Insectivorous Plants in the Wilderness

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Darlingtonia californica                                                                                                                                 © 2005 Makoto Honda. All Rights Reserved

   

Come a little closer... Don't I look attractive?   Darlingtonia is an early bloomer in the northern California habitats. Flowering starts in early May, when a majority of other flora in the mountain forest have not reached full blossom yet. Sensing the limited pollinator resource in the environ, the cobra plants seem to be attempting to outrun the competition. At the height of Darlingtonia blossom, the other flowers are rare. Bees and other flying insects are common in the air. Yet, few insects seem to show any interest in these dazzlingly colorful, eerie-looking inflorescences, standing silently in the gentle breeze of the spring. Blossom in northern California. June, 2004.

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