Wednesday, October 16, 2024 The program was given by Cari
Powell -- “ Flora of Bosque del
Apache: A tour of the Desert Arboretum and the Pollinator Habitat
Enhancement Project”. Join Cari Powell with Friends of
Bosque del Apache on a tour of the Desert Arboretum and the Pollinator
Habitat Enhancement Project at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife
Refuge located in San Antonio, NM. Learn about the native cacti,
flowers, shrubs and trees at both sites as well as how you can be
involved with these volunteer powered projects!
Saturday, August 31 & Sunday, September
1, 2024 - Labor Day Show at the Albuquerque
Botanic Garden. Pictures
from this show are available.
Wednesday, August 21, 2024 - Rebecca
Stoneman-Washee talked about "The Desert Grocery Store".
It explored indigenous uses of desert plants, primarily cacti and
succulents, in the past and present.
Wednesday, June 19, 2024 - The program for
this month was be given by Rob Romero with the title "Wandering
around Central New Mexico".
After moving back to NM from Tucson AZ, Rob made it a point to revisit
many old favorite habitats and explore new ones too.
This presentation focused on some of the more interesting locations
and the cacti that one can find in these places. Central NM is a great
place for cactophiles to see many interesting species in habitat.
Saturday, May 11th, 2024 from
1 p.m. to 4 p.m - The Cactus & Succulent Society of New
Mexicoheld a garden tour. One could visit 4 gardens to get some
ideas how you can add colorful flowering plants to your garden using
plants that need only a little water above rainfall. All of these
gardens have quite different plants.
Saturday and Sunday, April 13 and 14, 2024 - Spring Show and
Sale at the Albuquerque Garden Center.
Pictures of past events may be found at this link.
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 - The program this month
featured 2 giants in the succulent world, 2 men from South Africa.
Adam Harrower - "The miniature world of the
Knersvlakte, South Africa"
Adam is from Cape Town where he is the succulent curator at Kirstenbosch
Botanical Garden. It is one of the premier botanical gardens in the
world where a lot of research has been conducted.Karel DuToit - "Richtersveld - The Spectacular
Wilderness"
Karel is from Springbok, is a commander of the endangered species
unit of the South African Police Force. Karel became interested in
the native succulents of his region and now conducts more field work
than just about anyone. He spends a lot of time working cases and
trying to catch people collecting wild plants to export for sale. In
the past few years, there has been an epidemic of plant poaching to
send overseas for sale. Karel talked a bit about the poaching and
police work but mostly about all the beautiful plants he has seen in
nature.
Wednesday, February 28,
2024 - Horticultural Discussion!
Our program was a free-for-all question and answer session about
growing cacti and succulents.
Topics included pest control, fertilizer, watering issues, outdoor
gardens, cold frames, soil mixes, etc....
Panelists include Steven Brack, Ralph Peters, Rob Romero, & Greg
Smith (and others)Wednesday, January 17, 2024 - Our speaker
was Gretchen Ward. She talked about Christmas and Easter cacti,
their variation, and how to grow them to make lots of flowers.
Saturday, December 9, 2023 - Holiday
Potluck dinner. CSSNM provided the meat dishes and members brought
in salads, casseroles, soups, breads, deserts, etc. to share.
Following the meal, members provided informal, short, "5 minute"
presentations, Setup was at 5 pm and dinner at 6 pm.We had a large
crowd (40+ people) this year.
Wednesday, November 15, 2023 - Dave
Ferguson presented the "Dry Fruited Prickly Pears of
New Mexico". All of these dry fruited prickly pears are very
cold hardy and have brightly colored flowers. They can be grown in xeric
gardens almost anywhere in NM except the high elevations above 8000 ft.
Dave shows all the species and varieties with many in flower.
Saturday and Sunday, September 2 and 3,
2023 (Labor Day weekend) We hosted a show with presentations at the
Albuquerque
Botanic Garden
from 10 am to 4 pm.
from 10 am to 4 pm.
Wednesday, August 16, 2023 - Steven Brack
talked about "The cacti, rock garden plants
and volcanoes of Neuquen in Argentina".
Wednesday, June 21, 2023 - Elliott Gordon
talked about making outdoor gardens a great habitat for wildlife. Bees
and other pollinators are critical for food production and
sustaining the world's natural ecosystems. In this introductory
presentation, we learned about the lives and value of North American
pollinators, the major current threats to their survival, and simple
solutions for pollinator conservation that anyone can implement in their
cactus and succulent gardens.
Saturday, May 13, 2023 - We visited Laurel
and Ginny Sillerud and their very diverse garden with all sorts of
cacti, yuccas, agaves, and other xeric plants.
Saturday & Sunday, April 8 and 9, 2023
- 2023
Spring show and sale!
March 15, 2023 - Jeff Thompson from Pueblo,
CO has been making hybrids with
Echinocereus and has some amazing results with incredible flowers.
He specializes in making hybrids that are hardy for our outdoor gardens.
February 15, 2023 - Daniel Carbajal from
Belen gave a program on growing Haworthias, Aloes, and Sanseverias. He
grows them outdoors under shade cloth when it is above freezing. His
plants are very pretty and well grown from being outdoors for over half
of the year getting natural sunlight, fresh air, and some rain.
Wednesday, January 18, 2023 - Steven Brack
presented "Adventures in
Hardy Cacti and Succulents". He has been experimenting with
different kinds of cacti and succulents for the past several years in
different beds in his yard in Albuquerque. Some very nice
surprises have come to light with many different plants that can be
grown here and do well. The great unknown is the number of hardy
South African mesembs that can be grown here, he has just begun the work
on testing them.
Wednesday, November 16, 2022 - Penny Hoe
talked about the pollination of cactus flowers
by native bees. She has many close up pictures of various bees
doing their work.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022 - Club members
were invited on a hike and 8 people came to hike in the Gutierrez -
Milne Open Space in the foothills east of the Sandias. It was a
very nice day and we did see a lot of cacti, yuccas, various
wildflowers, and some Verbenas in flower.
Wednesday, October 19, 2022 - This month we
talked about Lithops
which are currently flowering! What are they? How does one grow
them?....
Rebecca Stoneman's presentation was "Sowats Revisted, a Cactus Journey in Kanab Creek Wilderness". This wilderness region is south of Fredonia AZ and feeds into the Grand Canyon. It is really scenic "canyon country"
Saturday & Sunday, September 3 & 4, 2022 - CSSNM hosted a Labor Day Show at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden. We were near the main entrance to the botanic garden and had over 1200 visitors.
Rebecca Stoneman's presentation was "Sowats Revisted, a Cactus Journey in Kanab Creek Wilderness". This wilderness region is south of Fredonia AZ and feeds into the Grand Canyon. It is really scenic "canyon country"
Saturday & Sunday, September 3 & 4, 2022 - CSSNM hosted a Labor Day Show at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden. We were near the main entrance to the botanic garden and had over 1200 visitors.
