More wild nature -- Not a tide pool but an interesting swampy area.
By Clint Perry
@cperry2 (5608)
Newport, Oregon
January 12, 2021 10:40am CST
All my life I had heard of carnivorous plants. I've seen sci-fi movies that even suggest they could eat people. And then there was Little Shop of Horrors (a movie I loved) that took this a bit further. That plant could even talk.
Anyway, the plants in the photo above are in the Darlingtonia State Natural Site, near Florence Oregon. Just about four miles south of the city. Should you find yourself driving down Hwy 101 in central Oregon someday (during the summer months is best) take a few minutes and give it a visit. There is a wooden walkway so that you will not need to get your feet wet or even muddy. (There is parking and a toilet there too.)
The plants in the photo are Darlingtonia californica, a species of pitcher plant. And yes these are carnivorous. It is the only place I have ever seen these in their natural habitat, though I understand there are some places in California that have them as well. These plants grow nearly two feet tall and you can relax, they only eat insects.
Photo is mine.
4 people like this
6 responses
@arunima25 (87806)
• Bangalore, India
12 Jan 21
It would be interesting to see them live in natural habitat. I have always found them fascinating. Pitcher plant and Venus fly trap are the two common names that just pop when we say carnivorous plants. I guess other well known name is Raflessia( hope spelt correctly)
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@cperry2 (5608)
• Newport, Oregon
12 Jan 21
I liked these so much that when I saw some for sale at a fundraiser at a botanical garden, I bought a pot of them. They are doing pretty good, but one must keep their feet in the water or they die. They would do much better I think if I had a little pond or something to plant them in, I live close enough to that natural area that my climate here is their preferred one.
By the way, you did spell Raflessia correctly. I've read about them but never seen one. Some of the arboretums in the US have a plant or two. I think Dallas Texas does, not sure where else one might find them.
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@arunima25 (87806)
• Bangalore, India
19 Jan 21
@cperry2 So you have them in your house. Interesting!
It's rafflesia. Sorry it was misspelled.
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@cperry2 (5608)
• Newport, Oregon
19 Jan 21
@arunima25 Not in my house but in a pot in my garden. They are very small, standing only about four inches tall (10 Centimeters) But they are cute.
@Fleura (30392)
• United Kingdom
12 Jan 21
I don't think I've ever seen these carnivorous plants growing in the wild, although some species (especially sundews) do grow in Britain. I've seen some amazing displays of them though, for example the selection of pitcher plants exhibited by this nursery at the Chelsea flower show
https://www.hantsflytrap.com/about-us-1-w.asp
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@DesirousDreamer (34776)
• Peoria, Arizona
12 Jan 21
Woah, two feet tall? That is crazy, but amazing! I love these kinds of plants, they are so interesting!
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