With Szymon Szary
Tuesday, August 20, 2024 – 7:00 pm Pacific Time (California)
Members and visitors can attend in person in San Francisco,
or register or join the meeting in progress on Zoom.
Program Description
Szymon has this to say about his presentation:
I will be sharing some of my experiences and highlights from my trips to the four large deserts of the Southwest – Great Basin, Mohave, Chihuahuan and Sonoran – and some of their subregions – the Colorado Desert and the Grand Canyon area. I’ll attempt to explain why I keep coming back to the desert. I’ll discuss how I hope it can help me better understand cacti through studying their environment and how I try to implement the lessons from the desert at work and in my private collection.
About our Speaker
Szymon became interested in cacti in middle school when visiting his cousin’s collection. After moving to California in 2015, he quickly realized that it would now be possible to combine some of his passions. Backpacking, hiking, photography and cacti could now all be part of desert exploration. Hiking and backpacking experience turned out to be very useful in finding interesting places and species. Photography proved ideal for documenting where cacti grow, which is crucial when trying to answer the questions 'how they do it and why’. In 2020 Szymon started working at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, which allowed him to gain hands- on experience with a broader spectrum of plants, giving him deeper understanding of how various environments and microclimates impact different plants.
Show & tell table: Sansevieria on the succulent side, and opuntioids on the cactus side (Opuntia, Cylindropuntia, Austrocylindropuntia, Tephrocactus, etc.) plus anything else that’s looking good or in flower.
Featured grower: Carl Frederick
Snack table:, There will be a shared spread, but we suggest bringing something every couple of months if you partake regularly. As a thought, we are often short on drinks.
Covid precautions: We will keep doors open to ensure adequate ventilation. This can make the room a bit chilly, so dress appropriately.
Meeting Agenda
7:00 Mingling and announcements
7:30 Formal presentation starts promptly with Society business
7:35 Show and Tell Table
7:50 Leg stretch
7:55 Featured presentation
Watch Online
On Zoom: Register or join the meeting in progress.
Facebook simulcasts are on hold due to issue with Facebook’s connection to Zoom. We may switch to Youtube eventually.
Upcoming Events
- Sat Aug 24, 2024 – SFSCS Volunteer day at Gardens of Lake Merritt.
Learn succulent gardening techniques and help with the long-term transformation of part of the park. Contact Troy Stephens for info (contact info on last page of the newsletter).