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Last year I posted pictures of the wet area at my house where several carnivorous plants grow. I have since done much to clear invading shrubs and exotic grasses. Here is a photo from January.

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The plants have died back completely for the winter and I cleared much of the invading overgrowth. Those light brown leaves towards the center are S. minor. By as early as february new growht was appearent. All over the yard, D. brevifolia and Utricularia subulata were blooming; sometimes forming large patches. And they were everywhere: in the thick pine forest, under some powerlines, in ditches, and even in hard clay soils. While driving I could see the white flowers form patches in the neighbors' yards! here is a photo from my yard.

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Though the Sarracenias were putting up leaves and flower buds, they weren't quite their showiest in March. After coming home from a week long trip to the Keys (where I found Pinguicula pumila) in April, the plants had grown very rapidly!

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The S. minor is wild and the other Sarracenias are cultivated ones that I planted to take advantage of the excellent growing conditions. Mostly because I will be in Chicago this summer and cannot take care of them if they were in pots. This time of year is one of my favorites in the bog because so much is blooming. The Zephyranthes, blue eyed grass, orange milkweed, hatpins, Spiranthes, etc.

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D. tracyii:

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S. purpurea venosa:

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S. rubra gulfensis

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S. psittacina

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S. flava:

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Pinguicula caeurulea, Drosera capillaris, and Drosera brevifolia also grow here:

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These plants have more elongatged leaves that look a bit more like intermedia. There are other plants that look like the typical capillaris though:

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Pinguicula caerulea:

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The S. minor plants show a lot of variability. Though it doesn't show up very well on the photos, some plants are mostly just green, while others have intensly colored hoods from orange to red to almost maroon.

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There is variable shape too. The one at the beginning has a very tiny mouth. Also, a couple of plants had four petal flowers.
 
This is on your property? Damn, I'm jealous. It all looks so amazing :)
 
Technically my dad's property. There is another S. minor colony on my neighbor's land under some powerlines. He made a few ATV trails that go by it and thankfully he lets us visit. I'm going to miss visiting it every day when I go off for the summer, but I'll be back by the time all the swamp sunflowers start blooming and the leucophyllas show off their gaint autumn traps!
 
lucky lucky you! looks amazing!
 
It does seem like blind luck. I got in to growing carnivorous plants, then orchids and so on, after moving onto this lot and finding these plants about 8 years ago. Its one thing to see odd meat eating plants in a textbook; its something else to find out that they are growing in your backyard!
 
You're so lucky to have a natural fen in your yard! Those clumps of minors look massive! How wide are they?
 
Most clumps are 15 inches wide. One large clump has 2 plants and is about 25 inches wide. One large minor trap was 14 inches tall and 1.5 inches wide below the lip. The flava's largest trap is 21inches tall and 2 inches diameter at the opening. The flava is not native to this lot though. Its a cultivated plant that i bought from cooks back around 2007
 
Thanks for the pics. I love seeing CPs in the wild. The S. flava look amazing.
 
  • #10
Thanks! The one downside to growing flava in this way is that it does not look too good by the late summer. Stresses from the environment cause it to produce phyllodia and most of the traps die back. I have divisions of the same plant growing in pots that retain thier traps (although much smaller) when grown in more stable conditions. Its not that the wild conditions are unhealthy; the minors look fine and by september the leucos produce traps that rival flava's (around 32 inches tall so far). I will try to keep the photos coming to show how the fen progresses throughout the course of a year. In the end it is worth keeping the flava where it is. The plant may not be the showiest in late summer, but it has a huge clump and the traps are large and extremely fragrant.
 
  • #11
Awesome! Please do keep us updated, and I would like to see how the plants multiply around. How long since you introduced the flava and others?
 
  • #12
I think I moved the flava to it's current location 3 years ago. The leucophylla and unknow hybrid (minor x rubra)? were added 2 years ago. The rest were just recently added this spring. I keep the introduced plants close to the boardwalk so the native plants have the rest of the area to grow. I'm still debating on whether I should remove the introduced plants after my summer trip to keep the area more natural. I might try to convert another wet area into a bog just for cultivated carnivores.
 
  • #13
I got back from Chicago this summer, and here's what I found in the bog. The plants grew very well with all the rain and mild weather.

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rubra gulfensis
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rosea Wilkerson Bog
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  • #14
Everything looks so gorgeous! I am so jealous right now!

Good Growing,
Kenny
 
  • #16
leuco doing well in chicago? that's great to see! and minor as well! thanks for sharing!
 
  • #17
leuco doing well in chicago? that's great to see! and minor as well! thanks for sharing!

Oh sorry, I just got back from Chicago. I am in Georgia and was away all summer so I was surprised to see how big the plants got. I guess leucophylla is already starting to put up its second crop of pitchers. Usually it waits until lovebug season (mid-late September).
 
  • #18
Here’s an update on the bog:
The plants have been growing well. They got plenty to eat during lovebug season (Mid-September). This coincides with leucophylla making its largest pitchers. A lot of other flowers, especially asters, like to flower during this time as well.
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In November while everything else is dying back, Drosera brevifolia sprouts up just about anywhere. Here it is in a shaded pine forest:
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This is as close to snow as we get in South GA.
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The bog becomes overgrown by winter. Most of the plants die back and are easily raked away. I need to get more recent pictures from this month, but I have been working to dig up invasive centipede grass. I have already nearly eradicated the invasive Paspalum urvillei, but more work is still needed to be done to ensure the long term health of the bog.
I am still optimistic, this past weekend I found some 2 and 3 year old seedlings of Sarracenia minor! This is the first time in several years I have seen any indication that S. minor can reproduce on their own in this bog.
 
  • #19
That is an incredible bog. I'm amazed at the size of those minor pitchers. Really nice job youve done.
 
  • #20
What a great thread! Thank you much for sharing.
 
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