|
BACPS | Newsletter |
| Spring 2010 |
Editor's Note: All photos in this issue, except the CHOMP! banners, were taken at the 2010 Show and Sale.
by Peter D'Amato
Date: Saturday, July 31, 2010
Time: 10 am-4 pm
Place: California Carnivores, Sebastopol
Program: Dr. Larry Mellichamp
California Carnivores will host our third annual pot-luck pig-fest
party at the nursery on Saturday, July 31. We will be open 10 am to 4
pm. The BACPS will provide sodas and water. Please bring some food and snacks to share!
Our guest speaker will be Dr. Larry Mellichamp from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Larry was an editor of CPN for many years and is one of the foremost Sarracenia specialists in the world, having published many articles and encyclopedia entries for several decades. I have attended some of Larry's talks and slide shows in the past and can tell you Larry is full of incredible information about CP, has a great sense of humor (his jokes about the South are legendary!), and is a fun guy to go on field trips with!
Since slide shows are impossible in the greenhouse, Larry will be using live plants from our collection as well as some plants he may bring with him to have a casual chit-chat about carnivorous plants in general and Sarracenia more specifically. Last year he published in CPN several S. leucophylla × rubra hybrids known from the wild and gave them all cultivar status. These plants in the past were all known as S. × readii. This hybrid can be challenging to identify, so Larry suggests guests bring these and other hybrids of dubious identification, and he will try his best to identify them! (At California Carnivores we have many we hope he can tell us about!) Larry also produced many cultivars in the past, such as S. × 'Dixie Lace.' Larry can also update us on the famous controversies between himself, Don Schnell, and Fred Case as to the species/subspecies identification of such plants as S. alabamensis (or rubra ssp. alabamensis?), S. jonesii (or rubra ssp. jonesii?) and several other confusing plants! Please, no fist fights!
We hope all BACPS members can join us!
by Doris Quick
If you missed the annual show and sale, you missed a great time. Despite
the fact that this year's strange weather had a negative effect on many of our
plants, there were plenty of beautiful plants
in the show. Congratulations to the winners, and to all of you enthusiasts
who brought your plants in for us to see and enjoy. They all looked like
winners to me. The art category really brought out the creativity in our
members. The blue ribbon went to Jack Thompson, whose stained glass panel took a
year of work to finish. All of the entries in this category were outstanding.
Glad I didn't have to pick the winner.
Our vendors brought in a fantastic collection of plants and merchandise. I
was certainly kept busy at the plant hotel.
There was a large turnout. Many new faces were there this year. I am told that Stephen Davis was able to send targeted information about the show via Facebook to CP enthusiasts in the area. It must have worked, because the place was busy right up to the end, and all of our vendors seemed happy at the end of the day. Thanks, Stephen, for the added publicity.
I have several other folks to thank as well: Josh Brown, Chuck Rambo, and Scott Hollingsworth were all there to help me with the morning setup. Paul Bourbin wasn't able to make the show, but he made sure we had a PA system. Dory Taylor put his nautical rope skills to good use on our club banner, which he put out front for us and took down at the end of the day. I believe this is the first time it stayed put all day. Judith Finn came in to help with clean up. Stephen and Marla Davis, Josh, and Mitchell also helped out. It was great having so many people to help with these tasks this year.
Thank you to all the folks who worked so hard during the show: Bill was
master of ceremonies again. Larry and Joe manned the front table. Christina
took care of entry registration, along with her trusty sidekick, Tony. Tony
was our photographer. Our judges were Josh Brown, Mitchell Davis and
Damon Collingsworth, assisted by our scribes, Margaret Boomer and
Michael Drabinsky.
Thanks to all of you who donated plants for the auction and raffle table, especially our vendors who came through when the donations turned out to be a bit light this year.
Our vendors deserve a big thank-you from all the members. Not only did they make all of us club members very happy, they were a big draw for the public. A great many of our returning and new guests were there to buy plants, and they all seemed quite pleased with their purchases. So thanks again to Katie Taylor, Mike Wang, Steve Sykes, Mitchell Davis, Phil Faulisi, Damon Collingsworth for California Carnivores, Stephen Davis, Josh Brown, The Boomers, and Lois Ochs and all of their helpers. They schlepped all those plants to the show and did a great job of cleaning up after themselves before they all left. We couldn't do it without you all.
