April 2005 Desert Breeze Newsletter, Tucson Cactus & Succulent Society

8/8/2019 April 2005 Desert Breeze Newsletter, Tucson Cactus & Succulent Society

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Presidents Message

Its time to visit our member

nurseries. The cool seasongrowers are starting to winddown and the new spring flowershow for many of the cacti andsucculents is beginning.This is your opportunity to seefamiliar and new species at theirbest. Every one of our member

nurseries has something special and different. Youreally have to make the effort to see all that isavailable in the Tucson area. It is extraordinary.Our member businesses are on the web site or pickup a handout at the next meeting. We are truly thecactus and succulent capital of the world.

We need to explore ways to promote thisconcentration of cacti, succulent and relatedbusinesses to plant lovers throughout the world. Weare starting to work on a brochure that will tell ourstory and be available to travel and destinationindustry. We want everyone visiting SouthernArizona and those who live here to know about thecactus and succulent businesses, gardens and

organizations that they can visit. We also want toencourage visitors to plan trips to Tucson when thedesert and nurseries are at their prime.

This will be a cooperative effort between manydifferent organizations and businesses and will beavailable free of charge to everyone. It will be webbased and hard copy. We want your input, ideas andhelp. Please contact me if you are interested inworking on this project.

I want to thank all that made the trip to Organ Pipe

Cactus National Monument so enjoyable. We had agreat time and that was due to the excellent planningof the special events committee. They are planninganother trip in the fall.

I also want to thank everyone who lead, helped orattended our first series of workshops. They havebeen an overwhelming success and we areevaluating how to continue with this process. Therewere over 120 attendees total for the first threeworkshops. Our goal was about 15 to 20

participants per workshop. Your attendancecertainly indicates that we underestimated theinterest and need. Your comments will help usprepare for future workshops.

You have been notified about our current sales. W

do this in three ways. The activities are listed on web site at: tucsoncactus.org. If your current emaaddress is correct in our membership list you havereceived notification by email. If you did not get email notification would you send me your email [email protected]. Your email will beupdated. If you dont have Internet access then yoshould have received a postcard about the sales.

Remember your friends and neighbors are alwayswelcome at our sales.

Be sure you have the Cactus Expo on your calendfor April 30-May 1.Thank you,

Dick Wiedhopf, President

Cactus Rescue Committee

Rescue Crews - Joint EffortThe Central Arizona Cactus andSucculent Society (CACSS) hasofficially launched their CactusRescue program under the

direction of Lee Brownson. TChas been assisting Lee withlogistics and educational materials to help them gegoing. We participated with their Rescue Crew oMarch thirteenth for a joint rescue on a severalhundred acre parcel near the White Tank Mountaiabout 20 miles west of downtown Phoenix. Thisnew Verrado Development is a large plannedcommunity being built in the town of Buckeye jusNorth of Interstate 10 at exit 120, Verrado Way.

Joint TCSS and CACSS Rescue

Many of the cacti were hiding in the brush andweeds which have grown dramatically in the past
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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months due to the excessive rains. Great specimenFerocactus cylindraceus (Spiny barrel or Firebarrel) were collected as well as a fewEchinocereusengelmannii (strawberry hedgehog). A crew of 29worked for about four hours in the morning to notonly get some great cacti for their privatecollections, but to collect plants for upcoming publicsales for both societies. CACSS is partnering with

The Desert Botanical Gardens for sales of rescuedplants and advertising of their new rescue program.

A special treat at this rescue site was to see some oftheir wild flowers, especially the Desert lily (Ajolily). These Easter lily like flowers are quiteimpressive and striking. Yes, they really do have aone and a half to two inch diameter bulb abouttwelve inches underground.

We may have another opportunity to return to thisarea with CACSS in the near future as there are

many more acres destined to be cleared in theVerrado Development.

