By Satie Airamé
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 – 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.

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Program Description

Satie’s presentation is a photographic journey through one of the world’s most magnificent wildflower displays. This show features succulents in bloom from the Namaqualand region of South Africa as well as other nearby botanical hotspots, including bulbs of Nieuwoudtville, succulents of the Richtersveld, and dune specialties in the Sperrgebiet of Namibia. Satie and Jeff set their wedding date in August 2003, two weeks prior to the anticipated peak wildflower bloom in Namaqualand, where they began their 3-month honeymoon across Southern Africa and Madagascar. Without typical June rains, the newlyweds arrived in late August to find a barren sandy plain without a single flower around Springbok at the heart of Namaqualand. Disappointed but undeterred, the couple made a commitment to return to Namaqualand in the future. A decade later, Satie and Jeff went on their “re-do honeymoon” following just enough rain to catalyze a breathtaking bloom of wildflowers in Namaqualand. This presentation features a collection of colorful and whimsical plant photos taken by Satie and Jeff in western South Africa and southern Namibia.

About our Speaker

Satie Airamé is an explorer, naturalist, and photographer with boundless enthusiasm for biodiversity. She has traveled to 35 countries around the world to study and photograph plants and animals in the wild, especially birds. She lives with her spouse, Jeff Chemnick, proprietor of the rare plant nursery Aloes in Wonderland, in Santa Barbara, California. Satie was the Assistant Dean for the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 2011 to 2025. She was part of the planning team for California’s network of marine protected areas (MPAs) from 1999 to 2011.

Show & tell table: Bulbs on the succulent side, Gymnocalycium on the cactus table, and Tylecodon for pachyforms, plus anything else that’s looking good or in flower.

Featured grower: Jeff Chemnick, Carl Frederick, plus pottery from members Ellen Sakaloff and Nino Faleo

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. 

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

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Watch Online

On Zoom: Register or join the meeting in progress.

We will attempt to simulcast on our YouTube channel.

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