I know I've forgotten someone. It's not because you aren't truly appreciated!
One of our show visitors, Edgar Ortega, is quite a photographer. He posted several photos on our Facebook page and on the Forum. They are really artistic. If you aren't in the habit of checking these sites out, Edgar's beautiful photos are worth your time.
If you didn't enter a plant this year, please plan on it for next year. I know it sounds trite, but it really isn't all about winning. It's a great opportunity to show off your favorite plants to an audience that thinks they're really cool. How often does that happen? And, you never know, this could be the time that guy who always wins has a bad year or can't make it. When I saw all the fantastic Sarracenia plants, I was pretty sure I was out of the running, but my flava took third with just two trumpets on it. Think positive, and plan on next year!!
Best of Show |
||
| 1st | Heliamphora neblinae | Scott Hollingsworth |
| 2nd | Nepenthes ephippiata | Dana Gardner |
| 3rd | Stained glass S. flava rugelii | Jack Thompson |
Venus Flytrap (Dionaea) | ||
| 1st | Dionaea muscipula | Tony Gridley |
Sundew
| ||
| 1st | Drosera binata | Bill Weaver |
| 2nd | Drosera regia | Matt Beyers |
| 3rd | Drosera paradoxa | Stephen Davis |
Butterwort (Pinguicula) | ||
| 1st | Pinguicula esseriana | Stephen Davis |
| 2nd | Pinguicula gypsicola × moctezumae | Tony Gridley |
| 3rd | Pinguicula unknown hybrid | Stephen Davis |
American Pitcher (Sarracenia) | ||
| 1st | Sarracenia × catesbaei | Stephen Davis |
| 2nd | Sarracenia 'Royal Ruby' | Stephen Davis |
| 3rd | Sarracenia flava | Doris Quick |
Asian Pitcher (Nepenthes) | ||
| 1st | Nepenthes ephippiata | Dana Gardner |
| 2nd | Nepenthes maxima × bongso | Mike Ross |
| 3rd | Nepenthes spectabilis × thorelii × aristolochioides | Max Schaefer |
Other Pitcher
| ||
| 1st | Heliamphora neblinae | Scott Hollingsworth |
| 2nd | Heliamphora folliculata | Scott Hollingsworth |
| 3rd | Cephalotus follicularis 'Large Form' | Mark Montgomery |
Aquatic
| ||
| 1st | Utricularia graminifolia | Jonathan Pham |
| 2nd | Utricularia blanchetii | Tony Gridley |
| 3rd | Utricularia reniformis | Lois Ochs |
Arrangement
| ||
| 1st | Cephalotus and Drosera | Axel Bostrom |
| 2nd | Drosera indica, capensis, madagascariensis | Matt Byers |
| 3rd | Drosera, Dionaea | Stephen Davis |
Art Work | ||
| 1st | Stained glass Sarracenia flava rugelii | Jack Thompson |
| 2nd | Photos of Aldrovanda, Genlisea, Nepenthes, Utricularia | Scott Hollingsworth |
| 3rd | Watercolor of Sarracenia purpurea | Dana Gardner |
by Ken Collins
BACPS is now on the social networking site Facebook! Joining the BACPS Fan Page is a great way to stay up to date on carnivorous plant events in the Bay Area and exchange with other members online. Got a great plant photo or got a burning CP question? Share it with others on our Facebook page.
BACPS volunteer Stephen Davis will be the lead administrator for the Fan Page. Stop by and say hello!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Manteca-CA/Bay-Area-Carnivorous-Plant-Society-BACPS/305020542305
by Judith Finn
Date: April 10, 2010
Location: University of California Botanical Garden
Attendance: ~80 people
Bill Weaver, club president, presided.
Stephen Davis talked about the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show . This is the second year we have participated at the San Mateo site in the children's section, "Sproutopia". Katie Taylor and Stephen Davis co-chaired the exhibit. Some people donated different carnivorous plants for display, the highlight being Stephen's terrarium. It is not only an attractive way to present the plants but it keeps the plants happily humid and away from fingers. Please consider making or lending a terrarium next year. We had drawings of plants to color and flats of VFT and sundews for the kids to pot up. These were a big hit, but we ran out early on Sunday. Please consider growing some flats of easy carnivores for the kids next year. It really helps with our mission to educate the public and, after all, everyone has their story about their first Venus flytrap that they loved to death. The S.F. Conservatory of Flowers once again loaned us their large models of VFT and Heliamphora. Special thanks to Katie and Dory Taylor for all their work and for schlepping things. (Stephen's whole family thankfully sets up before and cleans up after these great events.)
