Sarracenia

Day 344: Of all the plants in my garden, none gives me as much pleasure as the potful of carnivores just outside my kitchen door. They must be grown with "wet feet," and therefore their pot is set in a deep saucer which I top off daily (or oftener on hot days), yet they are surprisingly cold-hardy. I only brought them in last year as temperatures dipped into the low twenties and teens, and still kept them in a room where the nights were below freezing. They do not die back, although some individual pitchers may wither. This year, a solitary and most unusual flower emerged from among the foliage, its center a dome-like structure with small openings around its interior edge. Peering inside, I can see stamens and a wealth of bug carcases whose nutrients have been drawn out by the plant's digestive enzymes. It's nice to know that my porch is protected by such a beautiful "watchdog," even though I do sometimes wonder if I should keep the door locked at night.