Wednesday, August 17, 2022 - Gretchen Ward talked about epiphytic cacti;
most have large, spectacular flowers. There are several genera of
these plants, as well as a huge number of hybrids that have been bred
for floral traits. These plants are native to more tropical regions,
during the summer monsoon season they are very happy with the
higher humidity here. She talked quite a bit about how to grow them here
and have them flower well.
Wednesday, June 15, 2022 - Ralph Peters talked about the miniature
cactus, Pediocactus knowltonii (see photos below), and its
history. It is found on only 1 hill in New Mexico near the
border with Colorado. It was re-discovered by the CSSNM after the
original discoverer (Fred Knowlton) was killed in a house fire. He
showed photos from 3 different visits to the habitat. He talked
about their cultivation, including growing them from seed.
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May 14, 2022 - Hike to see flowering cacti north of Rio Rancho, NM
May 7, 2022 - Tour of yards and greenhouses
of 3 CSSNM members that live in the NE Heights of Albuquerque
April 9 & 10, 2022 - Spring Show &
Sale at the Albuquerque Garden Center!
Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at 7 pm --
This was a hybrid in-person/ZOOM meeting. Siegfried Lodwig talked
about having cactus and succulent flowers in every week of the
year. Check out his galleries
of flower pictures!
Saturday, February 26, 2022 at 10:00
am -- Jakub
Jilemicky from Prague, Czech Republic talked about Haworthias via Zoom. He is an expert on
Haworthias, both in nature and in cultivation, and has taken many trips
to South Africa to study them. He also talked about the many other
succulents that grow with Haworthias.
Friday, January 21, 2022 -- Tom Glavich talked about Geophytic
Plants -- plants that have large underground tubers in order to
survive in a dry environment.
December 17, 2021 -- Holiday Party via Zoom
again this month. We had 8 different members do mini-presentations
including from cacti and succulents of Argentina, hiking in the
Guadalupe Mountains, and growing Christmas Cacti from seed. We
closed with music from Bill DellaRocco
November 19, 2021 -- Our program was
presented by Bert
Hendriksen who grows cacti and succulents on Vancouver
Island, British Columbia which is an extremely wet location (at
least for people from New Mexico!).
October 15, 2021 -- Dan Mahr, a retired professor from
the University of Wisconsin, talked about the "Cacti of Brazil".
September 17, 2021 - Steven Brack,
Ralph Peters and Rod Haenii (from Colorado) talked about "Growing Mesembs Outdoors in New
Mexico". The "Mesemb group" is from southern Africa and
includes "ice plants", "living stones" and many other interesting
plants. The number of genera is huge and includes Delosperma,
Lithops, Ttitanopsis, Rabiea, Aloinopsis, Conophytum, Argyroderma,
Ruschia,.... Many make good yard plants in Albuquerque!
August 20, 2021 -- The program was "Cacti & Succulents of New
Mexico" by Steven Brack. Steven has been traveling New
Mexico (and the SW USA, Mexico, South Africa,...) for many years
searching for plants so this was an entertaining and informative talk.
Friday, June 18, 2021 - Laurel Sillerud's
garden was one that we visited in May.
He talked about how the garden was made and built. He has a huge
amount of rock work and many very nice rock specimens. He talked about
highlights in the garden over the years and about what plants have done
well for him. This garden is just amazing and the flower show is
incredible.
May 2021 - We visited a few member's
gardens! The first garden visit was Saturday, May 8th, at the home
of Laurel Sillerud. The second visit was Saturday, May 15th when
we visited Robert Perz and Greg Smith.
Friday, March 19, 2021
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Jimmy Black from San Antonio, TX talked about the cacti from west Texas, the region west of the Pecos River. Nearly all of these cacti can be grown here in Albuquerque in a sunny garden, and many have great flowers. |
Friday, February 19, 2021 - The presentation
by Steven Brack/Monica Ulivelli from Italy was about the recent
movement to grow cacti and succulents in a style like they would be in
the wild, and to make the pot look like a wild setting. There is a
strong interest to recreate a natural scene in the pot, and to use
natural soil materials. The Italians practicing this put a lot
of work into the presentation in the pot.
There is a Facebook group called 'Wild grown cacti and succulents'.
Friday, January 15, 2021 - The program "My Cold Tolerant Succulent Life" was given by Rod Haenni from the Denver area. He has been experimenting with cold hardiness in cacti and succulents for many years, and has tried all sorts of plants other than the typical material.
Saturday, December 19, 2020 at 7 pm - We had a Zoom meeting consisting of 5 minute presentations by members! Speakers showed a plant or pictures of plants or other related subjects.
Friday, November 20, 2020 - Gary Duke gave the talk "What Kind of Cactus Is It?” - about how to determine the genus for many kinds of cacti. His talk is designed to help beginners to know what traits to look at to ID a cactus plant. Gary has provided a handout that members can use during and after the presentation.
October 17, 2020 - Jakub Jilemicky
talked about "The Best of Western Cape Succulents". In this
talk, he showed the high diversity of succulent flora of this part of
South Africa with focus on Haworthias - he started at Namaqualand,
went through the Cape Wine country, Little Karoo and finished at Great
Karoo.
He is an expert on the genus Haworthia in habitat. He has taken
many trips to South Africa to study the genus in nature, and has a
very extensive collection where he produces and grows new plants from
seed. He has a well-known web site - www.haworthia-gasteria.com which is
dedicated to the genera Haworthia, Astroloba and Gasteria.
September 11, 2020 - We had a Zoom meeting. Peter Breslin talked about the Cacti & Succulents of Baja California. This is a huge area, more than 1000 miles long, with many mountains and rugged coastlines and everywhere you travel you will see cacti and succulents. Many islands on both sides of Baja have many kinds of endemics. This program will have many beautiful plants in spectacular habitats.
Friday, August 21, 2020 - We had a Zoom meeting. Rob Romero's presentation was "The other Big Bend, travels through Big Bend Ranch State Park".
Friday, July 17, 2020 - We had a Zoom meeting (over the
internet) so everyone could stay home. It appeared to be
successful. Ralph Peters talked about Springtime in SE New
Mexico. There are many interesting cacti & succulents
in this region and many are good yard plants in Albuquerque.
Friday, February 14, 2020 - Woody Minnich talked about world-wide conservation efforts in "Cactus and Succulent Conservation around the World". Woody has provided a brief description of the presentation.