Doris Quick reminded everyone about the big Annual Carnivorous Plant Show held at Lakeside Garden Center at Lake Merritt in Oakland on June 19. She needs people for set up and clean up. Please arrive at 8:30 a.m. to help. We also need someone to be "Resident Expert" and "Plant Doctor" to answer people's questions. We also need someone to volunteer to help with photographing the plant entries and to help label the photos with the correct name.
April 17 is Bug Day at the Randall Museum. This yearly event is always in need of volunteers and plants to show at the popular children's event. [Editor's note: Bug Day was a great success once again, thanks to Margaret Boomer and Katie and Dory Taylor. Katie brought bugs and a way-cool tarantula skin, which was a big hit with the kids. Our audience was very sophisticated this year due to the Life series on the Discovery Channel.]
The North American Sarracenia Conservancy is having an auction April 24-May 8. For more info look at nasarracenia.org.
Lau Hodges, special events director at the S.F. Conservatory of Flowers,
spoke about the new carnivorous plant exhibit called CHOMP! 2, which will run
from May 7 to October 31. The first CHOMP! in 2007 was a huge crowd-pleaser.
Peter D'Amato once again came through with a large donation of plants for
the exhibit. Erika Frank, docent and volunteer coordinator, asked for volunteers to
help with the Fly Trap Theater, which is an educational table in the display
room where people can see plants dissected and have their questions
answered. She is asking for volunteers for two shifts -- 11:30 and 2:30 (no
Mondays). The two training sessions will be on April 28th at the Conservatory and May 10
at California Carnivores. The exhibit will consist of several different bogs which highlight different
geographic areas.
Barry Rice worked for The Nature Conservancy for 11 years. He was editor for many years of the International Carnivorous Plant Society's journal, Carnivorous Plant Newsletter. He founded the ICPS's conservation program, and as its director spearheaded cooperative efforts to save natural sites of endangered Sarracenia. He has been a key carnivorous plant horticulturist at the University of California (Davis) Botanical Conservatory, a renowned photographer, and now astronomy professor.
Barry is known for his sense of humor and witty presentations. He began his talk by ribbing Fernando Rivadavia with "Living Large the Rivadavia Way." He then showed several times a February article in the Smithsonian magazine that quoted him. Barry also published a booklet this year with Scholastic Book Club, a 32-page presentation of weird plants. You can check out his blog at monsterplantsmonsterlife.blogspot.com.
He divided his talk into geographic areas, beginning with Eastern
Australia. Carnivorous plant book author Robert Gibson joined him in his
trek. On trips led by Phill Mann, David Banks accompanied him to see Drosera
glanduligera growing on bare rock, wood, and all sorts of media. This
annual has a metallic orange flower and an ability to flex its tenacles to
quickly transport insects to the middle of the plant. He showed photos of
Drosera rosulata (red and green) with some bare
of glands and Utricularia multifida with flowers varying in color -- white, pink
and red with different indentations. Tiny Utricularia multifida filled vernal
pools (flooded fields). In Perth, they saw
Drosera stolonifera, D. platypoda, and D. gigantea, which was very tall and
woody, thick and dense like a bush. He showed a photo of a Western
Rosella -- a parrot-like bird with red, green and blue coloration.
Barry showed us Cephalotus follicularis at Southern Sea Beach on a cliff dripping with water.
There were three sites that showed plants growing on flat sandy moist areas. There was a picture of
Drosera sulphurea with its very yellow flowers and D. huegelii with its
bell-shaped nodding foliage. A picture of some Utricularia menziesii showed its
red and green leaves and orange and red flowers. The famed Alan Lowrie
joined him on a trip to see Byblis gigantea, which they found growing in
standing water and also covered in sand.
Next, Barry showed us some plants from a trip to South Carolina. These included Pinguicula caerulea, P. pumila, Drosera capillaris, D. filiformis, D. intermedia, Utricularia subulata, and the famous Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula). He showed us that in the western part of North and South Carolina these plants grow on exposed rock called balds, escarpments, and slippery cataract bogs. He showed us Sarracenia purpurea subsp. venosa var. montana, Drosera rotundifolia, and Utricularia cornuta.
