Join SOFO for light refreshments and a presentation with Matthew Kaelin, author and carnivorous plant ecologist.

Across the world, there are over 580 species within 16 genera of carnivorous plants. On Long Island, we have 3 species of sundews (Drosera), 12 species of bladderworts (Utricularia), and 1 species of the American pitcher plants (Sarracenia).

Please join us for an engaging and educational presentation that will delve into the carnivorous plants of Long Island, with vivid photography to provide a look into the habitats where they live, identifying features of the different species we have here, and examples of other curious flora and fauna that could be found among them as well.

The talk will be followed by a discussion session for questions, and then the option to visit the nearby Long Pond Greenbelt for a guided tour around one of its coastal plain ponds. Where attendees will be able to observe carnivorous sundews and bladderworts in their natural habitat.

Matthew M. Kaelin is the author of The Sinister Beauty of Carnivorous Plants. He is an accomplished cultivator of carnivorous plants, having registered two Nepenthes cultivars, and has over two decades of experience. Beginning in early 2012, he also engaged in a continuous, comprehensive evaluation of the habitats of native carnivorous plants of Long Island, NY, where he is credited for discovering populations of the Sundew hybrid, Drosera rotundifolia x intermedia, which were the first recorded observations of these plants in New York State.

Optional Carnivorous Plant Walk, 4:30-5:30PM
Carnivorous Plant Walk at Crooked Pond for adults & children ages 10 and up.

This FREE program is for adults. Advanced reservations are required for all events.

Presenter: Matthew Kaelin, author and carnivorous plant ecologist