bgl Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Returned home a few hours ago after an incredible Biennial in Costa Rica. Met many old friends from previous IPS Biennials and also met many IPS members for the first time. And of course there were plenty of PalmTalk members. What was really fun was to meet a number of PalmTalk members for the very first time, but it still felt like we had known each other for a long time after many posts here on PalmTalk. The Biennial is like a giant family reunion and PalmTalk certainly added a new dimension to this very enjoyable and well planned event. Many others were taking photos of the entire event, and no doubt will be starting threads and posting lots of photos (many people are still travelling, including 30 who went on the main post trip to Peru), and I had no intention to document the entire event, so these are just a few miscellaneous photos. And others are free to add their photos here. On Sunday morning, May 4th, we visited Herrero's nursery, a place full of all sorts of plants, including thousands of palms. It was a true jungle (BIG understatement). On the path in we all passed below this good sized boa constrictor, and most of us didn't even see the boa until we were heading back out! The second photo is of Anders Lindström, who is in charge of the botanical garden at Nong Nooch in Thailand, and my son, André Lundkvist, who was on his very first Biennial. (And Anders and I got a chance to polish up our Swedish. W've both been away from Sweden for a long time...). Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Here's Kurt and Lois Rossten, long time PSSC and IPS members. It's great to see that they're still as enthusiastic as ever! The second photo is of Bill Sanford (BS Man about Palms) and a Corypha umbraculifera. I have a hunch Bill doesn't have too many of these in his container ranch! 1 Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Monday, May 5th, we went to Braulio Carrillo National Park. First we took the aerial tram, and then we went for a walk through the national park. The aerial tram was an amazing experience. It was one mile straight out, and then back the same way. Outbound we were relatively close to the ground, and coming back we were way up in the canopy. These little cars held 7 people, 1 guide plus 6 IPS members. Second photo shows one of thousands of Euterpe precatoria palms. 1 Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Here's Anders in the front seat, checking out the rain forest with all the bromeliads, palms, and other plants. Second photo, I believe, is of a group of Prestoea decurrens. 1 Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Here's a view of the canopy, with a few very tall Welfia regia visible, and I believe also a Euterpe precatoria. In the second photo, Lefty (Larry Davis) and licuala (Paul Craft) can be seen in the front seat. 1 Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Here's a good sized Welfia regia. Second photo shows a couple of Euterpe precatoria. These are very elegant palms and we saw quite a few of them. Seeing palms from up above is a whole new experience. 1 Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter John Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Thanks Bo, can we hear more about bus #4, and what went on in the bus ? Happy GardeningCheers, WalQueensland, Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utopia Palms Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Hi Bo It would be great to have a photo’s of all the delegates at the conference, how many attended this year was it something like 180 plus? Looks like every one had a great time especially Bill by the looks of things! Even Anders Lindstrom I bet he was out hunting for few Zamias to take back to Noon Nooch. Thanks for the photos Bo, Michael e-mailed me a few times and rubbed it how good it was, I think he is over there for another week or two. Clayton Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia Minimum 3.C -------- maximum 43.C Average Annual Rainfall 1700mm IPS Membership since 1991 PLANT MORE PALMS TO SOOTH THE SOUL www.utopiapalmsandcycads.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gtlevine Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Great photos, I like the way they have the tram above the canopy. Could you see any Sloth's or other monkey's from up on the tram? Gary Rock Ridge RanchSouth Escondido5 miles ENE Rancho Bernardo33.06N 117W, Elevation 971 Feet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deezpalms Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Great shots Bo! Oh, how I wish I could have gone! I'll definitely be at the one in Thailand!! Dave Hughson Carlsbad, Ca 1 mile from ocean Zone 10b Palm freaks are good peeps!