Joe Frannea

Expo 2005

What is Expo 2005? - Expo 2005 is our annualcactus and succulent plant show. It is our chance toshow off to the public the beautiful and interestingplants we grow. It is also our celebration of all thethings that make Tucson the cactus and succulent

center of the world.

Is it like our Sonoran Conferences? Our SonoranConferences alternate with the Expositions. Theyboth feature our plant show and the largest gatheringof Tucson specialty plant growers held anywhere.The Sonoran features speakers and workshops fromaround the country, while the Expos highlight thebroader community, with displays from localattractions and prize-winning exhibits from theScience Fair.

Do I need a reservation? -- No. Just come andbring your family and friends. There will berefreshments available, a snow-cone machine, araffle and plant give-aways. We will have our becounter plant judging and some casualdemonstrations and discussions.

How can I help? Many of us have already

contributed in the planning and promotion of theevent. At the April meeting we will have moreflyers and posters to be distributed. And we can ahelp with that old-fashioned promotion called woof mouth. Tell your friends, coworkers, and famabout this pleasant easy-to-attend attraction. Thenall that remains is to make it happen!

So how do we make it happen? There are thre

main areas where we can pitch in: the setup of theshow, the actual running of the show, and the shotakedown. We also need to bring our plants for thshow, and we need baked goods for the refreshmesale.

Show setup Show setup will be from 7:00 am to10:00 am on Saturday, April 30. We will set up texhibits, the plant show, and help the vendors set for sales, including our own rescue sales. Well hcoffee and doughnuts, get the work done, and be ohand for the earliest plant sales.

During the show We will man the membershipbooth, sell refreshments, welcome visitors withinformation and brochures, and be on hand to makeverything run smoothly. The snow-cone machinand the cash registers must be manned as well.

Show teardown After 4:00 pm Sunday we cleaup, move out, and congratulate ourselves on a greshow.

Barry McCorm


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TCSS Rescue Cacti for SaleLots & lots to choose from..

Barrels - from 2 to 14 diameter (about $1 per inch)Hedgehogs from 1 to 20 heads (about $1 per head)

TCSS Club Members receive a 15% discountCall Joe or Patsy if interested 575-7126

New Member Listings and changes are in the 2005 Roster

Photos by Joe Frannea, Barry McCormick. Logo Artwork by Vonn Watk

Support our 2005

Cactus and Succulent Expo

April 30 May 1

Junior League of Tucson

Tucson Cactus and Succulent Society7510 E. Rio Verde Rd.

Tucson, AZ 85715-3537


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TCSS Science Fair Winners

Five members of the Tucson Cactus& Succulent Society scoured therows of over 1,300 SouthernArizona Regional Scienceand Engineering Fair

(SARSEF) projects fortopics dealing with Cactusand Succulents. Five excellent exhibits wereawarded TCSS memberships and cash prizes by thecommittee consisting of Gail and George Virtes,Marty Harow, and Patsy and Joe Frannea.

Our $100 First PlaceAward went toGordon, an eighthgrade student fromBasis School. His

Saguaros: LivingCompasses exhibitquestioned whetherSaguaros respond tosunlight byexhibiting

phototropism when growing arms. His display wasvery professional with bar graphs to effectivelycommunicate the data he collected. Gordonconcluded that the first arms on a Saguaro do tell astory.

Our $75 SecondPlace Award wentto Alexandra, asenior at TucsonMagnet HighSchool. Herproject wasEffects of WaterAvailability andNectar Removal on

the Production ofExtra Floral Nectarby Ferocactus

Wislizeni. She acquired 13 mature Barrel Cactusto extract nectar using a capillary tube to studyproduction rates. Her display was very completewith great descriptions of her work including results,methods, conclusions, and suggestions.

Our $50 Third Place Award went to Andrea, aneighth grade student at Old Vail Middle School.

Her Succulent Stationary display was veryattractive with detailed photos and samples of her

hand madestationary. Sheproved that youcould make papefrom yucca fiberand use cochinea

insects for ink.

