New England Carnivorous Plant Society

We are sorry to announce that the April meeting of the NECPS which was scheduled to be held on Saturday, April 18th at 12:30 PM at the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center has been CANCELED.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Mayor Jorge O. Elorza announced updates regarding Providence's COVID-19 response and the closure of all Providence public parks, green spaces, dog parks, sports fields and courts, and off-road trails. After a weekend of enforcement followed by increasingly warmer weather, additional restrictions have been put in place to prevent further community spread of COVID-19.

As of 12:00PM today, April 7, all Providence parks, green spaces, dog parks, sports fields and courts, and off-road trails - including Roger Williams Park, North Burial Ground, Blackstone Boulevard and Pleasant Valley Parkway - are closed for pedestrian and recreational use until May 1. As of Wednesday, April 8, all golf courses in the City of Providence will also be closed. Providence Police will continue to enforce these restrictions with the assistance of city staff. Additional security measures will be put in place at facilities across the city this week to ensure compliance.

Nathan Gary Lovell passed away on March 27, 2019 surrounded by his family. Nathan was a founding member of the NECPS and will be greatly missed by all.

Born in Salt Lake City in 1976 to Gary and Carolee Lovell, Nathan is the oldest sibling to one brother and four sisters. He spent his early childhood in Royal Oak, Michigan, his adolescence in Rexburg and his adult life in Salt Lake City, Boston, MA and Miami, FL.

As a child, he developed an insatiable appetite for learning, so much so that he read encyclopedias for fun. His curiosity thrived in a family that loved adventures and travel. In high school, he was a National Merit Scholar and an enthusiastic participant in choir.

He served a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in the Florida, Ft. Lauderdale mission Spanish speaking, which he considers his greatest accomplishment. He loved the people, cultures, and climate of Miami. He actively served in many other church callings and especially enjoyed serving in his Spanish branch.

After his mission, Nathan attended the University of Utah, receiving degrees in Computer Science and Chemistry. He participated in Institute Choir and enjoyed the time spent living with his grandparents. Nathan studied Material Science at MIT receiving his Master's and PhD. At MIT he worked on saline filtration and OLEDs. His one wish would be for every state to pass a bottle bill to encourage recycling.

After graduating, Nathan returned to Miami where he spent his last eight years. He was the resident scientist for a logistics company, taught chemistry at a local college, and worked on various construction projects. He was proud of the creative solutions he invented for especially complicated problems.

Nathan had a quick wit and was a master of puns. He's remembered for being genuine, unassuming and kind. He was described by a friend as someone ""known for his service, faithfulness and biking.""

He didn't own a car for 16 years of his adult life, and insisted on road biking everywhere including a solo bike trip he took from Boston to Canada. We wish we could calculate how many thousands of miles he's biked. He spread his love of biking by helping friends and family find great bikes for a good price.

Nathan has always had a love for plants. As a youth, he grew a watermelon in the garden despite the short Rexburg summers. During his time in Boston he was a founding webmaster of the New England Carnivorous Plant Society - a good fit for a man whose bedroom resembled a greenhouse for obscure plants. His enthusiasm and knowledge was contagious and he loved to teach about the flora wherever he lived.

Read the Full Obituary Here

In the absence of meetings, here are a few early Spring photos of some of Jeff's plants. Simply click on the links to view the larger images.

If anyone would like to learn how to post photos in our forum Click Here

N. Edwardsiana
N. Edwardsiana 2
Tongiraro Pleione

D. graomogolensis
N. bongso
N. bongso 2

Have an idea for a presentation or demonstration? If there is a meeting or other event that the NECPS will be participating in, or some other carnivorous plant related news item that you would like to share? Please forward the information to the Webmaster so that it can be included here.

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Membership Dues are payable at or before the January meeting.

The newly-discovered species belongs to Nepenthes, a genus of tropical pitcher plants in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae.

The genus comprises over 170 species, mostly native to Madagascar, Southeast Asia, and Australia. The greatest diversity occurs on Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines, with many endemic species.

Also known as monkey cups (because monkeys have been observed drinking rainwater from these plants), all Nepenthes species are carnivorous plants that capture their prey by means of modified pitcher-shaped leaves that function as passive pitfall traps.

Attracted by nectar secreted from the underside of the trap's lid, insects and other prey slip from the mouth of the pitcher into a pool of liquid and are unable to escape, because of the pitcher's downward-pointing hairs and slick sides. The animals drown and are eventually digested by enzymes.

Named Nepenthes cabanae, the newfound species occurs only in Mt. Malimumu, Pantaron range, Bukidnon Province of Mindanao Island, Philippines.

"This discovery brings the number of Nepenthes species in this mountain range to eight," said Central Mindanao University researchers Noel Lagunday and Victor Amoroso.

"Mt. Pantaron is currently not a protected area, but the diversity of Nepenthes suggests concerted efforts should be made to develop a conservation strategy to preserve and protect the area."

Read the Full Article Here

Currently infection to the new coronavirus is spreading on a global scale. WHO assessed this situation as a pandemic. The US declared a state of emergency yesterday. Japan is now ready to declare the same, as the pertinent law was approved by the Diet.

We cannot expect change for the better. Therefore, the organizer team would like to postpone 13th ICPS Conference - Japan by 1 year. We will aim at holding the conference in May 2021. However, we may reconsider it depending on the situation. As for refund of the paid registration fees, please refer to the conference home page.

-- Koji Kondo for the organizer team.

ICPS World Conferences