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Page 1 SCOS June 2015 Newsletter
SONOMA COUNTY
ORCHID SOCIETY
June 2015
A California Non-Profit 501 (c) (3) Corporation
IN THIS ISSUE
1-2: Mary Gerritsen
bio; Speaker Dinner
2: President's Corner
3: Membership Column,
Thank You; Classifieds
4: Refreshment List;
ImmunoStrip Order
5-6: AOS Column;
Show-And-Tell Plants
7: Show-And-Tell
Plants; Bingo for Orchids 8: In Memorium
9: Upcoming Events
10: Ballot for Election
of Officers
11: Repotting Party
Flyer
Please feel free to post comments and share pictures of your blooming orchids on Facebook or share orchid articles. It's an opportunity to show off your orchids and/or orchid growing conditions. Press the Control button on your keyboard and click on the above Facebook link.
Our June meeting is on June 9, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. at the Veteran's Memorial Building, 1351 Maple Avenue, SR
GUESTS WELCOME
We are pleased to welcome Mary Gerritsen. Mary's talk will be "Trekking to the Lost World: Mt. Roraima"
Mt. Roraima is the tallest of the tepuis, table top shaped mountains found in the Guiana Highlands of South America. Located at the corner of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana, Mt. Roraima is one of the few tepuis that can be climbed without climbing gear or a helicopter. The tops of the tepuis are geographically isolated from one another, and from the
rainforest below, and as a result, harbor endemic flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world. These mesas are poor in nutrients, but incredibly rich in carnivorous plants, orchids, bromeliads and often other primitive species, and are a fascinating place to explore botanically. Mary joined a small group led by Stewart McPherson (author of numerous books on carnivorous plants) to go on an adventure of a lifetime. Join Mary for a virtual trip to the Lost World. A true floristic adventure.
Mary has been growing orchids on and off for the last 35 years, and since moving to the San Francisco area in 1997, she has become a passionate orchid hobbyist. She loves miniature orchid species, and has a large collection, mostly pleurothallids, in her cool-intermediate greenhouse in San Mateo. She also grows a large number of monopodials, bulbophyllum, and laelinae in a second larger
intermediate-warm greenhouse. She has co-authored, with friend and photographer Ron Parsons, several botanical books including “Masdevallias, Gems of the Orchid World”, “Calochortus. Mariposa Lilies and their Relatives” and most recently, the two volume series “A Compendium of Miniature Orchid Species”. Mary’s favorite vacation is to visit orchid habitats whenever she can to see how orchids grow in their native
Page 2 SCOS June 2015 Newsletter
Laelia sincorana
environments. Thus far, her journeys have led her to Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, parts of the US, Australia, Borneo, Thailand, Sulawesi, southern and western China, and South Africa. Mary also occasionally writes articles for Orchids (AOS magazine). She is a past-president of the San Francisco Orchid Society and Peninsula Orchid Society. It's exciting to announce that Mary will provide our opportunity table! PLEASE JOIN US FOR DINNER WITH THE SPEAKER AT YETI RESTAURANT, (a fusion of Nepalese and Indian food) 190 Farmers Lane, Santa Rosa at 5:00 p.m. RSVP to Angelique Fry at 291-6029 or [email protected].
President’s Corner
Sonoma County Orchid Society has had an exciting and fun year! It has been an honor to be your President once again. It takes a lot of volunteers to make our Society function properly. I especially want to let the SCOS Board of Directors know how much I appreciate the time and energy that each and every one of you has contributed throughout the year! Kathie Hile, Ann Possinger, Jeanne Van Blarcom, Ann Conger, Billie MacCarthy, Angelique Fry, Mary Ellen Walsh, Jose La Calle, Karen Wolford, and Helen Finigan. Also, thank you Robyn Chosy, who has been working hard on our website. You have all done a wonderful job over the past year. The Committee Chairs too have done a wonderful job! Lynne Murrell, Patty
Connick, Ann Conger, Angelique Fry, Marilyn Barquero, Mariann Hopkins and Cathy Thompson. We've had several great events during our 2014-2015 year – our fall BBQ and auction (a great fundraiser), then our holiday party and spring show. The bus trip will be past by the time you get this newsletter, but I know many of you joined in the fun. Angelique Fry and Ann Conger treated us to a terrific day! The last event of this fiscal year is our Repotting Party, coming up this month, see the flyer on page 11. My thanks to everyone who pitched in and helped with these events where they could and to those who have helped out at our meetings. To the general membership, thank you for staying active by coming to meetings, bringing your show-and-tell plants, buying raffle tickets, bringing finger food for the refreshment table and by helping with SCOS events. Please do all that you can to help SCOS continue to thrive! Something Special: our annual Orchid Repotting Party will not only have the usual great plants to divide and share, but we will be treated to an orchid mounting demo by Adam Anderson at 12 noon. We will have plants to attach to cork bark mounts with fishing line. We will add a hook so they will be ready to hang in their new home. Sign up at the June meeting or RSVP to Jeanne at [email protected]. Finally, we have a terrific speaker scheduled for our June 9th meeting. Mary Gerritsen will be here to give us a fantastic talk about her travels and will provide the opportunity table! See you at our next meeting June 9th!
