This past weekend I had a chance to hang with one of the great growers that has been such an inspiration to me – the legend: Phil Faulisi. His plants never cease to amaze! Enjoy a few highlight photos and the slideshow below, or view the slideshow in fullscreen here! (Phil – thanks again for everything!)
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A visit to Phil’s Sarracenia Wonderland! 14 Sep 2014
(Also note, you can use your arrow keys to go back and forth… )
Posted in Blog, Out and About
Tagged Carnivorous Plant, Faulisi, Phil, Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia
Back on 6 and 7 Jun 2014, a plan went into effect to surprise one of the wonderful botanical inspirations in my life: my friend, Jerry Addington the GREAT. Jerry was hosting an assemblage of carnivorous plant growers at his place in the Washington countryside and this was something that I did not want to miss. I figured it would be the perfect time to surprise Jerry.
In addition to this, another good friend of mine – the legendary Wes Buckner and his family were all going to be there as well! I saw Wes, Megan, and Caleb a couple of weeks prior to Jerry’s event. They stopped by my place on their road trip out from Tennessee and I got to show them a little bit of the SF Bay Area. Good times!
Anyway, I figured I might as well just surprise them ALL at Jerry’s. Helping me organize this surprise was my brother from another mother – Kinjie Coe. (Yeah, I knowwww – Coe and Co!) I flew out to Portland the day before Jerry’s gathering on Friday, 6 Jun 2014 where Kinjie picked me up and we started on our journey to Jerry’s. On the way up there, Kinjie took me on a little detour to visit another local grower, The Professor. What a way to start a wonderful weekend full of carnivorous plant goodness. (See previous post.)
It was amazing seeing plants, but it was definitely awe inspiring to to meet many other fellow growers and carnivorous-plant-o-philes in person! I am very thankful that I got to meet so many amazing people on this epic weekend.
Below you’ll find a short video (gotta love Jerry’s reaction!) as well as a slideshow and some highlight photos.
Kinjie – thanks so much for helping make this happen, bro. Chiemi, Malia, Bently, and Ipo – a huge thank you for allowing a couple of plant crazed guys into your home. 🙂 Jerry – as always I am filled with gratitude for your hospitality and generosity. I am beyond blessed to know you. Thank you.
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View the full screen slideshow here.
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Last week I was in the Washington countryside on a covert operation to surprise a great botanical mentor and friend – Jerry Addington. (I’ll have more details on this surprise in my next blog post. I’m working on it; photos and video to follow!) The day before visiting Jerry, my friend Kinjie and I took a little detour to visit another local grower – “The Professor.” Carnivorous plant class was in session as The Professor, Kinjie, and I were discussing everything from the cultivation, to the genetics of these fascinating plants. This visit was a phenomenal prelude of things to come.
Enjoy a few frames (shot with both DSLR and iPhone) from our visit! Professor – thank you again for your kindness and generosity! Hope to visit again soon. 🙂
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Class in session with The Professor. 6 Jun 2014.
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Posted in Blog, Out and About
Tagged darlingtonia, North American Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia, The Professor, Washington
Recently my family and I visited the SF Conservatory of Flowers and got a chance to see the Chomp! exhibit. If you ever find yourself in the area, I highly recommend stopping by and immersing yourself in the beauty that is the SF Conservatory of Flowers. Below is a slide show featuring a few shots from around the conservatory, as well as a few highlight shots from the exhibit. Chomp! runs from 11 Apr 2014 – 19 Oct 2014 so be sure and visit soon! (And in case you didn’t already know – plants in the exhibit are from none other than California Carnivores… sweet!)
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Posted in Blog, Out and About
Tagged California Carnivores, Cephalotus, Chomp!, Conservatory Of Flowers, darlingtonia, Dionaea, drosera, Golden Gate Park, Heliamphora, nepenthes, Pinguicula, San Francisco, Sarracenia, SF, Sundew, Venus Fly Trap
Another day of Darlingtonia goodness with my good carni-bro Mike Wang! (You can see the video and photos from day 1 in this previous post .) Without further ado I present to you a few video clips and photos from day 2 of the Darlingtonia expedition. Photos and video from 12 Oct 2013. Enjoy!
Click here for the full screen slideshow
Some highlights of day 2 below…
Click here to view large version of roadside view.
Click here to view large version of the Darlingtonia wall.
Darlingtonia californica – roadside site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – roadside site, Del Norte Co., CA
This marker marks the border. To the right is Oregon, to the left is California.
Mike and I at the BWS Site. Del Norte Co., CA.
