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S. minor var. minor Ware Co, GA roadside ditch. These plants were fairly common-if I had to guess, I'd say there were at least 10,000 in the area:
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S. minor var. minor Ware Co, GA. clump:
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S. minor var. minor Ware Co, GA. There were amazing red clones too:
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S. minor var. minor Ware Co, GA this one caught a moth:
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S. minor var. minor Ware Co, GA flower. A lot of them were in bloom this time of the year. I wonder if the drought they've been having encouraged later flowering? My plants at home didn't flower until mid to late june of this year because of the cold spring:
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Historic site of S. minor var. okefenokeensis Ware Co, GA. Not a single plant left in this area. I was informed they used to be everywhere in this location! The forestry industry plowed this field and is going to plant non-native pines for timber production. 2-3 year old seedling pines had already been planted in the surrounding area-we're talking about countless square miles of savanna completely destroyed! Giant billboards in the area endorsed by the US Department of Agriculture support this activity. It's easy for the forestry industry to pitch such destructive behavior to the general public because it's under the guise of reforesting the area. But what's not mentioned is that the native plants are all wiped out, and the land is converted from a wetland into farmland:
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S. minor var. okefenokeensis Ware Co, Ga. This is the last healthy population I know of in existance that originally came from the site above. These are in cultivation. There are more than 30 individuals with a lot of diversity, so this population is genetically sustainable for reintroduction in the future. In one year's worth of seed production, assuming 2 flowers per plant and 200 seeds per pod, this population can conservatively produce 12,000 seedlings/year. It won't go back into the wild without the proper scientists/authorities approval. It's important to not mess with the native populations unless you know what you're doing:
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S. minor var. okefenokeensis Charlton Co, GA
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S. minor var. minor Charlton Co, GA site #1. A bit bigger than the regular minor, but not giant. Plants from this population out in the middle of nowhere were nice and red. They suffered a lot from the drought this year, and most of the spaghnum in this site was dry and yellow:
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Wow sooo many nice variations!
 
Sad to see natural sites of these plants are being destroyed more quickly now especially by the forestry department for planting trees for future lumber not only in GA but in other southern states as well. Very upsetting.
 
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:laaa: It's brilliant!
 
Raise your hand if you love minors! (No comment needed, Brie)

Anyone else interested in tranquilizing Mike, implanting a microchip on him, then tracking where he's seeing all these great plants in situ??

PM me with details... :- )
 
Beautiful plants! The color on that first one is simply stunning. Is there anything that can be done to protect the populations from being destroyed by pine plantations?
 
Oooh nice specimens!
 
Hi Natalie,

thanks for asking the most important question! I wish there was a simple answer, and below is my opinion. There are certainly other solutions out there:

We up against an entire culture of Southerners who believe what they are doing is okay, so to change a culture is a rather uphill battle. Going to the US forestry department and protesting is a game of politics-there's too much money involved to win this battle.

The first thing we can do is educate people-I'm starting by posting this story everywhere. Second thing we can do is contact Ron Determann from Atlanta Botanical Gardens and get him to start collecting seeds from all the remaining populations. It isn't enough to have them in cold storage-they have to be grown out and maintained to ensure viability. He's already doing this for S. montana and S. jonesii, but so many of the historically "common" species are being wiped out.

Third thing we can do is pool funds together via the ICPS/nature conservancy and organize some land purchases. I can tell you this much-almost ALL the sites I saw on the side of the road were for sale. The sad truth is that ultimately, MONEY can stop the destruction on private land. If our plant organizations don't have funds, these plants will go. It's a game of real estate acquisition and land management.

Any other suggestions/comments?
 
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  • #10
In the one pic you posted of the Sarracenia Minor OKie Giants did you notice the plants in the background. It looked liked Kudzu. If it is, and it's that close to that population, you won't have to worry about Forestry. The Kudzu will overwhelm those plants in one or two seasons and that will be that.
 
  • #11
Great thread, and great pics. Thank you so much for sharing. It's nice to get a taste of carnivorous plant habitat elsewhere in the country.

S. minor is probably one of my favorite Sarracenia.
 
  • #12
In the one pic you posted of the Sarracenia Minor OKie Giants did you notice the plants in the background. It looked liked Kudzu. If it is, and it's that close to that population, you won't have to worry about Forestry. The Kudzu will overwhelm those plants in one or two seasons and that will be that.



Hi CP man,

To clarify things, This photo is actually from plants in my front yard-they no longer exist in the wild! If you look carefully in the upper right hand corner of the photo, you can see the blue kiddy pools:
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Had my hopes up for a second...the invasive plant in the background of the photo is english ivy
 
  • #13
I need to go on a trip with you....

It's tragic about the destruction, but not that surprising. It's happening everywhere. The Charlton okees look very different from any other I have seen.
 
  • #14
I need to go on a trip with you....

It's tragic about the destruction, but not that surprising. It's happening everywhere. The Charlton okees look very different from any other I have seen.

In your experience, how do they differ? I only saw a few of them in Charlton Co, so it's hard to draw any conclusions.
 
  • #15
In your experience, how do they differ? I only saw a few of them in Charlton Co, so it's hard to draw any conclusions.

They usually don't had a pointed hood like that, and less defined veins. That population looks like a bloody spear tip! I love it! The back of the hood and neck are also very broad, making them look much more menacing than the typical okee.
 
  • #16
Amazing photos.. But that is just so ****** sad that the damn state destroyed a native population of Sarr... How would they think its ok to do such a thing?!
 
  • #17
Thanks for pointing the pool out as I didn't see it, hehe( my old eyes ). Still that Ivy looks suspicious, hehe. As for populations disappearing, I've been dealing with sarracenia's since the early 70's. I can tell you of populations I knew of across NC, SC and Georgia that were once extant and have now disappeared or are relic populations. It's a sad commentary.
 
  • #18
Hi Meizwang!If you allow me I would like to post your question in an Italian forum.
I think that in Europe you have to tell this story.
If there was a need for economic support by all growers of these plants.
Aspect of your confirmation here or in private in order to spread the discussion in the Italian forum.
regards,Andrea
 
  • #19
Beautiful photos. This is so sad though =(
 
  • #20
Thank you all for your comments-appreciate your perspectives and insight.

Andrea-I'd really appreciate if you spread the word in Italian-the point of this post is to bring awareness of what's going on to Sarracenia habitats today. please be sure to give me credit for the photos.

CPman-I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences in the okefenokee swamp region decades ago-what was it like, and do you have any pictures?
 
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