Past Webinar: Beyond the Rock Gardens: Exploring the Genus Phemeranthus

Date: October 18, 2025
Time: 10AM Pacific Time (California)

About Dave Ferguson – in his own words

I grew up in northern Colorado with a deep fascination for both “creepy crawlies” and plants. Most of my free time as a child was spent exploring the natural world around me, much to the concern—but also the encouragement—of my wonderfully supportive parents. Our home was always filled with aquariums, terrariums, cages, and pots holding bugs, fish, snakes, and the latest seeds or cuttings I had collected. One of my earliest plant treasures was a Christmas Cactus given to me by my grandmother—a plant I still have today, and one that may have truly sparked my lifelong passion for cacti and other unusual plants.

My first hands-on experience with cacti came when I carelessly ran barefoot through a patch of low-growing prickly pear. Rather than resenting them, I became captivated and even transplanted some into the yard. From then on, I was hooked—quite literally. By the time I was a kid, I already had a growing collection of cacti and other plants, with the Opuntioid cacti (those with glochids) quickly becoming some of my favorites.

Over time, my interests expanded to other “oddball” plants—those with thickened leaves, unusual underground structures, or strange survival strategies. Genera such as Portulaca, Talinum, Phemeranthus, Zephyranthes, and Tradescantia joined my ever-expanding list of obsessions. A pivotal moment came on a winter hike in New Mexico with Sean Hogan, who pointed out dormant Phemeranthus plants on a hillside. Although I already knew the genus, that day something clicked, and I began to study and pursue them with new intensity.

Academically, I studied entomology and botany at Colorado State University, then worked with USDA PPQ in Denver as a field entomologist before relocating to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1982. Over the years, my career has been as diverse as my plant interests—I’ve been a grocery bagger, crop consultant, landscaper, part-time mechanic, roofer, nursery worker, and even a greenhouse builder. For a time, I ran my own backyard nursery selling cacti, and I also spent a long and rewarding stretch at Mesa Garden in Belen, NM—though I sometimes hesitate to call that “work.”

Much of my professional life centered around plants and conservation. I spent several years conducting threatened and endangered species surveys, often focused on cacti. I eventually retired after more than 26 years as a Curator at the Rio Grande Botanic Garden in Albuquerque, where I had the privilege of growing, studying, and sharing cacti and other plants with the public.

My contributions to the field include publishing numerous articles, describing new species, and consulting on or co-authoring several books covering Lepidoptera, Orthoptera, Portulacaceae (in the broad sense), and cacti and other succulents—including regional floras and a book on prickly pears in southwestern gardens.

Now, with over 60 years of “playing with plants,” I continue to draw, photograph, and explore them with the same curiosity I had as a child.

On a personal note, my wife Rebecca and I have two grown sons. While they sometimes think my passions are a little eccentric, I’ve been delighted to see them surprise both me and their friends with their knowledge of cacti, insects, and other natural wonders. Clearly, at least some of the obsession rubbed off.