Susan
Page 3 SCOS June 2015 Newsletter
MEMBERSHIP COLUMN
We presently have 110 members.
We want to welcome as new members:
ROSALIE MACK
and RICHARD KAHN
Thank you for joining! Please feel free to contact any board member with questions. You may email board members by going to our Society's website at www.sonomaorchids.com
Don't forget to wear your name badge and sign in! Wear your name badge or make a paper name-tag at the membership table when you enter the meeting room. Then, sign the list at the membership table. At each meeting, one name will be drawn and that person will receive a free strip of 3 raffle tickets. Those who would like to order a name badge should email Jeanne at [email protected]
by June 30 for the 2015 – 2016 Year Please bring your check for $25 to the May or
June Meeting and give to Jeanne at the membership table. Thank you for your timely
payment!
Thank you
Thank you Ann Conger and Angelique Fry for planning all the details of our
annual Bus Trip! We had a wonderful turnout and it was great fun! Thank you to Angelique Fry for continuing to handle ordering and dispersing the Orchiata mixes and Nutricote for the Society.
CLASSIFIEDS Don't forget you can get orchid supplies from Kris and Jim Foster: [email protected] or 707-762-7124 Small and medium Rexius bark, Perlite, Sphagnum Moss, Orchid labels, Stakes, Charcoal ORCHIATA BARK ($17 includes tax) AND NUTRICOTE ($3 for 1# bag) FOR SALE BY YOUR SOCIETY AT ITS COST! Orchiata: Classic #9 1//4" – 3/8" chips Power #5 3/8" – 1/2" chips Power #5a 1/2" – 3/4" chips Super #7 3/4" – 1" chips
Email Angelique [email protected] to order and arrange for pick-up Advertisement: If you are planning to vacation, or need a caretaker, I am available to care for your home, garden and/or greenhouse. I also provide piano concerts for homeowners or organizations. Contact me, Nixy Rickles, at 415-336-9446 or [email protected]. Thank you!
Page 4 SCOS June 2015 Newsletter
PLEASE CHECK THE SCHEDULE BELOW TO
SEE IF YOU ARE SCHEDULED TO BRING A
FINGER FOOD TO THE JUNE MEETING.
(Anyone can bring a refreshment at any time.)
REMEMBER, if you bring a refreshment, you
receive a raffle ticket to be placed in a special
drawing, for only those bringing refreshments that
evening. Winner gets first choice from the
opportunity table!
Refreshments
Please bring a refreshment if the first letter of your last name
corresponds with the monthly meeting.
T – Z January, 2015
A – B February
C – De March
Di – Fo April
Fr – H May
J – Le June Ice Cream Social July
Li – M August
Bar-B-Q & Auction September
No Meeting in September
N – R October
S November
Holiday Dinner December
No Meeting in December
THANK YOU!
WOW! TAKE A LOOK AT OUR NEW WEBSITE
www.sonomaorchids.com
Our web mistress, Robyn Chosy, has done a wonderful
job of creating a new website for our Society. The site
will continue to grow, with a photo gallery, articles and
other items useful to orchid growers. If you have a
suggestion for the website, email Robyn at
Note: since the website is new, do not try to access
through an old "bookmark". Click on the link above to
go to our new website.
Thank You Robyn!
