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The meeting will be held at Shepard Garden & Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. , Sacramento. This will be a “hybrid” meeting and will be streamed on Zoom. The recording has not been posted at the presenter’s request..
Carnivorous plants are not just organisms in the realm of science fiction—there are about 1000 species (and subspecies) of carnivorous plants.
There are carnivorous plants in every state of the USA, and the western states have their fair share…including two genera that are endemic to western North America. We will start by reviewing the strategies that carnivorous plants use to hunt their food, and then focus on those native to the western states, and especially those of California. We will also look at a few other topical issues. Time permitting, we will also talk a bit about how to grow carnivorous plants…done right, it’s easy!
Barry Rice has been studying plants for more than 30 years. 
His interests began small, while he was graduate school, when he started growing carnivorous plants in little terraria. Soon this grew into an obsession, and after earning his PhD (in astrophysics) he migrated to a career in land conservation and botanical research.
Working full time for The Nature Conservancy, he spent his free time growing carnivorous on a greenhouse scale, while also studying and photographing them in the wild. Furthermore, he worked as managing editor for the scientific journal for the International Carnivorous Plant Society, and served as the society’s Director of Conservation Programs—a position he founded. During his botanical career he has established dozens of carnivorous plant cultivars, as well as several taxa. He ultimately returned to life as an astronomer, but now in a young field called astrobiology. He currently is a tenured fulltime professor at Sierra College, in Rocklin California.
Photos courtesy of Barry Rice.
Title of Talk: California Bumble Bees and Their Use of Native Plants April 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM The meeting will be held at Shepard Garden & Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. , Sacramento. This will be a “hybrid” meeting and will be streamed on Zoom. Click here to register and attend via Zoom. Summary
Title of Talk: California Native Salvias – from Wildlands to Gardens March 11, 2026 at 7:00 PM The meeting will be held at Shepard Garden & Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd. , Sacramento. This will be a “hybrid” meeting and will be streamed on Zoom. Click here to register and attend via Zoom Summary The
Title of Talk: Organizing a Community in Support of New Legislation February 11, 2026 at 7:00 PM This meeting will ONLY be streamed on Zoom. Click here to register and attend via Zoom. Summary We will discuss how to organize our community members on passing a bill and watchdogging it after. Key points will include: