Darlingtonia State Natural Site

Carnivorous plants are really cool, and cobra lilies are some of the coolest!  We made a special trip to Darlingtonia State Natural Site near Florence, OR, just to see them in bloom.  This small park has a large patch of these unique pitcher plants.  Insects are lured towards their dangling "fangs" by the tempting scent of nectar.  If they venture inside, they  find the hood of the cobra lily has transparent windows that look like escape routes, but just lure the doomed insect in further.  It's sticky and slimy inside the cobra lily, and if the insect starts to slide down, downward pointing hairs prevent its upward climb.  At the bottom, it falls into a pool of water, where it is slowly absorbed and digested.  Carnivorous plants have adapted to nitrogen-poor soils by feasting on insects, which are rich sources of nitrogen.  Since they depend on many of the same insects to be pollinators, their flowers grow on long stalks, far from their traps.  

Jasper loved this little park!  He befriended a caterpillar and a snail. We wondered what else there was to the park, and ended up following  for some distance what we first believed was an official trail, and later concluded was a deer trail.  In any case, the woods are lovely.

For those who are fascinated by carnivorous plants, it's good to know about Sarracenia Northwest, a grower specializing in all kinds of carnivorous plants in Eagle Creek, OR.  They come to the Saturday Market, selling some really lovely and reasonably priced beauties and dispensing expert advice.  And two weekends a year, they host open houses at their nursery!  Tickets for $10 per vehicle must be purchased in advance, which puts you on the guest list and entitles you to a venus fly trap.  The next one is July 16 and 17, and they will have free hotdogs, hamburgers, Voodoo Donuts, Italian sodas and Hawaiian coffee.  If you go, expect to be oudoors in the hot sun, so be prepared. And be sure to linger near a flower bed and just listen to the buzzing of trapped insects...

Salal

Coastal Reindeer Lichen