The Pride Of The Garden

Day 316: The pride of my garden does not grow in a flower bed. It stands in an elevated saucer of water beside the kitchen door, filling an eight-inch pot with deadly beauty.

Here you see two varieties of Sarracenia, carnivores which lure insects into their seductive maws by enticing them with nectar on the rims of the pitchers. "Pitcher plant" is the generic term for these unusual botanical delights, a term which also includes their cousins, the Darlingtonias.. Several species are native to the United States. That said, mine were cultivated in a greenhouse and wholesaled to a nursery, not harvested from wetland habitat. There are strict laws regarding taking specimens from the wild!

The hapless bug who alights beneath the "umbrella' of Sarracenia finds itself on slippery footing at the pitcher's mouth. Once in the pitcher tube, escape is further hampered by fine, stiff hairs which point downward into the tube. The insect is forced deeper into the tube as it struggles, and eventually comes into contact with digestive enzymes in the base. It may take a week or more for the plant to break a hard-shelled beetle down into its nourishing components. Sarracenias go dormant in the winter months, but are hardy even at temperatures well below freezing. During this period, the plant does not need to "eat."

Bugs beware! You shall not pass my well-guarded door.