Our May speaker was Janet Lamborn, a representative from Agdia, a pathogen testing laboratory. The compay was formed after successful detection of plant
viruses by ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay). Agdia's first tests were developed for common potato pathogens (six viruses and two bacteria). The company now tests worldwide for pathogens in ornamental, vegetable, fruit and field crops. A customer has the choice of sending a sample for testing in the laboratory or using a home testing ImmunoStrip. The company has recently optimized its orchid virus ImmunoStrip (which previously tested for only one orchid virus) to test for both Cymbidium Mosaic Virus (CymMV) and Odontoglossum Ringspot Virus (ORSV). Further the new ImmunoStrip is now able to help diagnose a previously undetected Asian strain of CymMV. The new test format also has a faster reaction time, giving results in as little as 5 minutes. Many members present at Janet's presentation expressed an interest in purchasing ImmunoStrips. Angelique Fry will contact Janet requesting a discount on a group order. The company presently sells its strips in groups of 5 (for $42) or 25 (for $135). As you can see, a group of 25 strips costs about $3 less per strip than a group of 5 strips. The Society will order groups of 25 strips if enough members are interested. The Society will have a sign-up sheet at the June meeting for pre-orders, in groups of 5. The price per strip will reflect any group discount, plus the cost of shipping (broken down per strip). It is important that anyone who sells an orchid not sell a plant that is virused or suspected of being virused. Many of us ask vendors if a plant has been virus tested. Many hobbyists will virus test before placing a new plant into their collection. K. Hile
Page 5 SCOS June 2015 Newsletter
AOS COLUMN
by: Karen Wofford
I missed you in last month’s newsletter because VP Angelique Fry and I were attending the American Orchid Society (AOS) spring convention in Portland, OR. Angelique flew on a commercial flight from Santa Rosa and I flew myself in my little 4 seat airplane. We met up at the convention. The convention was a combination membership meeting, show and sale. The show and sale was sponsored by the Portland Orchid Society and the Cherry City Orchid Society. To me it felt a lot like our spring show with a lot of added speakers. The speakers were amazing and came from as far away as Taiwan and vendors came from as far away as Brazil! Members of the AOS attending the event held meetings during the weekend to discuss such riveting items as bylaws and treasury reports. They reviewed the current state of the Society and planned which direction it should go. I missed those meetings as I was overwhelmed with the speakers and the vendors (aka shopping).
Though similar to our show, the vendors at this show came from all over the world and had things to offer that I’d never heard of. An example of this was Dr. Kristen Uthus from New World Orchids in Manchester, Michigan. She had Neofinetia falcata (more on that later) ranging in price from $10 - $800 each. None of these was over 8 inches tall. The first time I passed her booth I didn’t even SEE her plants. Another vendor, Roosevelt Terrariums had everything related to terrariums; small enough for one special orchid or large enough to house a small collection. Their specialty is to design and build beautiful terrarium cases of fine hard woods, plate glass, air circulation and grow lights. Their cases keep orchids and mosses alive and healthy for years, and they customize any style of terrarium case. There were other vendors, but I really want to talk about the speakers. The Speakers! Incredible. For me the speakers made the travel and expense of the event completely worth it. Ron McHatton spoke on ‘Pest Management Done Properly.’ Ron has a PhD in Chemistry and is the AOS’s Chief Operating Officer as well as Director of Education. He’s an AOS judge and has been on the board of trustees more than once. He’s also been on the board of trustees for Orchid Digest and has been involved officially with orchids for over 25 years. Do you think this guy might know a couple of things about orchids?!?! I wish I could share his speech with all of you. If you are an AOS member you can listen to this recorded webinar at http://www.aos.org/default.aspx?id=753. You’ll need a PC however, not a Mac. George Hatfield talked about miniature cymbidiums and Wally Orchard talked about ‘Disas of the Western Cape in South Africa.’ I had no idea what a Disa was until I attended this interesting talk. There were other lectures too, but my favorite was Dr. Kristin Uthus from New World Orchids. Kristin’s specialty is Japanese Orchids. She studied both plant and animal ecology and evolution at Virginia Commonwealth University and The Ohio State University where she received her PhD. She taught biology and ecology at several colleges, including the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University, which made her a wonderfully polished speaker. New World Orchids specializes in Japanese species, including Neofinetia falcata, Dendrobium moniliforme, and Sederia japonica as well as Asian Cymbidium species. The Japanese keep Neofinetia falcata for their foliage as much as for their flowers. T hey are tiny, wonderful plants. After her talk, I went back to her booth and bought a few of the less expensive ones (I still kill things occasionally so I have to watch my investing!) The booth I had all but ignored prior to her talk suddenly came to life and I knew exactly what was special and why something was more expensive than something else. This talk alone was worth the entire event cost of $97 for me.
Page 6 SCOS June 2015 Newsletter
As the conference wound down, Angelique wisely told me to save my money as some of the vendors might discount their prices on the last day. She wasn’t kidding. I went crazy! Half prices, woohoo! I generously offered to fly Angelique's purchases, if any (::snort::), back to Santa Rosa in my plane so they wouldn’t get crunched on the commercial flight. The result was that my plane was so full of flowers and plants, I had to step over them to get into the pilot’s seat. The bicycle and the Voodoo box of donuts didn’t make it any easier.