A $30 HonorableMention Awardwent to Madelinesixth grade stude

at St. Michaels Parish Day School. Her Pin theHole on the Saguaro project questioned whichcardinal direction do most saguaro holes tend toface. She hypothesized north, but her study prove

this not to be true

Another $30Honorable MentiAward went toHailey, a Junior aTucson MagnetHigh School. Heproject was TheRole of Extra FloNectar in the Dieof Ants on BarrelWhile this projec

dealt mostly withthe habits of ants, it provided interesting informaton the purpose of nectaries on barrel cactus.

This was oursecond year toaward prizes tostudents whoentered theirprojects in theSARSEF. Allfive winners habeen invited tobring theirscience fairprojects to ourtwo day Cactus

Succulent Exposition which starts on Saturday,April 30th to be held at the Jr. League. Please loofor our Educational Exhibits area at the Expositio

Joe Frann


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Tucson Xeriscape Contest.

Tohono Chul Park and the Arizona Departmentof Water Resources (ADWR) are againpartnering to present the 2005 MetropolitanTucson Xeriscape Contest. I am sure many ofyou have gardens and landscapes worthy of oneor more of the Xeriscape Awards presented to

home gardeners and I would encourage you toenter. The deadline for entries is April 8 at 5:00pm (at TCP). All entries receive a free FamilyMembership to Tohono Chul Park plus a Freethree-year subscription to Tucson HomeMagazine. Application fee for homeowners is$10.00. Applications are available online atwww.tohonochulpark.org/xeriscapecontest2005or by calling 742-6455 ext. 222.

Upcoming Schedule

April 3 (9:00 am 4:00pm) Hacienda Del SolGuest Ranch Resort -Second Annual SpringPlant Sale - Severalother local specialtynurseries of note will also be in attendance,offering a diverse selection of aesthetic cactiand succulents from the Americas, Africa, andMadagascar.

April 7, 2005. General Meeting; Tim Metcalf Whats in Your Pot? April 30 & May 1 Tucson Cactus &

Succulent Society Exposition and Plant Showat the Junior League on River Road (nearintersection of Campbell). This biennial eventwill feature a show of members cacti andsucculents as well as over a dozen local cactusand succulent nurseries.

May 5, 2005. General Meeting: Bob Webb Travels in Arabia and Africa.

June 2, 2005 General Meeting: Cory Martinon Sierra Mazatan.

June 10 (5:00 pm to 7:00 pm TCSS and TBGmembers only pre-sale) June 11 (8:00 am to12:00 pm open to the public) Weird PlantSale at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Thishuge, annual event will include over a dozenlocal nurseries with a very large selection of

interesting plants. This is an event not to bemissed for the succulent plant lover in Tucso

August 5-10, 2005 Cactus and SucculentSociety of America convention in ScottsdaleArizona

October 23 (10 am - 4 pm) Pima CountyCountry Fair at the Lew Sorenson School on

Tanque Verde road (east of Houghton). TCRescued plants.

December 11, 2005 Holiday Party.Ellen Low, a member living in California,passed away on March 6, 2005. In 1989,Ellen and her late husband Bill werehonored for their contributions to theCactus and Succulent Society of Americawith a Superior Service Award. Ellensten-year membership in our Tucson Society

and her attendance at our SonoranConferences strongly supported our efforts.I visited with Ellen at a number ofHuntington Symposiums and often thankedher for her support of the Tucson Cactusand Succulent Society. DW

Organ Pipe National Monument Trip.

The March 5 bus trip to Organ Pipe NationalMonument and other wildflower areas in the Ajo

area was a great success. It sold out, of course. T

combination of fine weather, the expert guidance Matt Johnson, and lots of wildflowers was the firsoffering of the newly-formed outings committee;keep an eye out for our fall trip.
http://www.tohonochulpark.org/xeriscapecontest2005http://www.tohonochulpark.org/xeriscapecontest2005

Documents

April 2005 Desert Breeze Newsletter, Tucson Cactus & Succulent Society