Successful Carnivores

Day 358: In just a week or two, the inevitable frosts will put my carnivorous garden to sleep for the winter. Native to Oregon, these plants are cold-hardy, but go into a dormant period when the tops die back, and although they ordinarily grow in boggy areas, the soil should be allowed to dry out quite a bit during that time.

When I first purchased these three plants (two Pitcher Plants and one Sundew), they had very few heads. Apparently they've enjoyed a diet of mosquitoes, flies and other hapless insects because they have really burgeoned into a lush bowlful of exotic shapes. A month or so ago, our resident buck cropped the tops of several of them only to discover that they didn't taste as good as he had hoped. I hung a string of bells to further deter any unwanted samplings, and the plants sprang back with amazing vigor. It's nice to step out onto the back porch, knowing that my "guard-plants" are on watch for those pesky mosquitoes!