Pitcher Plants of the Americas Conservation Project

[stewart]

Dear fellow CPers!

I hope that you are all having a very pleasant summer.

As some of you may be aware my new book (Pitcher Plants of the Americas) is soon to be published and available for distribution (late September / October). It is a study of the diversity and wild ecology of Brocchinia, Catopsis, Darlingtonia, Heliamphora and Sarracenia for the purpose of conservation and raising awareness of these extraordinary plants. please see detailed overview at http://www.redfernnaturalhistory.com/ppotascatpage.htm .

I intend to sell copies of Pitcher Plants of the Americas personally and use profits to actively contribute to the protection and conservation of Sarracenia and other carnivorous plants. My goal is to raise enough money within two years to purchase at least one acre of Sarracenia habitat in the south eastern USA and donate it to an American conservation authority for permanent protection. As CP enthusiasts we are all aware of the challenges facing the survival of most species of carnivorous plant species. During this time of unprecedented habitat destruction, less than 2 % of the original Sarracenia wetlands remains intact in the South Eastern USA and indeed many of the last remaining unprotected patches of habitat are swiftly disappearing. I therefore believe it is important to contribute at least in a small way, to the future of the plants which we all find so fascinating.

If you would like to help me reach this objective and would like to obtain Pitcher Plants of the Americas, may I invite you to purchase it from the Redfern Natural History Production website - profits from all sales will be used directly to support this conservation initiative. It will take time and a lot of books to raise the amount of money needed to achieve this goal so please spread the word. I will post updates on the Redfern Natural History Productions website with news of this project and when the time comes specific details of what habitat is eventually purchased and how it is managed and benefiting the future survival of Sarracenia and other carnivorous plants.

I am confident this project is both achievable and worth while. I will also be working through other channels to raise the money and will use proceeds from four more conservation related books which I am publishing to help support this project.

If you would like more information please email me [email protected]

To briefly introduce Pitcher Plants of the Americas, the book is a study of the natural diversity and wild ecology of the five genera of American pitcher plants (Brocchinia, Catopsis, Darlingtonia, Heliamphora, and Sarracenia) It is intended to be the most substantive and up to date overview of the worlds largest and most spectacular group of carnivorous plants which occur across the most barren and least explored areas of the American continents. The work includes over 230 spectacular colour images and line drawings to provide the first complete overview of the systematics, biology, ecology, biogeography, conservation, and horticulture of the American pitcher plants. All currently known forms and varieties of each species of the American pitcher plants are described and examined in detail, in many cases for the very first time.

The introductory chapters of this work outline the taxonomic content and groupings (by trapping methods) of carnivorous plants and briefly review the taxonomy, biology, evolutionary history, and biogeography of the American pitcher plants. The following five chapters are devoted to individual genera of the American pitcher plants and examine indetail the anatomy, habitat, ecology, trapping process, and distribution of each genus and each member species as well as many naturally occurring hybrids and selected cultivars.

The concluding chapters of Pitcher Plants of the Americas summarize the current conservational status of each family of American pitcher plants in terms of the nature and extent of habitat loss and the resulting threat of extinction and the study closes by considering the various successful conservation approaches and initiatives which are helping to secure a bright future for these rare plants.

I have prepared a detailed overview of the study and over 40 sample images at www.redfernnaturalhistory.com

My very best regards to you all

Stewart McPherson

[Andy Collins]