If I’ve stimulated you enough with this missive to want to attend the next conference, you are in luck! It is being held this fall in early November, but not across the Country. No, it’s right here in our own backyard in Reno, NV. I’ll get you the dates soon. See you next month! Don't forget to check out the AOS awards on the Judging Center website, which have been updated with its region's awards, as well as the San Joaquin, Modesto and Sacramento shows. Go to http://www.csnjc.org/.
SPECIAL NOTE: Speakers' Day is Saturday, August 1. Although admission fees and speaker & vendor line-up is still being arranged, there will be a conservation theme. This is a great experience. There are usually a few carpools of members attending. Plan to join-in on the fun. More information to follow as it is made available. ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎ ֎
GREAT SHOW-AND-TELL PLANTS AT OUR MAY MEETING! Thank you to all who brought plants and thank you DALE MARTIN for the photos.
Laelia purpurata carnea 'Sea God'
Kingidium minus
Lc. Irene Finney 'Z'
Encyclia randii
Paph. delenatii 'Dumbo'
Phal. bastiani
Encyclia surinamensis
Lc. Final Blue 'Royal Purple'
Encyclia microbulbon
Page 7 SCOS June 2015 Newsletter
Encyclia cordigera var. rosea
Paph. Genevieve Booth
Paph. Prince Edward of York
Paph. Lady Isabel 'New Era'
Trichopilia hennisiana
Paph. Bel Royale
QUICK OVERVIEW OF OUR JULY MEETING – BINGO FOR ORCHIDS
The Society will supply ice cream. Members should bring toppings/strawberrys/shortcakes
If you bring a named blooming orchid as a bingo prize, you get 2 bingo tickets
If you bring a named non-blooming orchid or a non-orchid plant as a bingo prize, you get 1
bingo ticket
If you don't bring a plant, bingo cards are $5 each. You can buy as many cards as you can handle
Besides member plants as bingo prizes, the Society is purchasing plants from Cynthia
Battershall
Come and have fun! Bring friends!
Please, bring only healthy, bug free plants. Bring something you would like to win.
Page 8 SCOS June 2015 Newsletter
In Memorium Fred Shull
Many of you had the opportunity to know Fred Shull and know that he passed away on April 27, after having been ill for about a year. Fred will be missed by a great many of us. On a couple of occasions, our annual bus trip made a stop at Fred's welcoming home, where we enjoyed our lunch under the backyard arbor and explored his greenhouse. Fred was known for his Cattleyas and Laelias, which he grew, along with other orchids, for more than 50 years. He loved to travel to Brazil to attend orchid expositions and to see orchids growing in their native habitats. Fred was an accredited American Orchid Society Judge and was a member of the Pacific Central Judging Center. He loved to share his knowledge with
novice and expert growers alike. He also mentored beginning AOS judges. Fred was an active member of the Peninsula Orchid Society, often sharing his plants and knowledge at its Show-And-Tell table. He was also Past President of the San Francisco Orchid Society. ******************************************************************************************
In Memorium Cynthia Fleig
The Bay Area lost another orchid friend and judge, Cynthia Fleig. Cynthia passed away in February. Cynthia was a lifetime member of the San Francisco Orchid Society and an accredited AOS judge who retired in recent years due to poor health. Since I did not know Cynthia personally, I will reprint some of the comments of Carol Zoltowski who knew her personally. Carol writes: "She was a very private person but none could ever doubt the depth of her passion for orchids and her dedication to spreading that knowledge to hobbysts and student judges alike through her activity with the Pacific Central Judging Region of the AOS. She was a very good judge for 30 years and had a great eye for orchid structure. Her house was full of orchid literature and she did the work that was necessary to maintain her expertise throughout the years." Carol also writes that while she was training as a student judge, Cynthia "was fair but demanding of your best. For all the students, she made sure that you received the most up to date knowledge there was about a particular plant. Her sometimes probing questions were designed to ensure that you really learned your stuff so you could be successful not only as a judge but also so you could deepen and mature your love for orchids."
Page 9 SCOS June 2015 Newsletter
UPCOMING EVENTS
June
6/5 – 6/7 San Jose Orchid Exhibition and Wine Tasting. Winchester Mystery House, 525 S. Winchester Blvd., San Jose, CA 95128. Get all the details at http://www.realorchidgrowers.com/ 6/6 California Orchids Sale. 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 515 Aspen Road, Bolinas 6/9 SCOS MEETING. June's meeting will feature Mary Garretson. Mary will
take us on her trip to the Lost World: Mt. Roraima. 6/13 Orchid Digest Speaker's Day: "Orchid Potpourri", Huntington Gardens, 1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA. This 13th year of Speaker's Day includes lectures by Steven Beckendorf (Botanizing in Southeastern Peru), Marc Hachadourian (Species You Shouldn't Grow), Harold Koopowitz and Steven Hampson (Madagascar: Lemurs and Orchids), Peter Lin (Novelty Phals), and Carol Woodin (An Artist and Orchids). Plus AOS judging and select vendors. For more info visit www.orchiddigest.og 6/16 SCOS BOARD MEETING at the home of José LaCalle. Please RSVP to José (check the roster for José's phone number/email address). 6/27 SCOS REPOTTING PARTY. See page 11 for details.
