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One of our friends in the neighborhood had a large Butia in his garden which I photographed from a side street to his yard and posted a couple of times on this website. We see the South American Palm weevil taking down plenty of Canary Island Date Palms along with a few other species, but not nearly as frequently do they seem to attack the other species from South America. It is a big deal when we see a Jubea succomb to them, and given the number of Jubea's in my area, it was unusual to see this one get hit. When I saw it was headless a couple of weeks ago, I knew I wanted to ask the neighbor the next time I saw him. This morning I finally got the opportunity to ask as we crossed paths walking our dogs. He moved into the house a little less than 50 years ago, and the palm was large back at that time he told me. He was having it trimmed, when his landscaper called him out to give him the bad news. While it wasn't showing the classic signs of a palm weevil attack on a CIDP yet, it was completely infested in the crown. He was convinced to leave a portion of the trunk after removal of the crown and a significant amount of the top of the trunk. He is contemplating having the trunk carved since it was part of their backyard life all these years. I encouraged him to have it carved and will share photos if he does. Before some of my palms got large, I could see his house from my back deck as I looked up the hill to the east. His neighbor's tall Canary Island Date Palm is long since gone. It is sad to see so many beautiful palms die. I know we will lose more, I just hope that their diet remains focused on CIDP and the other genra remain the exceptions. The photo from a few years ago I have posted doesn't show the base of the palm which was obscured by the shrubs along the sidestreet, but it was one of the tallest Butia's I personally have seen in Southern California.

Hello everyone, My name is Sebastián Vieira, and I’m writing from Colombia. I’m a naturalist and currently the Executive Director of Salvamontes Colombia, a non-profit organization focused on the conservation and restoration of threatened species and their habitats, mainly through the creation and long-term care of private natural reserves. Although I didn’t come to conservation through a formal biology track ( I originally studied and worked as an engineer and spent many years working in telecommunications ), my interest in plants and the natural world has been with me for as long as I can remember. Over time, that curiosity slowly turned into field work, conservation projects, nature photography, and taxonomic research, especially on Pleurothallid orchids. It was that long, hands-on relationship with nature that lead me to be a co-founder of Salvamontes, and nowadays, its leader. Andy Hurwitz invited to come and participate in PalmTalk, and share with everyone here our amazing story, so it’s really nice to finally introduce SalvaMontes and our work here, especially thanks to the invitation from the International Palm Society, whose support has been fundamental for one of the projects I care most deeply about. That project is the Sabinaria Natural Reserve, located in the Darién region of northwestern Colombia, close to the border with Panama. This is an incredibly rich rainforest area, still poorly studied, and it happens to be the only place on Earth where the striking palm Sabinaria magnifica is found. A few years ago, while visiting the area, it became clear that much of the known habitat of Sabinaria magnifica was privately owned and increasingly exposed to deforestation and land-use change. Given how limited the species’ distribution is, it doesn’t take much habitat loss to create serious long-term risks. With that in mind and with crucial support from the International Palm Society, we were able to acquire and legally protect 50 hectares of tropical rainforest, securing what we believe is a meaningful portion of the global habitat and population of Sabinaria magnifica. Today, that forest is permanently protected as a private natural reserve. What makes this especially rewarding is that Sabinaria magnifica also works as an umbrella species. By protecting its habitat, we’re also conserving many other threatened organisms that depend on the same intact forest. This includes species like the critically endangered harlequin frog Atelopus fronterizo and the rare tree Magnolia sambuensis, along with many other plants and animals that are still little known. For us, Sabinaria is much more than a single-species project. It reflects a broader way of doing conservation: protecting habitat first, learning directly from the field, working with local communities, and committing to long-term stewardship rather than short-term interventions. I’m really glad to be here and look forward to learning from all of you, sharing updates from the field, and exchanging ideas about palms and their conservation around the world. I am also sharing some images showing the Sabinaria palm and its natural habitat. Finally, it is very important to thank and recognize the important support and participation of biologists Norman Echavarría, Norberto López, Saul Hoyos, Gloria Galeano and Rodrigo Bernal. Without them this project would not be a reality. PS: I will come back soon with additional information and images. Warm regards from Colombia, Sebastián Salvamontes Colombia

Update almost a year later! They recovered beautifully. Hoping for another recovery after the freeze expected this weekend. Good luck to all bracing for the storm!! 🌴❤️

Thank you for the heads up. I just looked up what you're talking about and had no idea. I've been using that site for many years, never again! Hoping everyone stays safe through this storm, it's going to ravage much of the South. We're hunkered down now here in Texas.

