Pitcher Plant, photo by Bill Dolak
With the ice now gone from the Great Lakes, Michigan was at Terror Level Burnt Orange until Bill Dolak went and took today’s photo. We’ll take the level back up to Hot Pink (at least for insects). The Michigan DNR page on the Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea) explains that:
This unusual plant, usually found in bogs, is carnivorous, feeding on insects that are trapped in its bulbous pitcher like leaves. Although this carnivorous plant is a common inhabitant of acidic bogs, it also is found in fens. The highly modified leaves are covered with downwardpointing hairs on the inside which keep insects from escaping. Insects that enter the leaf eventually drown, providing the pitcher plants with important nutrients. The tiny sundews also shown in this poster are also carnivorous and trap insects on the surface of their sticky leaves.
Read more about Michigan’s carnivorous plants from the North Oakland Headwaters Land Conservancy.
Bill took this photo in southwest Michigan’s Barry County. View it bigger on Flickr and see more in his Flowers slideshow.
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My grandmother had one of these plants in her yard in PA. As kids (60+) years ago, we were fascinated by it..
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