Friday, January 17, 2020 - Steven Brack presented "Out of the fire and into the pan". In South Africa there are millions of places where flat exposed rock surfaces erode to create broad flat shallow pans that fill up with a thin layer of rock grit. In these pans many kinds of succulents, bulbs, etc have adapted to survive. During the cool months in winter and spring there is often overnight dew or frost that collects on the rocks that give a steady supply of moisture to the plants. Sometimes in the winter and spring there is a long drizzle or even rain that can fill the pans with water. At times the plants can be submerged. During the hot dry summer months there is very little moisture so the plants go dormant, some pull down under the rocks to hide, while others endure the heat. The program had many photos from nature.
Friday, November 15, 2019 - Irwin Lightstone from Texas gave a talk on photography of cacti and succulents. His photos are beautiful.
Friday, October 18, 2019 - John Oberhausen from Santa Fe gave a
presentation on “Cactus
Rescue Project and the Santa Fe Cholla”. It is the story
of two people who decided to save an endangered plant, the Santa Fe
Cholla, and in the process, are not only saving this endangered plant,
but started a grass roots group that promotes the use of cactus as a
xeric garden alternative in our drought plagued desert southwest. The
Cactus Rescue Project has not only put in numerous community cactus
gardens as a public service and teaching opportunity, but also gives
classes and lectures to people on how they can do this in their own
home gardens.
August 31 - September 2, 2019 - Cactus & Succulent Show at
the Albuquerque Botanic Garden.
Pictures from this show and previous shows are in picture galleries.
Friday, August 16, 2019 - Gary Duke (a CSSNM member, years ago) talked about Bolivia in Bloom. He selected photos that show cacti (including Cleistocactus, Echinopsis, Lobivia, Weingartia, Rebutia, and Sulcorebutia), bromeliads and wildflowers in bloom in the Bolivian spring. His 3 week tour with Guillermo Rivera circled the altiplano with a side trip down into the eastern lowlands around Santa Cruz.
Friday, June 21, 2019 - Our speaker was Ad Konings on the Sex Life of Succulents. The talk was very informative and entertaining. There were a lot of microscopic photos about the pollination process of various cacti and succulents.”
Saturday May 4, 2019 - We had a garden tour
to 2 cactus gardens in the north valley of Albuquerque from 1 pm to 3:30
pm; see link
for more info. There was not a regular monthly meeting at the Garden
Center.
Friday, March 15, 2019 - The program
was be by Erik
Gensler who grows many Echeveria
agavoides. He selects different strains of them for various
characters, with different patterns of color in the leaves. Then
he makes seeds of them and grows new plants. Many of the plants
are very spectacular. They are very well adapted to growing in
NM. Our cool nights, during most of the year, really enhances the
colors.
Friday, February 15, 2019 - Oleg
Lagutin talked about his trip to South Africa last year. He focused on
all the many kinds of miniature bulbs in habitat and also showed and
discussed many other succulents like Haworthias, Adromischus, Aloes, the
Stapelia family and some of the thousands of kinds of living stone type
plants as well. A picture gallery shows a few
examples.
Friday, January 18, 2019 - Woody Minnich talked about the Cacti of
Chile. He showed photos from his 5 trips to Chile . The Atacama
Desert is the driest region on earth, with rainfall amounts of
just a few hundredths of an inch annually. This with fog supports
a rich cactus flora of genera like Copiapoa, Neoporteria, Eriosyce and
Eulychnia, among others. This photo gallery shows a few plants from this
area.
Friday, November 16, 2018 - Steven Brack
talked about some recent trips to southern NM and far north Chihuahua
and showed the cacti and other xeric plants that grow there. The 2 most
significant plants shown are Echinocereus chloranthus v. rhyolithensis
and Echinocactus parryi.
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| Echinocereus chloranthus v. rhyolithensis | Echinocactus parryi |
Friday, October 19, 2018 - Jim Hastings,
the Gringo Gourmet from El Paso talked and prepared a dish using
Opuntias. Among his favorite dishes is rajas Poblanos (chile
strips), pan roasted corn and garlic and chicken broth for a great soup.
Saturday - Monday, September 1-3, 2018 - We
hosted a Cactus & Succulent Show, Demonstrations, and Presentations
at the Albuquerque Botanic Garden. This link has more information about the show
and the Albuquerque Botanic Garden. Checkout the picture galleries of the shows.
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Friday, August 17, 2018 Our speaker was Ralph Peters who talked about the beautiful scenery and interesting plants of NW New Mexico and Eastern Arizona. Some of the scenery includes Angel Peak, Pastora Peak and Canyon de Chelley with plants like Coloradoa (Sclerocactus) mesae-verde, Pediocactus knowltonii (which grows only on one hill in NM), Toumeya papyracantha and the elusive Pediocactus simpsonii of NE Arizona. |
Friday, June 16, 2018 - Our program, by
Lisa Mandelkern from Las Cruces, was about the cacti of southern
NM. Many species of cacti are native to southern NM. The
good news is that almost all of them are quite easy to grow in an
outdoor cactus garden in the Albuquerque area. Some kinds need a
sheltered area to protect them from winter's cold.
Saturday, May 12, 2018 - We visited 3
gardens in the NE Heights of Albuquerque!
Friday, March 16, 2018 - Our
speaker Jeff Thompson, from Pueblo CO, talked about cold-hardy cacti and
had some plants to sell.
February 16, 2018 - Kelly Griffin gave a
program on the Cacti and Succulents of Chile. Chile is rich with
cacti, with spectacular Copiapoas, Eriosyce and Neoporterias dominating
the cacti. There are also many types of columnar cacti including
Trichocereus and Eulychnia. Succulents include Calandrinia that
are small herbaceous plants with colorful flowers. Kelly explores
the world for plants to introduce for Altmann's Specialty Plants, a very
large cactus and succulent nursery based in Vista, CA.
January 19, 2018 - Steven Brack presented a
program on Cultivation & Germination of
Pediocactus, Sclerocactus and Toumeya. A picture gallery shows some of these plants in
flower and as seedlings.
November 17, 2017 - Doug Dawson from Phoenix talked about
the genus Lithops:The Wild and the Tame (living
stones) from South Africa. A picture gallery shows a tiny sample
of these beauties.
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October, 20, 2017 - Ralph Peters talked about a backpacking trip to Thunder River in the Grand Canyon. He saw lots of nice scenery and interesting plants. Check out the picture gallery! |
August 18, 2017 - Marcia Tatroe from Denver talked about hardy rock gardens and provided a handout!
June 16, 2017 - Kelly Griffin talked about Agaves in habitat.
May 19, 2017 - Steve Lovecky presentated Stuck on Texas Cacti.
March 17, 2017 - John "Obie" Oberhausen presented Cactus Rescue Project/Creating a Cactus Community which was be about the goals of Cactus Rescue Project and what efforts have been done to promote the use of cactus. It discussed how various gardens were built and are maintained. Also included was the variety of plants now being used in the gardens and in the local community.
Friday, February 17, 2017 - Regular meeting. Ian Latella talked about Lizards of NM. He has done ten years of field work on the reptiles of NM and recently completed his Master's at UNM.
