The May meeting for the UMCPS is approaching fast!  It is earlier than in most meeting months, and is this Sunday, May 5th starting at 5pm at Sunrise River Farm.  We decided not to try to compete with moms the next Sunday and so moved our meeting up by a week.  We hope everyone can make it, and perhaps a few new faces too.  Any questions, as usual you can reach us at our yahoo.com e-mail address username: u_m_c_p_s

See you Sunday!

Lots going on so let’s get to it!  First off, come see us at the University of Minnesota Spring Plant Sale, and buy some plants from us.  We’ll have some great plants for beginners, and the sale you will find all sorts of other plants for your yard and garden too.  Plus orchids and succulents - you know, if you’re into that.

Our May meeting will not be taking place at the same time as usual.  Because the second Sunday is Mother’s Day, we’ll be holing out meeting on Sunday, May 5th.  We’ll also be returning to a favorite location, Sunrise River Farm.  The meeting will begin at 5pm, and we;ll be discussing what our plans are for the summer, including our plans for being at the Minnesota State Fair again.  We hope to see you all there!

Is you have any questions, as always, please contact us at our yahoo.com email address username u_m_c_p_s

Just to spice things up a bit, we are going to hold out March meeting this year at the University of Minnesota College of Biological Science Greenhouses!  And while we’re there we’ll have a little tour of the collections; their carnivorous plants and all the rest too.  They have a wide variety of plants and it will be a lot of fun.  So if you have been thinking about coming to a meeting and putting it off this is the meeting to attend!  We love having guests and seeing new faces.

The meeting will be from 4pm to 7pm on Sunday the 10th of March.  Unfortunately, parking is not free at the U.  There are parking meters on the west side of Gortner Ave. just south of Dudley Ave.  There is also a parking ramp on Gortner Ave. and a pay lot on the Hill Area on Buford Circle.  Of course any questions can be directed to our Yahoo.com email address, username u_m_c_p_s

Members, if you haven’t paid your dues for the year don’t forget your $10.  Also because we aren’t going to be at anyone’s house this time, please contribute by bringing a snacky type food and something to drink.  Oh and don’t forget to bring plants to swap, that’s part of the fun!  See you all there!

Well this should probably have gone up weeks ago, but the January meeting was great!  We met some new folks and had a good time talking about all sorts of plants, of course including carnivorous plants.  For the folks who had not yet been out to Sunrise River Farms we had a little tour of the place.  Some of our members also brought in a few plants to show off.

The flower on the yellow butterwort (Pinguicula lutea) was particularly nice.  Unfortunately the photo doesn’t do it justice.

The other big news is that we elected out treasurer.  So, brand new officer!  It was a squeaker of an unopposed election too.  In other exciting news, we are hoping to be at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum show again this year as well as making a repeat appearance at the Minnesota State Fair.  There are also plans for a field trip up to the northern Minnesota this summer to see some carnivorous plants in habitat.  In summation, stay tuned for updates on all of our various activities.  The easiest way to keep up with our various activities from meetings to shows to trips is to be alerted to new posts here, by entering your e-mail address in the empty field on the left and then clicking on the “Follow” button.  Then you’ll never miss a thing!  And as always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us at our Yahoo.com e-mail address, user name: u_m_c_p_s

It’s a new year and we are going to start it off right.  We’ll be meeting at our old haunt, Sunrise River Farm, next Sunday, 13 January at 4pm.  That’s right, our first meeting of ’13 is on the 13th.  That’s how you know it’s going to be a good year.

You are probably asking yourself what is on the agenda.  Well, first off it is time to renew your membership – so don’t forget your $10.  Then we’ll be electing a treasurer.  You know, so there is someone to be responsible for the dues you just paid.  Plus, we’ll be talking about the plans for the upcoming year.  And of course, we’ll talk about carnivorous plants – as if anything could stop that.  If you feel as though you have a plant that is looking particularly happy, bring it!  We are always happy to see what other members are growing.

Most importantly what we need to start the year off right is you!  So if you love carnivorous plants and you can make it to the meeting, please stop by and say hello.  And if you have questions feel free to contact us at our yahoo.com e-mail address, user name: u_m_c_p_s

See you Sunday.

Dramatic title, we know, but we wanted to catch your attention so you don’t forget about our upcoming meeting.  We’ll be talking plants of course, but this time we are also having a pot-luck!  So there is going to be lots of delicious food in addition to our normal fun.  We’ll be meeting at a member’s house, so if you need directions you’ll have to contact us at our e-mail address: u_m_c_p_s@yahoo.com

Right now the plan for the presentation is by our club president and is about tissue culture of carnivorous plants (and perhaps some orchids too), which he has been doing for some time.  It’s an interesting and advanced technique that allows people to propagate large numbers of plants, or plants that are difficult to start from seed.  This is kitchen science at its best!  It’s sometimes complex and a hobby within itself but always fascinating.  Plus it will be delivered by a very engaging presenter.  So this is a meeting not to miss!!

There is a little video from the Minnesota State Fair flower show which we attended last month and it features some of our plants.  If you want to see it here is the link.

We have also added a new friend to our Blogroll.  It is the blog for the Gustavus Adolphus College Linnaeus Arboretum.  True, they don’t have lots of information on there about carnivorous plants (yet), but they do have lots of information about all sorts of great plants.  So if you have a few minutes check them out!

Our next meeting scheduled for Sunday, November 11th.  If anything changes, the readers of this blog will be the first to know!  So stay tuned for all things carnivorous plants in the upper Midwest.