Stewart's new books now available

Books by Stewart McPherson
	Lost Worlds - of the Guyana Highlands Lost worlds is the first and only comprehensive study of the remarkable natural history of the tepuis of the Guiana Highlands. The strengths of this book include (1) its uniquely detailed content; (2) the 248 spectacular figures including breath taking images, maps, historical illustrations and photo (3) the very first published images of several species of tepui dwelling plants and animals in their natural habitats. Lost Worlds is up-to-date, comprehensive, focused, well illustrated, and visually beautiful. It is technically written yet is accessible to specialist and non-specialist audiencesand will be a valued source of information for all interested in the natural history of the remarkable tablelands of the Guiana!
	Glistening Carnivores - The Sticky-Leaved Insect-Eating Plants Glistening Carnivores is up-to-date, uniquely detailed, focused, and visually beautiful. It is technically written yet is accessible to specialist and non-specialist audiences and will be a valued source of information for all interested in the sticky-leaved insect-eating plants and carnivorous plants in general!
	Pitcher Plants of the Americas Pitcher Plants of the Americas is up-to-date, comprehensive, focused, well illustrated, and visually beautiful. It is technically written yet is accessible to specialist and non-specialist audiences and will be a valued source of information, reference book, and spectacular overview of the group that will appeal to botanists, naturalists, ecologists, biogeographers, resource managers, conservationists, horticulturists, and gardeners-among others!

[Andy Collins]

	Books by Stewart McPherson
	******NEW******
	Pitcher Plants of the Old World Volume One Pitcher plants include the largest and most spectacular of all carnivorous plants. So-called because they produce highly specialised foliage that takes the form of hollow, water-filled “pitchers”, these extraordinary plants lure and prey upon arthropods and other small animals. The pitcher plants of the Old World also trap the largest prey of all carnivorous plants, including on rare occasions, vertebrates as large as frogs, mice and even rats. This two volume work examines both genera of Old World pitcher plants (Nepenthes and Cephalotus) and documents the ecology and natural diversity of every known species for the first time and in unparalleled detail... Pitcher Plants of the Old World Volume One consists of the following chapters; Introduction, Carnivorous Plants of the World, The Pitcher Plants of the Old World, The Evolution of the Pitcher Plants of the Old World, Trapping Processes, Infauna, Nepenthes of Borneo and Nepenthes of Peninsular Malaysia and Indochina.
	Pitcher Plants of the Old World Volume Two Pitcher plants include the largest and most spectacular of all carnivorous plants. So-called because they produce highly specialised foliage that takes the form of hollow, water-filled “pitchers”, these extraordinary plants lure and prey upon arthropods and other small animals. The pitcher plants of the Old World also trap the largest prey of all carnivorous plants, including on rare occasions, vertebrates as large as frogs, mice and even rats. This two volume work examines both genera of Old World pitcher plants (Nepenthes and Cephalotus) and documents the ecology and natural diversity of every known species for the first time and in unparalleled detail... . Pitcher Plants of the Old World Volume Two comprises Nepenthes of the Philippines, Nepenthes of Sumatra and Java, Nepenthes of Sulawesi, Nepenthes of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, Nepenthes of the Outlying Areas, Nepenthes Hybrids, Cephalotus follicularis, Habitat Loss and the Threat of Extinction and Cultivation and Horticulture, Appendix, Glossary, Bibliography, Index.
	*****COMING SOON*****
	Carnivorous Plants of the World Carnivorous plants are the most unusual of all flowering plants. So called because they have evolved the unique ability to attract, trap, kill and digest insects and other small animals. These plants turn the tables of the natural world and prey on fauna in order to augment nutrients that are otherwise not available in the often harsh and extreme habitats in which they grow. This work examines the wild ecology and natural diversity of all known genera of carnivorous plants and examines the remarkable and often spectacular means by which they trap and kill animal prey.
	Carnivorous Plants and their Habitats Growing in some of the most barren and extreme habitats of our world, carnivorous plants are adapted to very specific environmental conditions which must be understood for their successful cultivation. This work profiles the natural habitats and environmental requirements of each genus of carnivorous plants to provide horticulturists with a clear and focused understanding of the specific conditions which these remarkable plants require. By understanding the strange worlds in which these unusual and often spectacular plants naturally grow, horticulturists will be better equipped to successfully cultivate and study them.

[Tortoise_Girl]

Oh bummer! The links aren't working for me!

[SoLongFairWell]

On 12/3/2019 at 7:15 PM, Tortoise_Girl said:

Oh bummer! The links aren't working for me!

Go to redfernnaturalhistory.com and follow links from there.