Friday, January 20, 2017 - Woody Minnich talked about Socotra which is a desert island in the Arabian Sea. It has many interesting plants, places and people; a sample may be seen in a gallery of pictures.
Friday, November 18, 2016 - Bill DellaRocco gave a presentation on "How my Cactus Guru from Minnesota developed techniques to enable strong growth and bloom in the cool and dreary state of Maine". It generated a lot of discussion.
Friday, October 21, 2016 - Our program was Random Musings and Meanderings About Cacti and Growing Them by Siegfried Lodwig. Sig commented: "I’ll bring in some show-and-tell plants. No pictures. I invite anyone and everyone to bring in their own plants, with questions and/or comments. We, the club, don’t do enough of just looking at and talking about plants at our meetings. We have a profound depth of expertise among our members. We need to do more to share this out among all of us.
Some smart person once said: The only stupid question is the one you don’t ask."
Check out Sig's plant pictures in galleries at the CSSNM website.
Friday, September 23, 2016 - Ralph Peters talked about the minature cactus, Pediocactus knowltonii (see photo below), and its history. It is found on only 1 hill in New Mexico near the border with Colorado. It was re-discovered by the CSSNM after the original discoverer (Fred Knowlton) was killed in a house fire.
Saturday, August 27, 2016 at Noon.
We visited John Oberhausen's gardens near Eldorado, NM (a bit East of
Santa Fe).
Directions ... I-25 north about 5 miles past Santa Fe to exit 290 (Lamy and Clines Corner). Stay to right to head south on US-285. First traffic light(about 1/2 mile) make a right onto Avenida de Amistad. Follow about 1 mile and the community center parking lot is on the right. Head towards the large windmill and park. By then you can't miss it! The address is 1 Hacienda Loop.
Directions ... I-25 north about 5 miles past Santa Fe to exit 290 (Lamy and Clines Corner). Stay to right to head south on US-285. First traffic light(about 1/2 mile) make a right onto Avenida de Amistad. Follow about 1 mile and the community center parking lot is on the right. Head towards the large windmill and park. By then you can't miss it! The address is 1 Hacienda Loop.
Friday, June 17, 2016 - Sig Lodwig talked
about grafting cacti. Grafting is used to quickly grow difficult
plants and salvage plants that have problems. He demonstrated the
process of grafting using super glue jel, discussed the details and
pitfalls, showed some pictures, brought grafts of various ages to
inspect, etc.
Saturday, May 21, 2016 - Garden Visit! Last year, Margaret Todd and Donna Behme did a presentation for the club about their landscape which incorporates many cold-hardy succulents and cacti as well as other garden/plant goodies. They had a garden visit.
Saturday, May 14, 2016 - Field trip to Mesa Garden in Belen NM!
Friday, March 18, 2016 - Steve Brack did a program on South Africa. His last trip was in August 2015, which is late Winter/early Spring there. The Winter rains had been very good, so the deserts were just overloaded with succulents and daisy types in full flower. He has never seen anything like this before with huge expanses of flowers, and a lot of wildlife out eating the flowers. Various antelopes and zebras were stuffing themselves on all the soft growth and flowers. This will be a fun show of bulbs, succulents, annuals, and all sorts of wildlife.
Friday, February 19, 2016 - Oleg Lagutin talked about growing cacti and succulents in Russia; specifically what kinds of plants they grow, and how they grow them.
Friday, January 15, 2016 - Woody Minnich gave a presentation entitled "Mexico, The Hidden Treasures of Coahuila." Woody is well known for his beautiful presentations containing lots of pictures of the scenery and people, as well as the plants.
Friday, November 20, 2015 Ralph Peters talked about the fantastic scenery and interesting cacti of Northern Arizona region. Five cacti species are found only in Northern AZ and 2 more cacti species are found only in Northern AZ and within a few miles of the Arizona border. A number of other "taxa" -- species. varieties, or ?? are found only in this region. The "common" plants are pretty amazing too!
Friday, October 16, 2015 Ian Latella, a graduate student for the UNM Biology Department, gave a presentation on the snakes and lizards of New Mexico that we may encounter when looking for cactus and succulents. He discussed basic details off their natural history and identification of the species.
August 21, 2015 Grey Gustafson from UNM talked about Cacti/Insect relationships. Some insects kill many of our local cacti. In particular, Moneilema semipunctatum (cactus borer beetle -- http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/120558) is a signicant threat to many local cacti including Sclerocactus. During a recent visit to Scl. mesae-verde habitat in SW Colorado, Ralph Peters saw that about half of the large plants were infested with larvae; most of them will probably die from the borer's damage and the associated bacterial infection.
Friday, June 19, 2015 - Margaret Todd and Donna Behme talked about the landscaping at their house. Very briefly, their landscape is oriented toward pollinators (bees, butterflies and hummers). It is also bird friendly. It features native and adapted plants, with cactus & succulents being a major part of the landscape. They are not just an after thought as in so many landscapes -- in their landscape they are a feature.
Friday, May 15, 2015 - Sig Lodwig presented a program which showed flower pictures of the very many small cacti that are easy to keep in limited space. It?s possible to have cactus flowers from this group any time of the year. The talk is divided into Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Sig brought in some plants now in flower. A sample of his photographs may be found in his picture galleries.
Friday, March 20, 2015 - Steve Brack showed many pictures of the vegetative bodies (NOT FLOWERS) of Lithops. Understanding how and when they grow is critical to the successful cultivation of these fascinating living stones.
Friday, February 20 - Dave Ferguson gave a talk focusing on the classification and evolution of the family Cactaceae, primarily in the context of how it relates to other families, but also within the family itself. This gave some insight to some questions people might have in the back of their minds, such as - for instance - why some things that seem very different can be grafted onto one another, and grow.
January 16, 2015 - Oleg Lagutin presented the program on the genus Haworthia. His talk covered the plants in the genus, and the cultivation they need. He also talked about pollination and seed prodouction, and growing them from seed. He provided a few Haworthia pictures. He is starting a nursery.
November 21, 2014 Ralph Peters talked about the cultivation of Pediocactus, Sclerocactus and Toumeya plants including germinating them from seed and growing them from tiny seedlings to flowering plants. These 3 genera grow in our area and have fantastic forms and flowers. They also have a reputation of being difficult to germinate and grow. The link above shows some seedlings and mature plants and the presentation contains more info.
Saturday, May 21, 2016 - Garden Visit! Last year, Margaret Todd and Donna Behme did a presentation for the club about their landscape which incorporates many cold-hardy succulents and cacti as well as other garden/plant goodies. They had a garden visit.
Saturday, May 14, 2016 - Field trip to Mesa Garden in Belen NM!
