam for George (Robert) Folkerts, who recently passed on:
www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/alabama/misc/index.html
by Arlynn Bloom
Dear Bay Area Carnivorous Plant Society,
My name is Arlynn Bloom. I am a Bay Area award-winning watercolor artist. I saw the article about your society in the Contra Costa Times. I thought you might be interested in one of my original paintings, entitled Nepenthes. I also have limited edition prints of this painting. I was wondering if you might be able to use this to promote or raise money for your society. Here is an image of the painting. Please contact me for further information.
My website is www.arlynnbloom.com, if you would like to read about my work.
by Stephen Davis
One of the best ways to share our hobby with as many people as possible and to get the word out that carnivorous plants are cool and fun, is with the press. Newspaper, TV, or radio, it's all good. I spent quite a while trying to get us in some of these media over the last few years and have to admit, it is hard. However, we have had some great success in the Bay Area over the last couple of years.
The BBC contacted me a little over a year ago wanting to do a segment that would film during the Chelsea Flower Show 2007 held in the UK. If you have not heard of it, the Chelsea Flower Show is one of the biggest and probably best known in the world. The BBC runs about three hours of TV programing each day the show is running. I got the BBC in touch with our own Harry Tryon who lives near Gasquet in the midst of Darlingtonia country. You can even see some growing near the river from his balcony, although it helps to have binoculars. You can see the interview on YouTube. The person who did the interview was Charlie Dimmock, a wonderful woman who built the pond industry in the UK. You can see her in her own show on BBC America called "Ground Force."
I've worked for newspapers for four years now and only recently was I able to get a writer interested in doing a carnivorous plant article. It was worth the wait! Betsy Mason did a huge article that hit the front page of all the East Bay and Contra Costa papers, plus the front page of the living section in the Monterey Herald. They also did a video of us online. The video they took at the meeting is here.
At the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show I was interviewed by Lisa Quinn from ABC 7 News. It was supposed to be a four-minute segment, but we ended up with about two. It was really fast, and we tried to cover as much ground as we could. You can see the interview on ABC 7 here. Not a perfect interview. Some day I hope to be as good as Joe Mazrimas and Peter D'Amato at this. Lisa was great and might come and do a segment on my garden this spring. You can see the carnivorous plant portion of my garden at www.eaglesroost.net.
I have also done "Pat Kite's Garden," which is a public cable TV show in the Fremont area. Lots of fun. My daughter did it with me one year. This is going to be Pat's last year doing it. It's not online yet. I am going to speak to them and see if we can't put 30-minute shows online.
Along with "CHOMP!" at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, carnivorous plants have been getting some great press in the Bay Area and elsewhere. If you go the the BACPS forum (you must be a registered BACPS member and register again on the forum), you will find regular updates to news articles from around the world, often with people you know, such as Bob Ziemer and Peter D'Amato.
by Tony Gridley
Bug Day, the Randall Museum in San Francisco's yearly celebration of insects,
comes this year on Saturday, April 26 from 10 to 2, and once again we've been invited to participate.
As usual, there will be lots of bugs, bug costumes, bug songs, bug races, fried bugs in sauce on little crackers, composting bugs, beekeepers, many more insectivorous activities, and, we hope, some carnivorous plants. I've been one of the BACPS volunteers the past couple of years, and we are always wildly popular, with maybe 1500 enthusiastic kids and parents parading by our table in the course of four hours.
We're looking for volunteers to man the booth, a nice range of plants to illustrate the world of CP, and some plants to sell or maybe give away, depending on what we get. I myself don't have quite as many plants this year as last year. All I'll say about this is that going birdwatching in southern Mexico for five weeks and leaving your plants to fend for themselves is not for the faint of heart. I'll do my best, but a few more volunteers would be great, and you'll have a great time, guaranteed. I'm coordinating our participation this year, so please e-mail me at tgridley@comcast.net if you want to help. If you don't want to man the BACPS booth, bring your kids and have a great time anyway.
Pictures of last year's event were in our September bulletin. A complete guide to the Randall Museum, directions, etc., can be found at the Randall's website.
by Joe Mazrimas
| BACPS TREASURY REPORT 1-26-2008 | |||
| ASSETS | DEBIT | BALANCE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raffle | $55.00 | ||
| Auction | $25.00 | ||
| Sellers | $10.00 | ||
| TOTAL | $90.00 | ||
| Garden Center rental | $700.00 | ||
| Raffle tickets | $8.00 | ||
| BACPS sign | $163.13 | ||
| Dionaea plants | $343.00 | ||
| Cow Palace Misc. | $58.51 | ||
| TOTAL | $1,272.64 | ||
| Current Balance (01-26-08) | ($1,182.64) | ||
| Previous Balance (11-17-07) | $3,554.91 | ||
| TOTAL | $2,372.27 |
by Mickey Urdea
I've become so darn busy that I'm having a tough time doing much beyond watering in my greenhouses. I'm trying to find someone who can come by once every day or two (I live in Alamo between Walnut Creek and Danville), spend one to three hours doing everything from watering to fertilizing, transplanting, weeding, documenting plants, some propagation, etc. You know the drill. I will train the person and pay them well.
Please contact me at MickeyUrdea@aol.com.
April 5, 2008: BACPS meeting,
University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley
April 26, 2008: Bug Day at the Randall Museum in San Francisco
August 16, 2008: BACPS Annual Show and Sale, Lakeside Park Garden Center, Oakland
September 25-28, 2008: ICPS Conference, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney, Australia
November 15, 2008: Fall BACPS meeting,
University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley
San Francisco Flower & Garden Show photos -- Stephen Davis; other photos -- Tony Gridley
The BACPS Newsletter is a quarterly publication produced by the Bay Area Carnivorous Plant Society. Please send newsletter submissions to Tony Gridley (tgridley@comcast.net). For more information on membership, subscriptions, or events, please visit our website: www.bacps.org.