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_NoVA Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 The second photo is of Anders Lindström, who is in charge of the botanical garden at Nong Nooch in Thailand...That's pretty funny...Both the president of the IPS and the head of one of the best tropical palm gardens are from Sweden...makes me feel better about all the palms I have here in a 7a climate! zone 7a (Avg. max low temp 0 to 5 F, -18 to -15 C), hot humid summers Avgs___Jan__Feb__Mar__Apr__May__Jun__Jul__Aug__Sep__Oct__Nov__Dec High___44___49___58___69___78___85___89___87___81___70___59___48 Low____24___26___33___42___52___61___66___65___58___45___36___28 Precip_3.1__2.7__3.6__3.0__4.0__3.6__3.6__3.6__3.8__3.3__3.2__3.1 Snow___8.1__6.2__3.4__0.4__0____0____0____0____0____0.1__0.8__2.2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Thanks for the comments! There will definitely be many more photos and comments about what went on in bus #4. Ryan (palmarum) was of course on our bus, and I know that once he gets all his photos sorted out (THOUSANDS!) there will be plenty for you to watch! I believe 186 were signed up for the Biennial, but a few dropped out at the very last minute, so my guess is that we had right around 180 participants. And yes, we did see a sloth, but we actually saw him in a tree by the parking lot BEFORE we got on the aerial tram. Did not see any monkeys from the tram, but we saw quite a few that same afternoon when we walked on the trail through the rainforest. Here's rush hour in the jungle! Andrés, one of our three guides is facing the crowd. Bill (BS Man about Palms) in a green t-shirt, Alan Markey in a red t-shirt, and André Lundkvist in the back. In front of him one of the participants from Brazil, and unfortunately I forgot his name and I was unable to communicate with him because he spoke Portuguese only. Photo number two of an Astrocayrum alatum with BS Man taking a photo. Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 We saw numerous very large Welfias in Braulio Carrillo, both from the aerial tram and during the hike. The large ones all had trunks that were covered with all sorts of epiphytes. And I just noticed that Andrew Henderson gave the name as Welfia georgii (in the list that is now pinned at the top), while the Kew site gives the (only) valid name as Welfia regia. Will check with Andrew on that one. Photo two: an unusually tall Prestoea decurrens. 1 Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palmarum Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 bgl Posted Today, 03:49 PM Thanks for the comments! There will definitely be many more photos and comments about what went on in bus #4. Ryan (palmarum) was of course on our bus, and I know that once he gets all his photos sorted out (THOUSANDS!) there will be plenty for you to watch! The activities on the Chamaedorea Cyrtostachys Bus #4 were often crazy, exciting and down-right hilarious, as Bo can attest to. I have been editing furiously, and have found some interesting photos from Bus #4. Some of these might never see the light of day again, let alone the Forum. I still need to stick to the "G" rating of course. Ryan 1 South Florida Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Johnson Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Ryan, don't you dare throw out anything. Inquiring minds want to know! Lets get a list of peps that want to see all ( add BS here) and you can send them a PM or something? I DIG PALMS Call me anytime to chat about transplanting palms. 305-345-8918 https://www.facebook...KenJohnsonPalms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeK Posted May 12, 2008 Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Great photos Bo. I rode the aerial tram on my first trip to C.R. 5 years ago. I wasn't into palms that much at the time, but I did notice them. Nice to know the names of all of them now. Looks like you had great weather for the trip to Braulio Carrillo, same as my trip, which is a rarity given the location. Cincinnati, Ohio USA & Mindo, Ecuador Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Tuesday, May 6th, we visited Carara National Park. Another beautiful day with no rain. We had been warned so much about rain that everyone probably assumed that we would experience some very heavy duty tropical downpours every now and then. As it turned out, we didn't have ANY rain on any of the days during the Biennial. Anyway, Carara was beautiful and everyone enjoyed the walk, which lasted a few hours. André and me in the first photo, and Angela and Dean - co-moderator and moderator - in the second one. 1 Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2008 Wednesday, May 7th, it was our turn to make the long drive (about 3 hours each way) to Arenal to see the volcano and the hanging bridges. What an experience!! Here's Robert and Bill Sanford in front of the volcano. This is before we began the hike/walk through the rainforest. A few hours later, visibility was even better and we all got a real good glimpse of this very impressive volcano (very different from the Hawaiian volcanoes). The second photo shows a few Iriartea deltoidea. This was probably the most common palm here, and we saw hundreds, if not thousands, from seedlings up to specimens that were so tall (probably close to 100 ft in height) that sometimes you couldn't even see the crown because it was so high up in the canopy. 1 Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 More photos from Arenal. Here's André, Angela and Dean, obviously fascinated by something quite unusual. Must be a VERY unusual palm, right? Not exactly - see photo 2. This monkey was giving us quite a show, and he was probably no more than 10-12 ft away when I took this photo. Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 The hanging bridges were very impressive and some of them were quite long. There was a limit on how many people could be on a bridge at any given time, and walking across one had to be very careful because the slighest movement would make the bridge swing back and forth. In other words, you REALLY had to pay attention and taking photos was a bit of a challenge. In the first photo, we are crossing a bridge at a lower elevation, and there's a bridge higher up that's just barely visible in the center of the photo. A few other IPS members are crossing it (sorry - can't make out who it is! ). In the second photo, I'm now at that higher bridge, looking down on the lower one from which the first photo is taken. Oh, and every single palm that's visible is an Iriartea deltoidea. There are quite a few in the second photo, and these are all very tall palms. Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS Man about Palms Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 The hanging bridges were very impressive and some of them were quite long. There was a limit on how many people could be on a bridge at any given time, and walking across one had to be very careful because the slighest movement would make the bridge swing back and forth. In other words, you REALLY had to pay attention and taking photos was a bit of a challenge. In the first photo, we are crossing a bridge at a lower elevation, and there's a bridge higher up that's just barely visible in the center of the photo. A few other IPS members are crossing it (sorry - can't make out who it is! ). In the second photo, I'm now at that higher bridge, looking down on the lower one from which the first photo is taken. Oh, and every single palm that's visible is an Iriartea deltoidea. There are quite a few in the second photo, and these are all very tall palms. Bo- Are you SURE those are Iriartea? By the way, here you are as viewed below at some point. I was sad to find out that I somehow started taking lower resolution photo's. Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time. "The great workman of nature is time." "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience." -George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Bill, Yes, I AM sure!! Inside joke - on an earlier occasion I was quite adamant that a large Iriartea was in fact a Socratea. I have some fairly large Iriarteas in our garden, but nothing even close to the ones we saw in habitat in Costa Rica, and when they get really tall they also end up with very significant and impressive stilt roots. We came to the conclusion, eventually, that an easy way to tell the difference is this: if you can see between the stilt roots (i.e. the stilt roots are spaced out quite a bit) it's a Socratea but if the stilt roots are so close together that this is not possible, then it's an Iriartea. Here's a photo showing two Iriartea side by side. Especially the one on the left is a good example, and it's obviously not possible to look "in between" the stilt roots. Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Here's André on one of the longer bridges, with Paul and Patty Craft and Robert in the background. All the palms are Iriartea deltoidea, and they're taller than they look, especially the one to the left of the bridge since the bridge is a good distance above the ground. Second photo is our view to the left: Arenal volcano Third photo: Paul (licuala), Robert (Trinidad Bob) and Ryan (palmarum) - not sure what we're looking at here, but probably a bird. Ryan would know since he's busy taking notes.... Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter John Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 This is a very impressive pic. Happy GardeningCheers, WalQueensland, Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BS Man about Palms Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Heres where and why our Bus changed its name. The 20' tall Lipsticks! (NOT on the tour) Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time. "The great workman of nature is time." "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience." -George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubTropicRay Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 LOL...I'd heard about the "Cyrtostachys Incident" but the photos are better than what I'd imagined Tampa, Interbay Peninsula, Florida, USA subtropical USDA Zone 10A Bokeelia, Pine Island, Florida, USA subtropical USDA Zone 10B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realarch Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Just fantastic! Thanks for the photos, looks so unbelievable. Tim Tim Hilo, Hawaii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike in kurtistown Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Bo, the palms shown in the right photo in post #4 might be a clump of Geonoma coloradonis, which sure look a lot better from above than in the forest. We had a great trip, every day of it. Mike Merritt Big Island of Hawaii, windward, rainy side, 740 feet (225 meters) elevation 165 inches (4,200 mm) of rain per year, 66 to 83 deg F (20 to 28 deg C) in summer, 62 to 80 deg F (16.7 to 26.7 Deg C) in winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Mike, To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't know the difference. Except, that Geonoma is not on Henderson's list. But he could have forgotten... Bo-Göran Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Here are my final photos. I know others will be able to add quite a few more. These are all at the La Paz Water Falls and there were about half a dozen of them (water falls that is!). First photo shows our little group in front of the upper water fall. Second photo shows Jerry and Cindy Andersen in front of the water fall, having their photo taken. And the last one is one of the lower water falls with Jim and Judy Glock. 