Friday, March 18, 2016 - Steve Brack did a program on South Africa. His last trip was in August 2015, which is late Winter/early Spring there. The Winter rains had been very good, so the deserts were just overloaded with succulents and daisy types in full flower. He has never seen anything like this before with huge expanses of flowers, and a lot of wildlife out eating the flowers. Various antelopes and zebras were stuffing themselves on all the soft growth and flowers. This will be a fun show of bulbs, succulents, annuals, and all sorts of wildlife.
Friday, February 19, 2016 - Oleg Lagutin talked about growing cacti and succulents in Russia; specifically what kinds of plants they grow, and how they grow them.
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Friday, January 15, 2016 - Woody Minnich gave a presentation entitled "Mexico, The Hidden Treasures of Coahuila." Woody is well known for his beautiful presentations containing lots of pictures of the scenery and people, as well as the plants.
Friday, November 20, 2015 Ralph Peters talked about the fantastic scenery and interesting cacti of Northern Arizona region. Five cacti species are found only in Northern AZ and 2 more cacti species are found only in Northern AZ and within a few miles of the Arizona border. A number of other "taxa" -- species. varieties, or ?? are found only in this region. The "common" plants are pretty amazing too!
Friday, October 16, 2015 Ian Latella, a graduate student for the UNM Biology Department, gave a presentation on the snakes and lizards of New Mexico that we may encounter when looking for cactus and succulents. He discussed basic details off their natural history and identification of the species.
August 21, 2015 Grey Gustafson from UNM talked about Cacti/Insect relationships. Some insects kill many of our local cacti. In particular, Moneilema semipunctatum (cactus borer beetle -- http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/120558) is a signicant threat to many local cacti including Sclerocactus. During a recent visit to Scl. mesae-verde habitat in SW Colorado, Ralph Peters saw that about half of the large plants were infested with larvae; most of them will probably die from the borer's damage and the associated bacterial infection.
Friday, June 19, 2015 - Margaret Todd and Donna Behme talked about the landscaping at their house. Very briefly, their landscape is oriented toward pollinators (bees, butterflies and hummers). It is also bird friendly. It features native and adapted plants, with cactus & succulents being a major part of the landscape. They are not just an after thought as in so many landscapes -- in their landscape they are a feature.
Friday, May 15, 2015 - Sig Lodwig presented a program which showed flower pictures of the very many small cacti that are easy to keep in limited space. It?s possible to have cactus flowers from this group any time of the year. The talk is divided into Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. Sig brought in some plants now in flower. A sample of his photographs may be found in his picture galleries.
Friday, March 20, 2015 - Steve Brack showed many pictures of the vegetative bodies (NOT FLOWERS) of Lithops. Understanding how and when they grow is critical to the successful cultivation of these fascinating living stones.
Friday, February 20 - Dave Ferguson gave a talk focusing on the classification and evolution of the family Cactaceae, primarily in the context of how it relates to other families, but also within the family itself. This gave some insight to some questions people might have in the back of their minds, such as - for instance - why some things that seem very different can be grafted onto one another, and grow.
January 16, 2015 - Oleg Lagutin presented the program on the genus Haworthia. His talk covered the plants in the genus, and the cultivation they need. He also talked about pollination and seed prodouction, and growing them from seed. He provided a few Haworthia pictures. He is starting a nursery.
November 21, 2014 Ralph Peters talked about the cultivation of Pediocactus, Sclerocactus and Toumeya plants including germinating them from seed and growing them from tiny seedlings to flowering plants. These 3 genera grow in our area and have fantastic forms and flowers. They also have a reputation of being difficult to germinate and grow. The link above shows some seedlings and mature plants and the presentation contains more info.
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October 17, 2014 - Joyce Hochtritt of J&J Cactus and Succulents talked about oddities of the cactus and succulent world; these include variegated plants, various "monstrose" forms, cristates, and the like. Joyce brought some show and tell plants and a few sale plants. |
August 15, 2014 - Leo Chance from Pueblo
Colorado presented Ideas
for Albuquerque Gardens. He is the author of the
book "Cacti
and Succulents for Cold Climates: 274 Outstanding Species for
Challenging Conditions" which is available at Amazon and
other book sellers.
June 20, 2014 - Penny Hoe and Martha Parker had a program on Hardy Sedums for Albuquerque. Penny and Martha showed photos and discussed cultivation of sedums that are evergreen ground covers, non-evergreen groundcovers, and tall, late-blooming sedums often used as specimen plants. We have a category of iffy sedums (not consistently hardy but available locally). The information should be of interest both to those who wish to xeriscape with plants that are not prickly and to persons drawn to esoteric and rare plants.
For more info, check out the plant documents section on succulents.
May 16, 2014 Rich Reif presented the program - Flora and Fauna of Australia Australia is reported to be the most desired of destinations for American travelers, but the least realized. Australia has a unique flora and fauna compared to what is familiar, perhaps as weird and alien as the cacti and other succulents from the old and new world that we admire. And, yes, cacti were mentioned.
June 20, 2014 - Penny Hoe and Martha Parker had a program on Hardy Sedums for Albuquerque. Penny and Martha showed photos and discussed cultivation of sedums that are evergreen ground covers, non-evergreen groundcovers, and tall, late-blooming sedums often used as specimen plants. We have a category of iffy sedums (not consistently hardy but available locally). The information should be of interest both to those who wish to xeriscape with plants that are not prickly and to persons drawn to esoteric and rare plants.
For more info, check out the plant documents section on succulents.
May 16, 2014 Rich Reif presented the program - Flora and Fauna of Australia Australia is reported to be the most desired of destinations for American travelers, but the least realized. Australia has a unique flora and fauna compared to what is familiar, perhaps as weird and alien as the cacti and other succulents from the old and new world that we admire. And, yes, cacti were mentioned.
On March 22, 2014, we went on a field trip
to Mesa Garden to see cacti and some mesembs in flower; see the picture gallery.
February 18, 2014 Daniela Roth discussed the New Mexico Endangered Plant Program. She is currently the Endangered Plant Program Coordinator for the New Mexico State Forestry Division and the chair for the New Mexico Rare Plant Technical Council. She has worked with rare and endangered plants in the American Southwest for over 17 years, including 12 years on the Navajo Nation and 3 years for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Her presentation outlined the purpose and function of the New Mexico Endangered Plant Program and emphasized the work currently under way with endangered cacti of New Mexico.
On January 17, 2014 We had program is about
a recent trip to Madagascar by Woody
Minnich which had the title "Madagascar
- Land of the Giants ".
The November 15, 2013 program helped our members, including newer ones, to understand what happens to the plants at our society's (April) show. (The same rules are used at the State Fair show.) The discussion included how plants are entered, labeled, displayed and judged. A panel of 3 experienced judges conducted an open panel judging of a number of plants that have been brought in for this purpose. See the Presenting Plants for Show article for our club's official rules.
On October 8, 2013, we went on a field trip to Mesa Garden to see all the mesembs in flower. A picture gallery shows a few of the beautiful flowers and plants that we saw. We also had a great potluck dinner after spending time in the greenhouses. Steven and Linda Brack were great hosts -- Thank you!
Friday June 21, 2013 Steven Brack presented a program on the flowers of hardy and near-hardy cacti showing the range of colors and forms you can expect from the huge variety of hardy cacti that can be grown in central NM.
The November 15, 2013 program helped our members, including newer ones, to understand what happens to the plants at our society's (April) show. (The same rules are used at the State Fair show.) The discussion included how plants are entered, labeled, displayed and judged. A panel of 3 experienced judges conducted an open panel judging of a number of plants that have been brought in for this purpose. See the Presenting Plants for Show article for our club's official rules.
On October 8, 2013, we went on a field trip to Mesa Garden to see all the mesembs in flower. A picture gallery shows a few of the beautiful flowers and plants that we saw. We also had a great potluck dinner after spending time in the greenhouses. Steven and Linda Brack were great hosts -- Thank you!
Friday June 21, 2013 Steven Brack presented a program on the flowers of hardy and near-hardy cacti showing the range of colors and forms you can expect from the huge variety of hardy cacti that can be grown in central NM.
 |
Friday May 17, 2013 The program, by Ralph Peters, focused on Adeniums and their cultivation. Adeniums combine eye-catching sculptural form with an abundance of showy flowers over a long period of time, typically from early May through early October in Albuquerque. Pictures, mature plants, and 3 month old seedlings showed off these interesting plants. Adenium seeds were available to allow attendees to grow their own. See the Adenium website for some beautiful examples. |
Friday, March 15, 2013 - The program was supplied by Ad Konings, a naturalist living in El Paso Tx and publisher of Cichlid Press. It was about the flora of the Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Tx and centered on cacti, agaves, and yuccas as well as wildflowers, reptiles, and insects. Part of the program also showed landscaping in urban areas and some areas of touristic interest. It provided ideas of what to see and do in this nearby region. Many of the cacti were shown in flower!
February 15, 2013 - The program was The Great American Southwest by Woody Minnich. He discussed the seven most cactus and succulent rich states; Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah and showed lots of beautiful photographs.
January 18, 2013 We had a forum on greenhouses! Several club members talked about their greenhouses ? how they are built, how they are heated, cooled, what they grow in them, etc. People thinking about putting up a greenhouse heard information about types, designs, costs, benefits, problems... Current greenhouse owners picked up some tips & tricks from other owners.
Nov 16, 2012 Steven Brack held a
forum on outdoor cactus and succulent gardens in central NM.
Speakers included Dan Finley and Ralph Peters of Albuquerque, and John
Oberhausen of Santa Fe. They talked about setting up gardens,
choosing the plants, and then the care of the garden after planting.
October 22, 2012 5:30pm to 10:00pm - An Evening with the Cold-Hardy Experts
Leo Chance from Colorado Springs, CO has recently published a book "Cacti and Succulents for Cold Climates". Leo spoke from 6:00pm to 7:00pm. Following his talk we had book sales and signing and a catered dinner.
Panayoti Kelaidis is Senior Curator at the Denver Botanic Gardens and Director of Outreach; he has introduced many cacti and succulents for yard use. Panayoti spoke from 8:30pm to 9:30 pm on "Planning for the Cold Hardy Rock Garden".
September 13-23, 2012 - No meeting! We had display at the Flower Building at the State Fair. Thanks to all the volunteers!
June 15, 2012: Woody Minnich talked about Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil. This region is the center of the distribution of the Parodias (Notocactus, Brasilicactus, Brasiliparodia, Malacocarpus and Eriocactus) and Fraileas as well as some of the Gymnocalyciums, Echinopsis, Bromeliads, other succulents and other unusual plants and animals.
CSSNM Outing on Saturday May 12, 2012
We visited Whitfield Wildlife area, along the Rio Grande in Belen, which is a great spot for birding, native bosque vegetation and a nice cactus garden in progress. Next, we visited Daniel and Socorro at their nursery, Rio Grande Cacti, south of Socorro along NM Hwy 1. They grow many kinds of hardy and native plants which were available for purchase. Finally, a nice picnic at the Bosque del Apache Wildlife refuge south of San Antonio. Near the picnic area is a very nice cactus garden with many plants in flower. We enjoyed the cactus garden and a visit the bosque with all the birds and other wildlife.
Friday, March 16, 7 pm, at the Albuquerque Garden Center, 10120 Lomas NE.
Sig Lodwig talked about Cactus flower in Mid Winter?, Yes many do! Sig is working on compiling data on flowering for many cacti, and showed a lot of kinds that flower in mid winter. With a broad collection you can have plants in flower every day of the year.
Friday, February 17: Dan Finley talked about Ferocactus, and a few close friends: their habitats, descriptions, "likes" and dislikes, distributions, including few comments about their botanical history with an array of photographs in habitat and in cultivation
Friday, January 20, 2012: Woody Minnich talked about Namibia, a dry place in a wet time. Woody's comments follow:
This is the trip that Steve Brack and I enjoyed together this last May. I suspect that between our two presentations we should cover everything that we did and saw and I am sure that our two styles will be very different. I can't wait to share my vision of our trip with Steve and I hope the club won't mind having me doing a second presentation. This should be a very entertaining talk and, as usual, I will include everything about Namibia from the people, animals, plants to the landscapes. Namibia a very beautiful and magical place. This will also be the first time showing the not so well known "sociable desert rats" also known as Team Namibia!??
More information is available on this talk and on Woody Minnich
Friday, November 18, 2011: Peru, from the Sea to the Sky by Woody Minnich. Peru is a country of strong contrasts. The coastal plain is very dry and foggy with many cacti. The dry west side of the Andes is filled with cacti, bromeliads, etc. The high Andes has freezing temps every night of the year and a host of remarkable plants. Off to the east lies the Amazon basin, a rain forest that has a few cacti and lots of orchids, bromeliads, etc.
On Saturday, October 8, 2011 more than 20 people had a chance to tour the greenhouses at Mesa Garden, Belen NM, The primary draw for the trip were the flowering Mesembs. Thousands of plants were flowering!
On Saturday, October 8, 2011 more than 20 people had a chance to tour the greenhouses at Mesa Garden, Belen NM, The primary draw for the trip were the flowering Mesembs that originate in South Africa and Namibia. A few pictures follow.
We had a great time! Thank-you Steve & Linda Brack for hosting
this fantastic field trip!