Darlingtonia californica – BWS site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica flower pod – BWS site, Del Norte Co., CA
BWS site, Del Norte Co., CA
BWS site, Del Norte Co., CA
BWS site, Del Norte Co., CA
Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Cedar Springs site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Cedar Springs site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Cedar Springs site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Cedar Springs site, Del Norte Co., CA
Click here to view large version of Cedar Springs Site – Del Norte, Co., CA
Mike Wang at The Ponds site – Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – The Ponds site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – The Ponds site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – The Ponds site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – The Ponds site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – The Ponds site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – The Ponds site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Del Norte Co., CA
On the road in search of the next Darlingtonia destination.
In search of Darlingtonia. Del Norte Co., CA
Mike in situ.
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Site 734, Del Norte Co., CA
Click here to view large version of this view.
Del Norte Co., CA
Sunset. Del Norte Co., CA
Moonlight lit coastline. Del Norte Co., CA
Posted in Blog, Darlingtonia, Out and About, Video
Tagged California, California Native, californica, County, darlingtonia, Del Norte, Mike Wang, Native, October, Pitcher Plant, Video
Back on 11 October 2013, I had the privilege of being able to check out some Darlingtonia growing in situ with fellow carnie-bro, Mike Wang. (By the way – if you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to stop by the Sarracenia forum and take a look Mike’s amazing photos in his Darlingtonia posts!) As I mentioned in my last post, this would be the first time I ever saw carnivorous plants growing in their natural habitat. Hey, better late than never right? It was a phenomenal experience. Now I have an even deeper appreciation for these magnificent plants. I can’t say enough about what I saw and experienced during this trip. The overstimulation of seeing these majestic plants growing at all the various sites was pure botanical overload. And yes, I savored every second of it. We only had a few short hours of sunlight to explore by on our first day up there. By the time we arrived it was already late afternoon. We tried to see as much as we could and make the most of the fading light. It turned out to be great timing – the lighting at this time of day hit the plants in such a way to give them an otherworldly glow. Here’s a video and a few photos capturing moments from day one of this fantastic Darlingtonia excursion. Stay tuned – video and photos from day 2 to follow!
Click here for the full screen slideshow.
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Road trip cuisine at it’s finest.
Making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the road.
Oh joy, oh rapture! The first clump of Darlingtonia I saw growing in situ!
Darlingtonia californica – Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Del Norte Co., CA
Shooting Darlingtonia – Forest marsh site – Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Forest marsh site, Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Forest marsh site, Del Norte Co., CA
Mike admires the scenery.
Forest marsh site – Del Norte Co., CA
Darlingtonia californica – Forest marsh site, Del Norte Co., CA
Mike and I at the forest marsh site, Del Norte Co., CA
Alpine Farms site – Del Norte Co., CA
Mike doin’ his thing.
Alpine Farms site – Del Norte Co., CA
Alpine Farms site – Del Norte Co., CA
Alpine Farms site – Del Norte Co., CA
Alpine Farms site – Del Norte Co., CA
Roadside site – Del Norte Co., CA
We were in the Alpine Farms area a little bit after sundown and stopped for a few mins. I took the opportunity to do some light painting using the flashlight on my iPhone.
Posted in Blog, Darlingtonia, Out and About, Video
Tagged 2013, California, californica, carnivorous, darlingtonia, Del Norte, Mike, Native, October, Plants, Trip, Wang
Last weekend, carnie-bro Mike Wang and I went on an epic trip to see Darlingtonia growing in their natural habitat. Ironically, this would be my very first time seeing carnivorous plants in situ. Hey, better late then never, right? Anyway, in the past eight or nine years of me consistently growing carnivorous plants, I’ve only known and witnessed them in cultivation. Seeing their habitat and the way they grow there gives me a greater appreciation for these fantastic plants.
Below are a couple shots of the first clump of Darlingtonia that I saw growing in situ. It felt like my mind blew a gasket seeing just this one clump! It really was love at first sight. At this first site. After seeing this, I told Mike that I felt as if my trip was already complete. Little did I know what was in store in those hours ahead. Needless to say, I took “quite a few” photos and videos. Sorry for the delay, but it has been quite a week for me. I’m catching up with a few other projects and I’m just starting to get to this Darlingtonia project now. I’ll be sorting through the photos and videos so please stay tuned for more Darlingtonia goodness!
If you want to see some of Mike’s photos, check out his Darlingtonia posts over on the Sarracenia forum!
Darlingtonia californica growing off the side of a road in an almost vertical fashion.
Del Norte Co., CA.
Darlingtonia californica – Del Norte Co., CA.
Posted in Blog, Out and About
Tagged California, californica, Cobra plant, darlingtonia, Del Norte