1 Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike in kurtistown Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Re: post #28 - Sorry, it was Bactris. BTW, I came back unhappy because I didn't get exactly that picture from the tram. When it occurred to me to get it, the tram had moved on. So I am quite happy to see that you got it Bo, and it has been copied to my computer file. Thanks. Mike Merritt Big Island of Hawaii, windward, rainy side, 740 feet (225 meters) elevation 165 inches (4,200 mm) of rain per year, 66 to 83 deg F (20 to 28 deg C) in summer, 62 to 80 deg F (16.7 to 26.7 Deg C) in winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainForestt Robert Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Bus 4, Cyrtostachys/Chamaedorea was entertaining to say the least. Our last day on the bus ended with mixed drinks, hmm good, courtesy of Andrea and Kathryn. The star Hooter Guy did a great job of delivering Jim Glock's Imperial (I believe the beer of choice), all the while the bus negotiated the meandering road. It was, well, a hoot! Trinidad! Southernmost island in the Caribbean. So many plants, So little space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Robert, I just realized I had one more photo of you (even though you may already have seen this one, since several people took the same photo....) Bo-Göran Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyinNY Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Damn...... You guys on bus 4 had a blast... We were on Bus 1 and didn't have any beer.... Bring on the Imperial !!!!!! Bobby Long Island, New York Zone 7a (where most of the southern Floridians are originally from) AVERAGE TEMPS Summer Highs : 85-90f/day, 68-75f / night Winter Lows : 38-45f/day, 25-35f / night Extreme Low : 10-20f/day, 0-10f / night but VERY RARE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osideterry Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 Bo - great thread... I have to get my wife hooked on palms by 2010, or come by myself to the next biennial. I saw this photo and may have invented a new word... PALMGASM! Zone 9b/10a, Sunset Zone 22 7 miles inland. Elevation 120ft (37m) Average annual low temp: 30F (-1C) Average annual rainfall: 8" (20cm) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 Here are a few more pictures from Bus 4 This is Bill Olsen singing some opera for us, which was a real treat! Click Here to Join the IPS Today! Click Here to Renew Your IPS Membership! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen of Bling Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 Damn...... You guys on bus 4 had a blast... We were on Bus 1 and didn't have any beer.... Bring on the Imperial !!!!!! You have no idea how much fun we had!!! I'm not a "palm nut" - just married to one and the friends we have made and aquaintances we have met on our FOUR bienniels are just priceless!!!! (PS - the "hooter guy" is my husband!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen of Bling Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 Bus 4, Cyrtostachys/Chamaedorea was entertaining to say the least. Our last day on the bus ended with mixed drinks, hmm good, courtesy of Andrea and Kathryn. The star Hooter Guy did a great job of delivering Jim Glock's Imperial (I believe the beer of choice), all the while the bus negotiated the meandering road. It was, well, a hoot! OMG - I was told about palmtalk on the infamous Bus #4 and everyone showed a raise of hands for how many hours a day they spend on palmtalk...it Friday afternoon and I'm at work...Searle called me from FL and we started talking about it, I registered and now have been on for a couple of hours just looking at the posting of the Biennial. Guess this thing really can be addictive!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 16, 2008 Report Share Posted May 16, 2008 Welcome to the forum Judy! As soon as I saw that the "Queen of Bling" had posted, I knew it must have been you. Kathryn Click Here to Join the IPS Today! Click Here to Renew Your IPS Membership! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgl Posted May 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2008 Hi Judy, Welcome to the PalmTalk club! And say hi to Paul! Aloha, Bo-Göran Leilani Estates, 25 mls/40 km south of Hilo, Big Island of Hawai'i. Elevation 880 ft/270 m. Average rainfall 140 inches/3550 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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