Laila Mureb from Associação Mico Leão Dourado (AMLD)
​April 2026
The Epiphyte Enrichment Project

AMLD was the recipient of the San Diego Bromeliad Society's Conservation Grant for 2025. The organization protects golden lion tamarins, an endemic primate species in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In this presentation and Q &A, Juliana Raposo from SDBS interviews Laila Mureb to learn about the Brazilian NGO's pioneering landscape restoration project, where bromeliads and other epiphytes were reintroduced to areas where trees had been planted. This is part of AMLD's strategy of expanding the habitat of golden lion tamarins as their population rebounds. The project underscores the important ecological role that epiphytes play in the health of tropical forests, and the importance of bromeliads as a source of food, water and shelter for golden lion tamarins.

Macro Photography
Rodrigo Freitas, January 2025

Dive into the intricate beauty of flora and fauna through these stunning macro images. You will see not only bromeliads, but also other life forms that dwell in the atlantic forest. Witness the delicate details and vibrant colors that often go unnoticed, revealing the hidden marvels of our natural world.

Collecting and Traveling: Nathan G David
Talks to the San Diego Bromeliad Society, Part 1  -  Nov 2024

Nathan G. David, from Brazil, talks about his collection of Brazilian bromeliad species in November 2024. An extended version of this presentation where he details the expedition with Sejong Zhang is also available in the @sandiegobromeliadsociety channel.

​Guillermo Rivera was our featured speaker on April 8th, 2023.

We saw amazing Tillandsias in flower, high elevation Puya, spectacular Vrieseas and the most incredible bromeliad Puya raimondii growing at 4400 meters, with its inflorescence of over 20 feet!
Dr. Leonardo Versieux:  The Espinhaço Mountain Range in Minas Gerais and Bahia: a living laboratory for Bromeliads Diversity
April 2022 ​ SDBS featured speaker
Leonardo Versieux, well-known for his discoveries of new bromeliads in the Minas Gerais and Bahia states of Brazil was our speaker in April. Leonardo spoke to us from Bahia, taking us on a trip for special plants in the Espinhaço Mountain ranges of northeastern Brazil. He introduced us to the geography and geology of these mountains and how they have produced the high diversity of bromeliads found there as well as the people who have been involved in their discovery.

Greg and Narelle Aizlewood "Bromeliads
From Down Under on the East Coast (Queensland)"
August 2021 ​ SDBS featured speakers
Greg and Narelle Aizlewood reside in a small fishing village located on the coast midway between the Gold Coast and Brisbane in Queensland. They have been growing bromeliads since 1985 and have travelled extensively in South America to Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Ecuador. Greg has a very interesting Tillandsia collection, a lot of which has been grown from seed. Greg’s love of bromeliads originally started with Billbergias and he has registered quite a few Billbergias hybrids. Narelle enjoys working with the softer leaved bromeliads.

Carl Carter Roadside Bolivia
July 2021 SDPBS featured speaker
​Join Carl on a trip driving some 6000 miles (10,000 km), sometimes on paved roads, through the highlands and lowlands of Bolivia. This is not just an amble through the Andes. Tillandsias and puyas are the main focus of this presentation.

Graeme Barclay on "Growing Bromeliads in the Bush"
May 2021 ​ SDBS featured speaker
This presentation highlights the cultivation of many Brazilian species in his collection, plus other rarities that grow well for himself and others in New Zealand. Graeme will cover techniques and tips on growing bromeliad species as epiphytes in his cool, moist climate of Auckland.  We will see many extremely well-grown bromeliads and can pick up growing tips for our own collections from this enthusiastic grower.​

Pamela Koide-Hyatt on the Bromeliad Legacy of Werner Rau
April 2021 SDBS featured speaker
Pam presented a program to us in April 2021 about the life of Professor Werner Rauh and his important work with bromeliads.  Dr. Rauh was the director at the Heidelberg Botanical Garden and Herbarium for several decades.  Prior to his retirement, he undertook more than 36 expeditions, mainly to South and Central America, as well as to southern Africa and Madagascar.  This program discussed his wonderful work and contribution to the world of bromeliads.

Floral Characteristics of Some Bromeliads
By March 2021 SDBS featured speaker
​Dr. Claudia Hornung Leoni
FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS IN BROMELIADS was a presentation with interesting points about the shapes and colors of the flowers, some characteristics of the nectars found in bromeliad flowers, and the relationship of visitors to the plants (e.g. pollinators and predators).

Orlando Graeff:  Brazilian Bromeliads
& His Phytogeographic Garden
January 2021 SDBS featured speaker
Orlando combines his wide knowledge of the world of bromeliads with the love and dedication of a real gardener.  He has written several books about the habitats of the plants in Brazil, from the moist rainforests to the dry caatinga of that vast country.  He has also developed a phytogeographic garden, the term used by botanists to describe a place in which plants are grouped to represent the flora of the areas in which they occur naturally.

Nan & Her Crew Highlight the 2018 World Bromeliad Conference
Filmed right here in San Diego in June of 2018
As seen on "A Growing Passion"

Nan interviews the late Paul Isley about Growing Tillandsias at the World Bromeliad Conference in June 2018, as seen on "A Growing Passion"

Tour the Small Garden of SDBS Member Julianna 
As seen on "A Growing Passion" in 2019

Barry Landau's Tour Through the 2018 WBC Show
Many top-notch specimens with their names,
​including the winners at the head table!

Amateur Video of Last Summer Under the Shade Cloth
Maybe you have a video to share as well?

Scott's Bromeliad Potting Video
Basics: potting tips