☼ Featured Book ☼
The Savage Garden
Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
By Peter D'Amato
Publisher:
Ten Speed Press, May 1998 Paperback:
336 pages, 225 photos and illustrations in full color
available from
Peter D'Amato has been raising carnivorous plants for three decades, and his nursery, California Carnivores, houses the world's largest collection of flesh-eating flora. There's not much D'Amato doesn't know about growing these oddballs of the plant world, and he imparts his expertise gracefully and with humor in The Savage Garden, which is aimed at curious gardeners who want to grow carnivorous plants both indoors and out. From the ever-fascinating Venus flytrap to the aquatic bladderwort and the rather extravagantly sexual-looking pitcher plant, these exotic plants have a reputation for being difficult to grow, but D'Amato proves otherwise. The necessary water and soil chemistry, proper lighting, and propagation tips are discussed thoroughly along with descriptions and growing tips for many species in each of 11 plant families.
If plants can have personalities, these do--or at least appear to in the hundreds of witty photographs and colored illustrations that show them both at their hungriest and at their most innocuous. This is a stunningly comprehensive guide that will inspire and fascinate even the most squeamish gardener.
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Last Chance to take advantage of our
Summer Camp 2008
Early Bird Special
Register by February 16th for our Oakland or Berkeley Camps or by February 22nd for our San Ramon Camp and save
$25/week*
*Payment must be made in full |
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND Summer Day Camp blends the exciting science and nature studies developed by Sarah Shaffer, with art, music, hiking, swimming, and outdoor games. Our goal is for every child to have a summer filled with outrageous fun in a beautiful, wild, natural setting. We say, "No child left indoors!"
Nature and science work together. The weird and wonderful world of nature provides a great way to "hook" kids on science. In turn hands-on science and art activities connect children to the natural world, increasing environmental awareness and instilling a deep caring for our world.
WEEKLY THEMES
Each week your child will work on two hands-on projects per day related to our weekly themes.
Oakland and Berkeley themes include:
■ Catapults and Castles
- Medieval Science ■ Crazy Color Contraptions ■ Terrific Transformers ■ Batty about Bats ■ The Science of Snooping
San Ramon themes include:
■ All Wired Up! ■ Coyotes and their
Canine Kin ■ Crazy Contraptions ■ Rockin' Robots ■ Kaboom! Pop, Burst
& Bubble
CAMP DATES: Oakland and Berkeley June 16 - August 29, 2008 San Ramon July 7 - August 15, 2008
HOURS: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Extended care available 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
LOCATIONS: Roberts Regional Park Our Oakland site is located in beautiful Roberts Regional Park off Skyline Boulevard in the Oakland Hills. This site is known for its lush second-growth redwood forest. It also has a pool, grassy playing fields, and play structures.
Tilden Park Our Berkeley site is located at the Buckeye and Orchard Picnic Areas; lovely wooded sites below the Carousel. We are surrounded by great paths and streams, and we hike to Lake Anza to swim once a week.
Little Hills Ranch San RamonOur newest site is located at beautiful Little Hills Ranch on Bollinger Canyon Road in San Ramon. Although it's a mere ten minute drive from the I-680 freeway, Little Hills Ranch is a secluded, peaceful oasis removed from the hectic everyday world. This lovely, rejuvenating location next to Las Trampas Regional Park features 100 acres of open grassy areas and large shade trees, a fenced swimming pool, play structures and hiking trails. For more information call (510) 581-3739 or visit our website: www.sarahscience.com

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Shop Amazon.com
Shop at Amazon.com and support This Land Is Your Land Summer Day Camp scholarships. All purchases made at Amazon.com through the above link will generate 4%-10% referral fees, which will be used by Sarah's Science to provide scholarships to children who would otherwise be unable to attend. Thank you.
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© 2008 Sarah's Science. All Rights Reserved. | |
Greetings!
On a recent visit to Montana, I was fortunate to be able to spend time hiking in the spectacular Yellowstone National Forest. If you haven't seen this natural wonderland, I strongly recommend that you add it to your list of must-see places. There are two advantages to visiting in winter: there are far fewer visitors, and you have the opportunity to see more animals in their undisturbed habitat. I was able to take some photos of a few of the woodland animals that normally hide out in summer when there are many more visitors in the park.
As I mentioned in last month's E-news, we have many exciting programs in the works this year. Next up is Mantis Mania, which I'm offering on Saturday, March 8th and then repeating on Saturday, April 26th. The program is expanded to two hours and will cover the material of two classes in one.
Spring Camp 2008 takes place in Oakland and our new location in Dublin the week of March 24-28 and in Berkeley the week of March 31-April 4. We have some fantastic projects focusing on our theme of Oceans, and we'll be taking a field trip to the Marin Headlands in Sausalito and to the Marine Mammal Center.
My daughter Riva and I will be presenting our Mother/Daughter Science Day on Saturday, April 5th. This is a wonderful opportunity for mothers and their daughters to have fun together while expanding their scientific horizons.