Friday, August 19, 2011 - Steven Brack had a presentation on his recent 3 week trip to Namibia in May this year. The first week was in the south and southwest which is mostly mesemb country with lots of Lithops, Conophytums and other small succulents like Othonna, Tylecodon and many Aloes. The final 2/3 of the trip was in the northern half of the country which is summer rainfall, rolling hills and low mountains covered with millions of Commiphora and other bonsai type trees. There are also many large caudex plants like Pachypodium, Adenia, Adenium and many others. Cyphostemma, in the grape family, form a small, very fat caudex to huge massive beasts that weigh tons. In the far north things get very wild, not an organized game park, but just wild with all the usual African animals and several tribes of people that have lived here for many thousands of years. One tribe is still primarily stone age, part hunter gatherers and part herders. Visiting Namibia is a nature lovers paradise, a huge set of plants, many animals, birds, insects, etc. It has huge areas of wild wilderness, with a slight risk from malaria and lions.
June 17, 2011 - Ralph Peters discussed 2 recent trips to Big Bend Ranch State Park in Texas slightly west of Big Bend National Park. The geology is fantastic including Solitario and there are many interesting and unique cacti too! Echinocereus viridiflorus v. canus is found only in Solitario.
May 20, 2011 - Sig Lodwig talked about the Big Bend National Park in flower. He saw lots of wildflowers and many species of cacti in flower too!
April 9 and 10, 2011 - Spring Show and Sale at the Albuquerque Garden Center at 10120 Lomas NE. The Show and Sale was open from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
February and March 2011 - Discussion of the extremely cold weather (-10 F and colder) and its effect on landscape and greenhouse plants.
November 2010 - A slide show of a fantastic cactus and succulent plant garden in the Andes was the topic of the presentation.
August 2010 Greg Smith discussed growing plants from seeds which was followed by a seed planting lab.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 Santa Fe and Los Alamos field trip! We visited the community garden (including cacti & succulents) that John Oberhauser has organised. Sig Lodwig in Los Alamos invited us up for a visit to his marvelous greenhouse and garden.
May 2010 - Jean Brody--"Travels through Maya County".
February 2010 - Guillermo Rivera presented a talk on the cacti and bromeliads of Peru, wonderful ancient archeological ruins like Machu Picchu and fantastic scenic areas.
January 2010 - Sig Lodwig likes to have some plants blooming every month (day?) of the year! He talked about his choices for free-flowering cactus and succulent plants and how he grows them.
November 2009 - The program showed an outdoor cactus and succulent garden in Colorado Springs. Leo Chance has packed his yard with many surprising cacti including surpises like Lobivias, Mammillarias, Notocactus, Gymnocalycium, and Echinocereus. Surprising succulents include Lithops, Othonnas, Euphorbias, and many other mesembs and South Africa material. The photos taken are very impressive, with many plants in flower, so very pretty.
October 2009 - John Oberhausen talked about the CommunityGarden/Outdoor classroom at the Eldorado School Community Garden in SE Santa Fe. Many species of cacti and succulents can be grown in this cold climate! The cactus garden has received support from the CSSNM.
August 2009 The Jewel Cacti of Mexico Woody Minnich talked about all the miniature "gems" native to Mexico; cacti like Turbinicarpus, Epithelantha, Ariocarpus, and many tiny Mammillarias. They are all the tiny cacti that hide so well from view. He showed photos taken in nature so you could really see what they should look like.
June 2009 Spring in South Africa, Steve Brack discussed his trip to South Africa in August 2008. Because of good rains, masses of wild flowers covered the landscape.
March 2009 Cacti of the New World: Succulents with Areoles, Their Growth Patterns and Lifestyles
Daniel Finley discussed the habitat (and some cultivated) photos of many succulent plants, especially cacti (endemic to the western hemisphere). Interspersed among the pictures are some discussions about their origins, unusual metabolism, distribution, and lifestyles, as well as Latin names, but no exams.
February 2009: Ralph Peters discussed a backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon last April. Many plants were growing and flowering including fields of sego lilies, agaves, opuntias, Echinocereus engelmanii, ....! The scenery is pretty nice too!
January 2009: Our speaker Woody Minnich discussed a recent trip to Brazil and all the fantastic cacti and succulents in their dry regions.
November 2008: A talk was given by Panayoti Kelaidis from the Denver Botanical Garden. He specializes is making outdoor rockeries using hardy succulents and cacti. His real emphasis is discovering new kinds of succulents (especially from Africa) that will grow outdoors in Denver.
October 22, 2012 5:30pm to 10:00pm - An Evening with the Cold-Hardy Experts
Leo Chance from Colorado Springs, CO has recently published a book "Cacti and Succulents for Cold Climates". Leo spoke from 6:00pm to 7:00pm. Following his talk we had book sales and signing and a catered dinner.
Panayoti Kelaidis is Senior Curator at the Denver Botanic Gardens and Director of Outreach; he has introduced many cacti and succulents for yard use. Panayoti spoke from 8:30pm to 9:30 pm on "Planning for the Cold Hardy Rock Garden".
September 13-23, 2012 - No meeting! We had display at the Flower Building at the State Fair. Thanks to all the volunteers!
 |
Friday, August 17, 2012 - The program was given by Steven Brack on Ariocarpus, Aztekiums and Lophophora of Northeast Mexico. It is based on a field trip by A Laras of Greece; he spent some weeks during October searching for these plants and found most of them in flower. There are lots of very nice habitat photos which are not commonly seen. |
June 15, 2012: Woody Minnich talked about Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil. This region is the center of the distribution of the Parodias (Notocactus, Brasilicactus, Brasiliparodia, Malacocarpus and Eriocactus) and Fraileas as well as some of the Gymnocalyciums, Echinopsis, Bromeliads, other succulents and other unusual plants and animals.
CSSNM Outing on Saturday May 12, 2012
We visited Whitfield Wildlife area, along the Rio Grande in Belen, which is a great spot for birding, native bosque vegetation and a nice cactus garden in progress. Next, we visited Daniel and Socorro at their nursery, Rio Grande Cacti, south of Socorro along NM Hwy 1. They grow many kinds of hardy and native plants which were available for purchase. Finally, a nice picnic at the Bosque del Apache Wildlife refuge south of San Antonio. Near the picnic area is a very nice cactus garden with many plants in flower. We enjoyed the cactus garden and a visit the bosque with all the birds and other wildlife.
Friday, March 16, 7 pm, at the Albuquerque Garden Center, 10120 Lomas NE.