You have a nice A. Cunninghamiana there by the looks of it. Harry

The world needs such conservationists like yourself. Great pictures, keep up the good work. Iam doing my bit by growing as many as I can!

Archontophoenix purperea not as bright as some I have seen, but purperea nonetheless!

I just wanted to say I hope everyone in the path of this nasty winter storm is safe and here’s hoping everyone’s palms and other tropicals make it through.

It’s going to be bad here in Northeast Louisiana. Ice storm and probably not going above freezing until Tuesday once it goes below 32 tonight (It’s 35F as of 10:30 and falling). I’m not protecting anything except a young tree fern… hopefully we keep electricity.

Nice one give it 20 years and you will have fantastic looking palm there.

So sad to see this. Harry

People are saying this will be snowmageddon 2010 (2026 edition) and yeah it will be. Our snow record is on track to break the record 13.3 inches set in the 1800’s!!! At least 7 days below freezing which is.. very not normal not even a once every 5 winter thing this will be insane. Now things can change but this isn’t the type of temps to change.

Oof. But yeah that’s good man .4-5 inches is still oooof.

Yes, they're not very leaf hardy but if it stays above 25°F it will recover - at least in Texas. Might not like extended freezing temperatures - they're usually less than 12 hours in south Texas.

This is 100% truth. I got all my protections done. I feel a lot better. This is only my third winter but I have quickly learned that whatever temp they predict during these arctic outbreaks is going to be higher than actual values we'll see. All my palms have been planted this year and a few from the year before so they are not established. I have to take extra precautions. I'm a broken record on this forum saying that I just want an average winter.

Mark the spear and and monitor its daily condition to find out whether it moves. If it moves, plant is still alive, but not for long, as prolonged cool weather weakens it further.

Were getting freezing rain here, I'm about to head out and start covering and weather proofing the palms! good luck to everyone!

Yeh, I hope it does something in the not too distant future. Just today I've repotted it as I'd jammed it in a big pot next to a jubaea and it was definitely competing for root space! I hope it doesn't end up too big. I love puya flowers, and this year seems an exceptional flowering year for the few growing around here, but man they get massive and I don't have the room for that! Thats a shame the expert isn't still around, however you seem to have taken over the mantle very well!

Nothing better than a day in the bush, checking out the native palms, even a couple of Livistona Australis in the steep sandstone rocky country!

Tuckeri, myolensis a couple more you can track down! Richard

I converted someone from that horrible company yayayay!

Currently 4 degrees here. Snow hasn't started yet but they are expecting 4 to 8 inches in the area. No freezing rain for us. Palms are wrapped and heated. I've got a yucca rostrata on its own for it's first season so we will see. Hopefully this winter episode is over hyped and we see less ice than some spots are in line for 🤞 Good luck everyone and hopefully everybody's power stays up

I completely agree I'd take my weather over yours, but if Google is accurate at all you're still in a solid 9a winter:

I reckon just dig a big long trench, where you want them and just pour the seeds in, you never know your luck! 🍀

Looks like low/mid-30's here in Brownsville, which sucks because I hate the cold but isn't going to damage anything I have if it warms up during the day. If we had like last year where it was 33F-38F for three straight days and then a dip to 28F one night, that made a couple things sad. My coconut will go unprotected but it's in a super sheltered spot so it should be fine. If we get a really bad frost - which I'm not expecting - my Chamaedora cataractarum will probably have some leaf burn. Up at the property in Laredo they're saying 27F-28F. Again, not terrible, but still a freeze.

I finally thought to check out that palm I spotted during Summer. It would seem to be a Ravenea (Majesty palm). The coldest we've dropped so far is 29°F, so the frost has burnt it badly.

Hey reminder yall, inaccuweather don’t use it!!! Just DONT! They are very very inaccurate use lots of computers models in forecasts, and basically broke the law with their illegal hurricane forecast tracks saying they were more accurate than official info etc etc. Bad company. On the server I’m on you will get banned for posting inaccuweather stuff.

A light fish emulsion foliar feed does wonders for them.

Hello, My 7-gallon needle palm was planted last summer and it's currently in a fully enclosed winter box, with an additional layer of mulch. Should I add heating to it, living in 6b (close to 7a)? Last winter the lowest temperature was -12C (10.5F), and this winter we've already seen -10C (14F). Kind regards, Pavel

Nice day today so I thought I'd snap a pic of my Needle palm. Top down view.