Don't forget that time is running out on our Early Bird discount offer for This Land Is Your Land 2008 Summer Day Camp. Register and pay in full by February 16th for Oakland and Berkeley and by February 22nd for our new camp in San Ramon and save $25/week.
We had a great time last Saturday at our Bug of the Month Club working with carnivorous plants. I thought it might be interesting for those who weren't there to learn something about raising a carnivorous plant, so my article below focuses on how to care for a Cape Sundew. If you'd like to learn more, I recommend checking out our featured Book, The Savage Garden, and also visiting California Carnivores in the early spring.
I look forward to seeing many of you at our programs this year.
Sincerely,
Sarah Shaffer
Photo of Sarah courtesy of SF Chronicle |
Experience the Mystery of the Cape Sundew
Growing your very own carnivorous plant can be fun
At our last Bug of the Month Club each child took home a carnivorous (meat-eating) plant called a Cape Sundew. These are easy plants to grow; they produce lovely pink flowers, and best of all, they will help you control fruit flies in your kitchen.
These plants do well indoors all year long, preferably in a sunny window. I keep mine in my kitchen because they like the moisture above the sink and because I like watching them while I wash dishes.
The sundew should be kept in a bowl or saucer with at least 1 inch of water in it at all times. I use filtered water or distilled water, but Peter D'Amato from California Carnivores says that if you live in Oakland, you can use tap water.

Although the sundew will attract and eat insects, you do not need to feed them insects. Insect eating is an adaptation that evolved because these plants live in marshy soils lacking in nitrogen and other nutrients needed for plant growth. The sundew has sufficient nutrients in the soil to keep it going for several years without eating insects or transplanting. If you plan to attend our Mantis Mania program next month, you will be taking home vials of fruit flies, and it might be fun to shake a few of those fruit flies on your sundew as a tasty little treat.
I purchase these carnivorous plants from California Carnivores, the largest carnivorous plant nursery in the world. A visit to this nursery (in Sebastopol) makes a great family outing. Wait until the plants are out of dormancy in spring or summer. And please say "hi" to my friend, Peter D'Amato, the owner and author of this month's featured book, The Savage Garden. His address and website are listed below.
California Carnivores 2833 Old Gravenstein Highway South Sebastopol, California 95472 Phone: (707) 824-0433 FAX: (707) 824-2839 Email: Califcarn@aol.com
www.californiacarnivores.com
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At our Spring Camp 2008, Oceans, for children ages 5 - 15, we will be studying the amazing underwater world of oceans. Through a series of exciting, hands-on science lessons, we will explore the tides, currents, and the bizarre creatures and plants that inhabit the ocean. We will learn about the shoreline where land meets the sea. On Wednesday (Oakland) and Thursday (Dublin/San Ramon, Berkeley), we will take a field trip to the Marin Headlands and to The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito.
In addition to studying California's oceans, we will do fun, creative art projects, play outdoors, take hikes, and watch science movies.
Featured Projects
Each child will make and take home:
► Magnetic ocean aquarium
► 3-D spouting whale
► Octopus diving toy
► Shark tooth necklaces
► Ocean food chain
► Balloon-powered boat
► Ocean life matching game
► Fish Prints
DATES
Oakland: March 24 - 28, 2008
Dublin/San Ramon: March 24 - 28, 2008
Berkeley: March 31 - April 4, 2008
HOURS 8:00 am - 5:30 pm
COST
$85/day ($95/day after 3/10/08); $80/day for 5 days
LOCATIONS Lake Merritt United Methodist Church 1255 First Avenue, Oakland
Dublin Elementary School 7997 Vomac Road, Dublin
The Crowden Music Center 1475 Rose Street, Berkeley
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You meet the best bugs at-
Bug of the Month Club®
"Calling all Bugsters!" (Ages 4 - 12)
In monthly classes, children explore the bizarre and fascinating world of insects. Each class features a different insect, its habitat and its unique role in our world.
MANTIS MANIA EXTRAVAGANZA!
Two exciting classes in one! Learn the life cycle and natural history of this most fascinating insect and raise your own pet praying mantis. From breeding drosophila (baby mantis food) to watching mantids emerge from their egg cases-experience nature's wonders up close.
You will take home:
- two vials of drosophila
- growing medium
- fruit fly booklets
- two praying mantis egg cases (50-500 baby mantids will emerge)
- two hatchery containers
- praying mantis booklet
Dates:
Sat. March 8 and Sat. April 26 (repeat class) Time:
10 am -12 pm or 1 pm - 3 pm
(same class repeated twice) Where: Lake Merritt United Methodist
Fee: $65.00 (includes all materials and a snack)
To Register for Mantis Mania, call (510) 581-3739
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Bug Safari on Saturday, May 3, 2008 at Sunol Regional Wilderness
For more information, call (510) 581-3739 or visit our website at www.sarahscience.com.
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Exploring the Bizarre World of Insect-eating (Carnivorous) Plants
 We had a blast at Bug of the Month Club last week learning how some plants became insect eaters. We even got to take home our very own carnivorous plant so we can watch these unique plants in action!
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