Sig Lodwig talked about Cactus flower in Mid Winter?, Yes many do! Sig is working on compiling data on flowering for many cacti, and showed a lot of kinds that flower in mid winter. With a broad collection you can have plants in flower every day of the year.
 |
 |
 |
| Neoportereia species | Matucana weberbaueri | Zygocactus species |
 |
 |
 |
| Jade plant (Crassula portulacea) | Dorotheanthus bellidiformis. | Nananthus aff. broomii. |
Friday, February 17: Dan Finley talked about Ferocactus, and a few close friends: their habitats, descriptions, "likes" and dislikes, distributions, including few comments about their botanical history with an array of photographs in habitat and in cultivation
 |
|
 |
| Ferocactus diguetii, in habitat on an island in the Gulf of California. | Ferocactus glaucescens, in association in habitat with Mammillaria geminispina, in "the Valley of the Old Men" in Mexico. | Ferocactus lindsayi, growing in
habitat along the Rio Infiernillo on the southern Pacific coast
of Mexico. The ambient temperature was 97 degrees, and it was the very dead of winter. |
Friday, January 20, 2012: Woody Minnich talked about Namibia, a dry place in a wet time. Woody's comments follow:
This is the trip that Steve Brack and I enjoyed together this last May. I suspect that between our two presentations we should cover everything that we did and saw and I am sure that our two styles will be very different. I can't wait to share my vision of our trip with Steve and I hope the club won't mind having me doing a second presentation. This should be a very entertaining talk and, as usual, I will include everything about Namibia from the people, animals, plants to the landscapes. Namibia a very beautiful and magical place. This will also be the first time showing the not so well known "sociable desert rats" also known as Team Namibia!??
More information is available on this talk and on Woody Minnich
Friday, November 18, 2011: Peru, from the Sea to the Sky by Woody Minnich. Peru is a country of strong contrasts. The coastal plain is very dry and foggy with many cacti. The dry west side of the Andes is filled with cacti, bromeliads, etc. The high Andes has freezing temps every night of the year and a host of remarkable plants. Off to the east lies the Amazon basin, a rain forest that has a few cacti and lots of orchids, bromeliads, etc.
On Saturday, October 8, 2011 more than 20 people had a chance to tour the greenhouses at Mesa Garden, Belen NM, The primary draw for the trip were the flowering Mesembs. Thousands of plants were flowering!
On Saturday, October 8, 2011 more than 20 people had a chance to tour the greenhouses at Mesa Garden, Belen NM, The primary draw for the trip were the flowering Mesembs that originate in South Africa and Namibia. A few pictures follow.
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 |
 |
| Steve and group in a Mesem greenhouse | Lithops hookeri flowers! | Lithops verruculosa flowers! |
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 |
|
| Lithops julii flowers! | Conophytum minutum flowers! | Conophytum maughanii |
Friday, August 19, 2011 - Steven Brack had a presentation on his recent 3 week trip to Namibia in May this year. The first week was in the south and southwest which is mostly mesemb country with lots of Lithops, Conophytums and other small succulents like Othonna, Tylecodon and many Aloes. The final 2/3 of the trip was in the northern half of the country which is summer rainfall, rolling hills and low mountains covered with millions of Commiphora and other bonsai type trees. There are also many large caudex plants like Pachypodium, Adenia, Adenium and many others. Cyphostemma, in the grape family, form a small, very fat caudex to huge massive beasts that weigh tons. In the far north things get very wild, not an organized game park, but just wild with all the usual African animals and several tribes of people that have lived here for many thousands of years. One tribe is still primarily stone age, part hunter gatherers and part herders. Visiting Namibia is a nature lovers paradise, a huge set of plants, many animals, birds, insects, etc. It has huge areas of wild wilderness, with a slight risk from malaria and lions.
June 17, 2011 - Ralph Peters discussed 2 recent trips to Big Bend Ranch State Park in Texas slightly west of Big Bend National Park. The geology is fantastic including Solitario and there are many interesting and unique cacti too! Echinocereus viridiflorus v. canus is found only in Solitario.
May 20, 2011 - Sig Lodwig talked about the Big Bend National Park in flower. He saw lots of wildflowers and many species of cacti in flower too!
April 9 and 10, 2011 - Spring Show and Sale at the Albuquerque Garden Center at 10120 Lomas NE. The Show and Sale was open from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
February and March 2011 - Discussion of the extremely cold weather (-10 F and colder) and its effect on landscape and greenhouse plants.
November 2010 - A slide show of a fantastic cactus and succulent plant garden in the Andes was the topic of the presentation.
August 2010 Greg Smith discussed growing plants from seeds which was followed by a seed planting lab.
Saturday, June 5, 2010 Santa Fe and Los Alamos field trip! We visited the community garden (including cacti & succulents) that John Oberhauser has organised. Sig Lodwig in Los Alamos invited us up for a visit to his marvelous greenhouse and garden.
May 2010 - Jean Brody--"Travels through Maya County".
February 2010 - Guillermo Rivera presented a talk on the cacti and bromeliads of Peru, wonderful ancient archeological ruins like Machu Picchu and fantastic scenic areas.
January 2010 - Sig Lodwig likes to have some plants blooming every month (day?) of the year! He talked about his choices for free-flowering cactus and succulent plants and how he grows them.
November 2009 - The program showed an outdoor cactus and succulent garden in Colorado Springs. Leo Chance has packed his yard with many surprising cacti including surpises like Lobivias, Mammillarias, Notocactus, Gymnocalycium, and Echinocereus. Surprising succulents include Lithops, Othonnas, Euphorbias, and many other mesembs and South Africa material. The photos taken are very impressive, with many plants in flower, so very pretty.
October 2009 - John Oberhausen talked about the CommunityGarden/Outdoor classroom at the Eldorado School Community Garden in SE Santa Fe. Many species of cacti and succulents can be grown in this cold climate! The cactus garden has received support from the CSSNM.
August 2009 The Jewel Cacti of Mexico Woody Minnich talked about all the miniature "gems" native to Mexico; cacti like Turbinicarpus, Epithelantha, Ariocarpus, and many tiny Mammillarias. They are all the tiny cacti that hide so well from view. He showed photos taken in nature so you could really see what they should look like.
June 2009 Spring in South Africa, Steve Brack discussed his trip to South Africa in August 2008. Because of good rains, masses of wild flowers covered the landscape.
March 2009 Cacti of the New World: Succulents with Areoles, Their Growth Patterns and Lifestyles
Daniel Finley discussed the habitat (and some cultivated) photos of many succulent plants, especially cacti (endemic to the western hemisphere). Interspersed among the pictures are some discussions about their origins, unusual metabolism, distribution, and lifestyles, as well as Latin names, but no exams.
February 2009: Ralph Peters discussed a backpacking trip into the Grand Canyon last April. Many plants were growing and flowering including fields of sego lilies, agaves, opuntias, Echinocereus engelmanii, ....! The scenery is pretty nice too!
January 2009: Our speaker Woody Minnich discussed a recent trip to Brazil and all the fantastic cacti and succulents in their dry regions.
November 2008: A talk was given by Panayoti Kelaidis from the Denver Botanical Garden. He specializes is making outdoor rockeries using hardy succulents and cacti. His real emphasis is discovering new kinds of succulents (especially from Africa) that will grow outdoors in Denver.