AVS Q&A with… Bonnie of Verdant Vivariums

I’m super excited about this Q&A! It’s Bonnie of Verdant Vivariums, and to say that she has a “green thumb” is an understatement.  If you have been in the vivarium world for any length of time, you certainly know Bonnie.  Aside from running Verdant Vivariums, she donates her time and energy to sharing her wealth of knowledge with other hobbyists. Here we go!

I ask everyone who participates in my little Q&A to tell the readers how they got into herps, plants, vivaria/terraria/aquaria, and nature in general.  I always tell people I was born this way because I simply can’t remember a time when I wasn’t absolutely enamored with the natural world.  What started the passion for you?  

I've been catching frogs and salamanders since I was a kid. I bought my original dart frogs when I was 16, while working my first job in the reptile department at a large pet store. I was afraid of snakes when I was younger after having one bite my hand when I was 5, so at my job interview I had to hide my fear and hold everything. In my first week on the job, I had the store's retics and Macklot's pythons tamed down and they could frequently be found wrapped around my waist or wrist while I worked. I had been keeping terrarium plants since I was about 13, mostly mini African violets and other gesneriads. I started off majoring in chemistry and math in college, but when I discovered the horticulture department I was hooked!

When did you start Verdant Vivariums?  Can you tell us the trajectory of your business over the years?  

I started my nursery in 2011, after having a pretty severe accident while working as a landscape gardener at Disneyland in my early 20’s. After 8 years of reconstructive surgeries, including bone grafts and cadaver ligaments, I decided to get back into horticulture in a way that I could more easily manage.  There seemed to be a fairly large hole in this market, so I figured it would be a fun transition to focus on something that I loved. 

I could ask you hundreds of questions about plants, but I will try to be succinct and simply ask you about some of the plant genera and species that fascinate you.  You know I adore mini orchids and big, beautiful, and showy aroids.  You’ve been working with plants for decades, so I’m excited to know what plants still pique your interest and why?

I love ferns! My favorites are usually miniature epiphytic species, and my all time favorite is Adiantum reniforme. I love unusual orchids like Bulbophyllum reticulatum or Trichosalpinx blaisdellii. Anything oddball usually has a home in the nursery. We grow ant plants, carnivorous, aquatic, and just about anything I find strange or unusual.

Frogs.  Let’s talk about ‘em.  What are some of your favorite poison frog species?  

For personality, I love my little pumilio and terribilis. For display purposes, my terribilis are definitely the boldest in the warehouse. I love my galactonatus and Capurgana auratus. I just rarely see them. We currently have over 24 species of frogs at the warehouse :)

We met when I was working with a lot of gecko species, and they will always be my first love as far as reptiles and amphibians are concerned.  Do you work with any other herps besides poison frogs?

I've kept and bred Uroplatus, including guentheri and sikorae. I bred panther chameleons for a number of years and used to vend reptile shows in my early 20’s selling them. I've bred other species of geckos including helmeteds, vipers, leachianus, webfoots, and other various Pachydactylus species. I've kept a number of rare chameleon species, uromastyx, tegus, tree frogs, rhino iguanas, etc. It's been a pretty broad list of reptiles over the years. 

I’m fascinated by the evolution of our hobby.  I think it’s wonderful that folks are focusing more on naturalistic setups as opposed to more spartan-style setups.  How do you think our hobby will progress over the next several years?

I hope to continue to see more frog species become established in the hobby, with more breeders figuring out the tricks and nuances to breeding some of the more difficult species.

I decided to do this Q&A to spotlight individuals I think are really having a positive impact on the hobby, and I’d love to know who has inspired you over the years.

Philippe de Vosjoli was my biggest inspiration when I was teenager. I grew up devouring Vivarium magazine and trying to source all the amazing stuff I saw in it.  Patrick Nabors was also an inspiration when I was younger, and he was one of the few commercial breeders consistently able to produce healthy CB frogs back in the day. 

My biggest goal with our local amphibian group is to try to make more established breeders accessible to newcomers in the hobby. We have so many amazing breeders that have been working with these animals for over a decade in most cases, and they're just a wealth of information.

Finally, tell everyone how they can find you online and in the flesh.  

Online, your best bet is to message me on Instagram or Facebook. We have a website, www.verdantvivariums.com, and an Etsy store, but less than 10% of what we carry is listed online at any given time. If you want to find me in person, our 3,000 square foot warehouse is open to the public 3 days a week and I also vend shows anywhere from Washington to New York! We also have our local society and Frog Fests that I run in Southern California. The group is the Western Amphibian & Terrarium Society and you can find us on Facebook and Instagram.

That was great! Go find Bonnie online or in the flesh and give her some love!