Darlingtonia californica

Well, we just got back from a little R&R - I like to refer to it as "the tour" since we drove from Seattle to San Francisco and back. It's amazing what a different experience a road trip is now that I'm - shall we say - more mature... It was actually alot of fun and we saw some pretty cool things - like deer, elk, quail, surfers, redwood trees, and of course Darlingtonia californica. Now you ask yourself, what?

Darlingtonia californica is the only carnivorous plant that grows anywhere near Washington state. It is also known as the Cobra Lily. It's a pitcher plant, so the insects fall into the "pitcher" where they are phisically trapped from getting out (there are small hairs inside the pitcher that point down and therefore are too slippery to climb up). Also, the lid of this particular pitcher has little thin "windows" in it allowing light in, but the bug can't get out through them. There are some enzymes secreted by the plant into the pitcher to digest the bugs that are trapped. The other thing that amazes is me, is that in the 21st century (167 years after it was discovered), we still do not know what pollinates the flowers...hmm, can you say PhD thesis? And fyi, the pitchers in the photo are about 2 1/2 - 3 feet tall and growing in a bog.

The Darlingtonia Wayside on the Oregon coast (near Florence) is a great place to stop and see these plants in "action". Ok, there actually isn't any action to be seen, unless you are really patient and hang around long enough to see some unfortunate fly get trapped, but you get my drift. Next time you are driving down 101, check it out!