Our October speaker will be Dennis Cathcart – be sure to come in person and meet the Bromeliad expert and traveler extraordinaire!
Meeting Date:
Third Tuesday, October 17th, 2023 at 7:00pm (ZOOM login/social time at 6:30 p.m.)
Meeting Place: Metropolitan Multi-Service Center
1475 West Gray St., Houston, TX 77019 and on ZOOM.
Program Presenter: Dennis Cathcart is a lifelong naturalist with a deep interest in reptiles, amphibians, and plants. In 1976, following a decade of work in herpetology, he founded Tropiflora, LLC, a bromeliad and tropical plant nursery in Sarasota, Florida. An avid plant explorer, he and his wife Linda made frequent expeditions to many countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Later, they expanded their travels to Africa, Madagascar, and Southeast Asia. Their travels led to the discovery of many species new to science and horticulture. Hundreds of specimens they contributed reside in various herbariums and botanical gardens worldwide.
Tropiflora supplied the anchor collection for the world-famous Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. In a five-year span, they shipped three hundred fifty thousand plants by airfreight to Singapore. They made a series of trips to help with their care and installation. Dennis is a frequent speaker. He has presented at venues in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Venezuela, Brazil, and the Bahamas. These days he and Linda are (mostly) retired from the nursery business. These days, their daughter Robin and son Scott manage Tropiflora. Now a full-time, published writer, natural history remains Dennis’ first interest. He and Linda continue to explore exotic lands far and near, maintaining the life of adventure they love.
Dennis will bring his book, Koulèv: Adventures of an American Snake Hunter, Book One and Book Two, to sell and sign. There are three printed versions of both volumes, all will be available:
- Professional Edition: Paperback, color photos, tables, index, glossary. $35.00
- Collector Edition: Hardcover, color photos, tables, index, glossary. $48.00
- Paperback Black and White Edition: glossary. $18.00
Presentation: A Naturalist Visits Eastern Cuba, is an overview of various locations in Eastern Cuba assembled from two visits in 2023. There will be brief mention and photos of Cuban lifestyle, and people We will focus on plants, animals, and their habitats in the wild parts of Eastern Cuba. The varied terrain, from tropical forests, mangroves, desert, karst hills, mountains, seacoast, and caves. It features plants we encountered, along with reptiles, birds, and invertebrates.