Time: Tuesday, 9 July at 7.30pm (BST)
This month we are delighted to have Roger Ferryman speak to us once more.
Roger says, “My first trip to Chile was in 1982, a journey that took 42 hours and lasted nearly four months. My trip in 2024 took 15 hours direct. How things have changed! Not all for the better of course as civilisation has had a dramatic effect on our world. For me, there is no better place to be than in the Atacama Desert surrounded by the glorious plants, sunshine, and the occasional Pisco sour. The thrill of finding plants is just the same as in my earlier trips. I have also visited Argentina on numerous occasions, Mexico, and the USA. I spent three years living in South Africa and bought a 4×4 to enable me to make trips to lithops country as well as explore the fabulous animals’ habitats. Following that, I was based in Texas and California for three years with a 4×4 Jeep as my company car, so I got around a bit to enjoy the cacti of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico in particular. I have a large number of copiapoa and other Chilean cacti dominating my collection. I enjoy growing and especially seed raising. However, this cannot compare with seeing these plants in habitat − I hope you will agree”.
Copiapoa are truly iconic plants both in nature and cultivation. In this talk their unmatched beauty along with their fight for survival in our ever-changing world is highlighted. Roger will also look at the other cacti of Chile. Please join us for this fascinating talk.