And as the world is warming up we should see severe artic outbreaks almost every year now . I wonder how this changes our world of palms we live in. That's a lot of stress for our vegetation. Hot summers, droughts and freezing temperatures every year.

David Reimer predicts 15 to 17f for San Antonio. 15 means probably 14/13f in my area on the NE side . My yard is going to get nuked .

Quickly! I do have two flowers setting seed right now. If all goes well, hope to have more in a few months.

Chrysalidocarpus paucifolius showing some good color. Tim

This is exactly what I do and how I feel about the hardiness zone map. I look at currentresults and extremeweatherwatch to see records of the lows. Then I can kind of get an idea about what to expect. What makes me upset is that in the past five years we have been getting zone 8b winters in Houston. I was hoping for at least ONE mild winter so that I can enjoy full growth over the summer. We also had a nasty drought in 2023 that ended my palms that survived the 2021 freeze. I just couldnt keep up with the watering when we had several days above 105 degrees and no rain at all for like three months. It was very extreme. My lawn was brown and crunchy that entire year, I even painted it green lol it was so ugly. Then hurricane Beryl came in and knocked down branches of my oaks and my queen palms. So it's been extreme. It's not just the zone numbers to grow palms in this area. There's a lot of other factors too. ANOTHER thing is the darn pests. I wanted to plant canariensis palms but that beetle has caused havoc on all palms in this area so that's a no. It's a challenge growing palms here.

When do you think I will know if it has made it or not?

I see a few out there in palm land want to start selling plants. It’s quite simple really, you don’t need a degree in business management! Step one choose quality stock to send, the customer is always right. Make sure they are aware of what you’re sending, seller communication is critical. Package your plants well, this is critical for a couple of reason, it’s nice to receive well presented plants, and if there are delays in shipping your plants stand a better chance of arriving in better condition. Post immediately express postage, there are various methods of packaging choose one that suits your taste, but remember you should be able to shake the packaging and nothing move around. And if all goes well you will have yourself a nice little hobby business that can grow as big as you want. Remember quality plants packaged well, seller communication and your in the business of supplying plants!

I would not separate Archontophoenix , it can be done but it is very difficult. If they come three in a pot , plant them that way. Other palms can handle being separated without much problem . I hope the other two that are doing better survive for you . Harry

A view from my deck ! 15 years old and my largest of 4 Lepidorachis.

L rupicola and Metroxylon hinting colors. Pinanga sp. as well.

A few cones around the yard, Z. Stevensonii male cone start to shed pollen. Maturing Z. inermis cones that were pollinated about a year ago. Z. Fairchildiana male cones close to opening. Z. variegata disintegrating cone. Male Z. Splendens cones starting to shed pollen which is nice because the female cones are probably going to start to open in a few weeks. And last is an unknown cycas cone opening up.

Cycad enthusiasts, i have some fresh encephalartos nubimontanus seeds available. 10 dollars per seed. Discounts on larger amounts is negotiable. All seeds are float tested and any floaters are disposed of.

Red Latan pushing a new frond after losing all but 2. Peeling back old leaf bases of the Cuban Red Dacca banana. Oooooh lawd it's pretty, and it's gonna be a monster. Regular here, Congo Rojo philodendron new leaf

A nice bit of colour on the iguanura new leaf, and all bright green after a good thunderstorm in the garden this afternoon!

You all did it!! $25,000 was raised for Ravenea louvelii. As Conservation Chair for IPS I want to thank every one of you for helping save this remnant palm population. If our palm people had not stepped up, the situation in Madagascar might have become bleak. We will keep you posted on what Mijoro and his team are doing.

I have looked in to the forecast for Athens and a mere +1 C Is predicted for Monday night. If this is accurate in my garden temperature may fall down to 0 C. Weather station in the weekend house displays a freaky low air pressure, which seems to confirm the forecast. Up to now the outplanted triple Wodyetia seem to resist cold and wind after the initial transplant shock and mechanical loss of an older fronds due to wind. Remaining fronds are steep uniformly green, meaning that root system has adapted to garden soil.

24 hour lows look at the difference north vs south of Lake P !! 30s deep into Pinellas Sudden dip into the 40s is probably enough to shock things like soursop and breadfruit into leaf drop

Rabbits are bad, but nothing is more destructive than a University of Florida grounds keeper.

Larry, I'd tend to agree if not for the fact that before my injury I was running 32-40 miles a week (plus about 50-60 miles a week cycling), LOL. Not to be "vulgar", :cool: but I can always tell when I am really losing weight because my bra cup size goes way down. Boobs are all fat, y'know?