The next trip was to the panhandle of Florida accompanied by Bob McMorris and Jim Miller to see limestone sinkholes filled with pure water. In them, they spotted Drosera filiformis. There were Pinguicula primuliflora growing on logs floating in water. In Apalachicola they found Sarracenia psitticina and Pinguicula planifolia growing underwater. There were crayfish around that may have a connection with the plants. There is quite a variation in the petal shape and color of the butterwort's flowers. Next, Barry showed us photos of Pinguicula lutea and P. ionantha growing in very dry, and very wet conditions, respectively.
Last but not least, California was the next destination.
Butterfly Valley is a favorite site for people to visit, to see Darlingtonia californica.
But there are many other sites within 10 km of Butterfuly Valley, too. Barry's next
research project this summer is to use Google Earth to help locate some of
these places.
As always, Barry's excellent photos and witty dialog made for a great presentation. It was nice to have such a large group to enjoy the lecture.
Stylidium debile -- Gil brought in this attractive trigger plant which, although not carnivorous, has a mechanism by which its flowers will shoot out pollen when touched by a pollinator. Barry Rice also brought in a large pot containing several different species of Stylidium. They varied greatly in appearance. They are grown in full sunlight.
Nepenthes sp. Longkawii -- Max Schaefer collected and grew this plant from seed. It was growing at 700m.
Nepenthes veitchii × boschiana -- Max Schaefer also brought this Nepenthes with its impressive-sized pitchers.
Drosera sp. in tiki-head container -- Ken Collins brought this amusing display of sundews.
Sarracenia oreophila, Sand Mt. clone, S. purpurea subsp. venosa var. montana -- Christopher Lew brought these two plants that nicely illustrated Barry Rice's talk.
Nepenthes platychila -- Max Schaefer offered this very rare plant.
N. maxima 'mimi' -- a tiny maxima that came from 1600m (Max)
N. (eymae × veitchii) × N. lowii × (spathulata × maxima) (Max)
N. boschiana (Max)
N. veitchii × lowii
N. rajah -- Tom Kahl generously donated this king of the Nepenthes.
Biblis gigantea -- Albert Huntington
Joe Mazrimas and Larry Logoteta managed the raffle for Michael Drabinsky.
5 Pinguicula gypsicola × moctezumae
2 P. gigantea
5 P. cyclosecta
1 Sarracenia rubra subsp. wherryi
3 S. alata
2 S. 'Scarlet Belle'
2 Cephalotus follicularis
2 Stylidium debile
1 Nepenthes rafflesiana
1 N. truncata
6 Darlingtonia californica
2 Dionaea muscipula 'B52'
1 VFT 'Big Jaws'
1 VFT 'All Red'
1 Utricularia dichotoma
Josh Brown of "Predatory Plants"
Peter D'Amato of "California Carnivores"
We want to thank all of the above for participating by bringing in their plants for show, raffle, or auction. The presence of such a wonderful selection of plants makes our meetings far more exciting. It is also wonderful, especially for new members, to find out about cultivation and get the opportunity to obtain plants.
by Tony Gridley
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by Joe Mazrimas
| BACPS TREASURY REPORT April 4, 2010 | |||
| ASSETS | DEBIT | BALANCE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auction | $149.00 | ||
| Raffle | $275.00 | ||
| Sellers | $112.00 | ||
| Sprout. | $250.00 | ||
| TOTAL | $786.00 | ||
| UC-Fund | $56.00 | ||
| Auction refund | $30.00 | ||
| Current Balance (04-10-2010) | $700.00 | ||
| Previous Balance (01-09-2010) | $5492.72 | ||
| TOTAL | $6192.72 | ||
| BACPS TREASURY REPORT June 19, 2010 | |||
| ASSETS | DEBIT | BALANCE | |
| Auction | $33.00 | ||
| Raffle | $80.00 | ||
| Sellers | $602.00 | ||
| TOTAL | $715.00 | ||
| Current Balance (06-19-2010) | $715.00 | ||
| Previous Balance (04-10-2010) | $6192.72 | ||
| TOTAL | $6907.72 |
May 7-October 31, 2010: CHOMP! 2, San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park.
CHOMP! 2 special events:
All 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.
