Anybody still subscribe to this newsletter?

Needless to say, it has been an extremely long time since we have sent out an Understory Update.

Lots of changes have taken place; the biggest ones all have to do with plants.  Over the past couple of years, we have retooled a lot of our infrastructure and resources towards the production of a large selection of terrarium and houseplants.  Our focus is geared towards smaller aroids and epiphytes which are generally well suited to growing in tropical terraria, and also alongside dart frogs.  That being said we do also grow a selection of large species which are generally better suited for the house plant crowd, or very large terraria.  We have been regularly importing many new and interesting species so that we may offer the most diverse selection possible.  Generally, what we import is used for stock and what we sell is grown right here in South Western Ontario.  We are currently shipping plants weekly across Canada.  

 We are in the process of setting everything in place so that we can export the plants we grow worldwide.  It is a more cumbersome process than we realized, but we will get there.  Come early 2022 we should be able to process export orders quite expediently.

The depth of diversity in the small, often undescribed species of Philodendrons is truly astonishing.  Throughout the neotropics grow potentially thousands of species yet to be formally described by science, many of which can be grown comfortably in 2 to 4 inch pots.  The potential for aroid enthusiasts is nearly limitless.  What they lack in size these miniatures make up in colour, texture and growing habits; when grown properly their growth often tends to be slow and compact.  

One of our favourites is one we recently released,  Philodendron pierrelianum “DarkSide”.  This small plant with deep green glossy foliage and red petioles is a real gem native to the lowland rainforests of North Eastern Peru.      

Another similar Philodendron we are happy to offer is this curious species we call Philodendron “green spear” This species is native to the hot and humid White Sand Forests of the Iquitos region in Peru.  This is a slow grower with thick dark green spear shaped leaves of about 2 – 4 cm in length.  

And one more for good measure is this elfin philodendron “Dwarf Borja Ridge”.  This one has been circulating in the terrarium hobby for years, but that takes nothing away from it.  

Email us for a pricelist, as we have many more unique plants available.

Frogs, Frogs, Frogs,

We cut back drastically on our frog production at the start of the COVID -19 Pandemic that wreaked havoc on global logistic networks.  Uncertainty in flight schedules made the reliability of exporting frogs next to impossible to many regions and so we reduced our production as well as our collection.  

Earlier this year we brought our good friend Mike on board to specifically focus on reorganizing and revitalizing our breeding groups.  The frogs are now breeding well again and many species we had in the past are now available or will be available in the near future.  We have received many inquiries from American hobbyists about when American shipments will resume, and we are happy to announce that US shipments will resume in the Spring 2022.  We will begin taking orders in late December, so watch for that announcement in the not too distant future.  

Thanks to everyone who has supported us: we would not be here without you.  

Stayed tuned!

Mark