July 7/10 – 7/12 Santa Barbara Orchid Estate Open House. Friday & Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.; Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Held at Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, 1250 Orchid Drive, Santa Barbara. Call (800) 553-3387 or email: [email protected] or visit www.sborchid.com 7/14 SCOS MEETING. BINGO FOR ORCHIDS WITH ICE CREAM SUNDAY AND STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE.
FUN, FUN, FUN for all. Bring your friends. Details to follow.
7/25 – 7/26 Orchids in the Park. 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Thousands of orchids, both species and hybrids. $5 Admission, $4 Seniors, 16 years and under-free. SF County Fair Building corner of 9th Ave. and Lincoln Way.
August 8/1 California Sierra Nevada Judging Center Speaker's Day. 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Odd Fellows Hall 1831 Howe Avenue, Sacramento. www.csnjc.org/
Page 10 SCOS June 2015 Newsletter
IMPORTANT: PLEASE COME TO THE JUNE MEETING TO VOTE FOR THE 2015 – 2016 SLATE OF OFFICERS. IF YOU CANNOT COME TO THE MEETING, PLEASE SEND YOUR VOTE AS NOTED BELOW. WE MUST HAVE A QUORUM. OTHERWISE THE SOCIETY WILL HAVE THE EXPENSE OF MAILING BALLOTS TO ALL MEMBERS.
Annual Meeting and Election Announcement
The election of the Board of Directors for 2015-2016 will be at the June
meeting. The current slate of nominees is listed below. It is very important
that you attend the June meeting and vote. Our Bylaws require that 1/3 of
the membership be present in order to have a quorum, which is necessary to
approve the ballot. Without a quorum the election will have to be postponed
or the vote conducted by mailings or email. You may email your ballot to
Kathie Hile at [email protected] or mail to 4800 Pressley Road, Santa
Rosa, CA 95404 if you cannot attend the June meeting.
Ballot for the 2015-2016 Board of Directors
Check YES or NO by each member, if NO you may write in your nominee/vote.
OFFICE Nominee Yes No Write in nominee
President Susan Anderson □ □ ______________
V. President Angelique Fry □ □ ______________
Secretary Ann Conger □ □ ______________
Treasurer Ann Possinger □ □ ______________
Membership Jeanne Van Blarcom □ □ ______________
Newsletter Editor Kathie Hile □ □ ______________
Ways & Means Mary Ellen Walsh □ □ ______________
Meetings Billie McCarthy □ □ ______________
Past President Susan Anderson - No vote required
If you cannot attend the June meeting to vote, please email Kathie Hile at [email protected] and:
1) attached your completed ballot, or 2) state that you vote for all candidates, as submitted, or 3) provide
your write-in nominee(s) for any position.
Page 11 SCOS June 2015 Newsletter
Annual Repotting Party
When: Saturday, June 27
(Sign up at the May or June meeting)
Time: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm (or so)
Where: Home of Jeanne Van Blarcom,
897 Matsuda Lane, Sebastopol
What to bring: Please bring a finger food to
share. Water and soft drinks will be provided by the
Society.
Bring any plants you want help repotting, overgrown
monstrosities you want to share pieces of, or even
plants you'd like to give to a new home. Also bring
supplies such as pots of all sizes (or plastic bags if you
would rather repot at home), cork slabs, wood slat baskets, stakes, plant ties, plant labels, cutting shears, #2
pencil, etc. In other words, bring whatever you’ll need (except bark) to pot up your treasures. The Society will
supply medium and fine Rexius bark. Also, learn how to mount orchids at 12 noon from Adam Anderson. The
Society will provide the mounts with hooks, fishing line and orchid divisions for mounting!
Directions: Hwy 116 to Sparkes Road. If coming west on 116, make a left turn on Sparkes. If coming east on
116, make a right turn onto Sparkes. Sparkes dead ends into Baker. Turn right on Baker and immediately left on
Matsuda. Follow the road to the last house. Ample parking in the orchard.
http://goo.gl/maps/OE0Pm
Page 12 SCOS June 2015 Newsletter
