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Welcome To Leon County, Texas. Home to all five species of carnivorous plants known to exist in Texas.
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 It is in this land, full of its many aquifers, 5 known bogs exist. Cripple Fawn bog being among them. This quaint bog paradise it tucked safely away on private property. Only one who possesses knowledge of its location would have any luck finding it on purpose, and then only armed with a GPS unit
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As large native trees give way to a downward draining seep we find stands of Sarricenia alata, commingled with Drosera capalliris, Drosera brevifolia, Utricularia cornuta, and Utricularia subulata. Also on the property is Utricularia gibba, as you can find few ponds or lakes in Texas without.
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 It is aquifers that supply this, as some would call it, two tier seep/bog system. Constantly running water trickles from the top of a large embankment, down a moderately sloping decline. It finds a gathering point before it is carried, via a small stream, to one of the near by lakes.
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   Spring was in full swing as I breached the tree line, with my contact Michael Pagalautos, to see the awe inspiring sight of pale flowers embossed over a deep green sea of S. alatas. I could spend the next year studying a few of the stands I noticed with unusual attributes. Some of the tallest S. alatas I have ever seen exist here. As well as a stand of large mouths that would rival the largest openings of any Sarricenia I’ve seen in cultivation.
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  There will be many more trips this summer as colourations begin to show and attributes are easier to spot. Though I live right down the road from the beach, it is the bog that is my my paradise. So keep you're red hammer, and I'll keep my red neck.
 
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A few more
 
WOW,really nice!To bad there are not more places like this to see and keep safe from poachers.

Jerry
 
Very very wonderful. Please keep it a secret! April
 
Good job, Zak! Thank you for finding the bog for the NASC. When you can get back, survey the bog, and give us an approximate size.
 
Moved where it need to be seen, in pitcher plants!!
 
Incidentally, this stand is the home of the famous "nigrapurpurea", a sarracenia alata with a fancy handle. The plants have many color forms within the bog, and is the only stand in Texas that I know of with black, red, bronze, copper, green/veined, yellow-green, and all kinds of different colors. Mr. Peter D'Amato was the one who coined the name for this s. alata as "nigrapurpurea". Later photos, later in the season, will show the many color variations. Thanks again to Zak for going out and taking the time to bring this to us.
 
Amazing sight! Thanks for shareing!

-Jc
 
  • #10
Moved where it won't get bumped so fast!
 
  • #11
WOW!! That must be a sight to see in person! It's pretty impresive second hand by pics!
 
  • #12
Thanks BW

 This site is approxamately 5 acres. This summer I will be monitoring areas in excess of 500 acres.

 AprilH,
a secret for now but hopefully, not forever. When every grower out there has a plant material from this bog there will be no need for poaching.
Even without colouration the genetic diversity was awsome.
I had lots of pictures, but the server wouldn't take them. PM me if you would like to see more. Let me know what "kb" you prefer the pics to be in.

Kirk,
If ever you're this way..... give me a shout.
 
  • #13
[b said:
Quote[/b] (ZAK @ April 26 2005,10:26)]Thanks BW

 This site is approxamately 5 acres. This summer I will be monitoring areas in excess of 500 acres.

 AprilH,
a secret for now but hopefully, not forever. When every grower out there has a plant material from this bog there will be no need for poaching.
Even without colouration the genetic diversity was awsome.
I had lots of pictures, but the server wouldn't take them. PM me if you would like to see more. Let me know what "kb" you prefer the pics to be in.

Kirk,
If ever you're this way..... give me a shout.
Yes, but I keep thinking of VFTs, which are produced by tc by the gazillions, but I don't think of them as safe in their native area.
Great stuff, ZAK. I got to see my first wild cp a few weeks ago at Big Thicket. I saw both Drosera(brevifolia and capillaris), Sarracenia alata and P. pumila. I saw no Utrics....
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  • #14
Holy cow!! Is that not an awsome sight! Man, are you lucky!

At least it gives hope for the future that stands like that will remain.

Thanks SO much for sharing the photos. They are absolutely breathtaking.
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  • #16
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This is Michael Pagalautos, or half of him any ways, just thought you could see the embankment better here
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Griffin,
The utrics were not flowering yet when you visited, just as the Droseras were not when I visited. Which means I'm going to have to make another trips soon.
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As it's impossible to get all of this bog into one shot, without a heli. all the pics taken are of different areas.
 
  • #17
The D. brevifolia had scapes almost all the way up, but had not opened.
Michael Pagalautos!!? Man I have not heard that name in a while. How the heck is he doing? Is he still collecting acres of land?

Cheers,

Joe
 
  • #18
Tyring his darndest. I'll probably try to start helping him when finances get better. He's been good, and oviously has his bog legs, as I don't see many people move like that through harsh terrain.
 
  • #19
Hope one day I can come out and you can show me around. PRobibly quite a few years though. Hey by then you could own some bogs. Wouldn't that be great?
 
  • #20
Hopefully by then I will. It would not be that hard, as acreage in that area is relativly cheao. I think in most cases I could just buy the acres containing the bog and some from the road to the bog. There are two way to play this in most cases. Many ranchers would tell you that if they found out they had something federally protected on their land, they'd destroy it as soon as they found out. I think the main fear is the government will use any excuse to come in and take land, or dictate what they can, and can't do. Seems to me if you could make that someone elses problem by selling the little bit of land with the plants on it, you would. And, I know just the people to buy it
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