Death machines with dying fall foliage

Keeping fire pit inventory especially, they are a pain to count physically. Drone gets used for rock hunting, off roading(it goes out several miles), kayaking, fishing(fish beds), log jams on creeks, rock bars on creeks, real estate, all kinds of stuff.
The fast drone is real loud. Yesterday I flew from a spot 2 miles away over subdivisions but legally, Denise read on the Neighbor app that someone was complaining. They will never catch me. Nothing they can do anyway, totally legal. I try not to fly around civilization. Don't blame them. Everyone is paranoid thanks to our government.

Ha you read my mind Robin. Done earlier today.

Ok, my old stock never set good seed. I have germinated sarracenia seed, it is easy to do.

However these 12 new hybrids are killing it in the seed department. Found that out today and am pumped. Hybrid game on !
The seeds from the 12 hybrids are fully capable of being new hybrids.
Certain that I will be able to harvest 1000 to 2000 seeds out of the flowers harvested today.
One third of the seed pods are still green and need a month to harden off before collecting seed, no problem.
The other two thirds were caught just in time before strong winds/rains would have released the seed from the seed pods. Too late then.

Seed pods, might be about half of the total that were ready, plenty enough. About a dozen varieties including some old plants:



Close up of one seed pod, it put out the brown seed, the purplish seeds from another variety. The bottom catching umbrella(will clarify later) was cut off for visuals, flower is upside down. When that 5 way casing opens up the seeds will fall out in just a breeze. Lost forever !



Ok, upper right is a green seed pod, needs to finish drying out. Lower right is a sterile hybrid(Tarnok), the bloom is a double but too perverted to make seed, for that reason Tarnok is a very robust grower being a eunuch and not chasing gals lol. The upper middle pod shows the 'dried' catching umbrella with petals cut away for visuals. The umbrella is best seen at upper right, the green bloom(that is yellow), catching umbrella is to left. The other three 'dry' pods are at harvest age, seeds have hardened off(I hope no one is getting excited here). Pretty sure that the 'catching umbrella' is to further dry the individual seeds before they drop to the soil. LOTS OF BIG SEED IN THESE PODS !! The 12 new hybrids have excellent breeding.(I never checked their seed output for several years since buying them.) The system is self watering, I rarely go down there except to photograph bugs and trim dead foliage in February.



And one more gift to top the day off, found a fine white S. leucophylla hybrid seedling and the best I have ever seen. Lots of white in that sexy baby ! Normally leucs are green with a red and white veined top(on right), no red in the seedling ! Eurekaville !

hummingbirdstones, mine have seen 5F overnight. That would be sitting on the ground giving some protection. The 2-3 inch water they sit in was certainly frozen hard.
If you have long bouts below 0F they may get damaged, don't know. Even had -2F that killed Black Bamboo that was 15 years old and no damage to the sarracenias.
Only a few varieties will survive say to Ohio. The Purpurea is cold blooded and is taking over the Swiss Alps, a bad thing.

Purpurea range in US. I found them down there in Florida panhandle but they did not like Atlanta Ga go figure.

You can look up the various sarracenia hybrids. They get wild and crazy. There is a very rare mountain pitcher(oreophila) found in Ga/Al that has killer colors and is used for color intensifying in hybridizing and aiding cold hardiness.



The range of the rare mountain pitcher

James, we very rarely even get near single digits here.  We get in the low 30's and sometimes high 20's overnight usually in the thick of winter.  Once the sun comes up high enough, everything warms up a bit.  This will be a fun experiment.  

Must be nice Robin. Sarracenia need a hibernation so that winter would do the trick. Sounds like a south Georgia winter where they thrive. Those temps should work well for you. You will have no challenge ! The old ocean lowlands of south Georgia and Florida also rarely have a late frost when the sarracenia bloom pod emerges. However further north the late frosts kills the bloom pod - so the reason sarracenia don't perpetuate further north. Same goes for alligators - they do the lowlands and that is why beavers and muskrats are not to be found down there other than in the belly of a gator .

Jim had cut a Bouquet of the bug eating plants for us to see. The blooms as well as the color variety made for a very handsome bouquet. Also amazing to see how many bugs had met their demise down in plant stem after he cut one open. Nature feeding nature.

I had a blast with you guys Henry. I was a little thick that day as usual. Please forgive. You are a very effervescent and energetic fellow, wished you lived close by. We'd get into it, trust me. My buddy's wives prefer to keep their husbands away from me cause I get them in trouble lol. Diane would let it happen, such a sweet lady. Don't feel special, I make those bug eating plant bouquets for everyone, however I don't give them Rio's ! So you are special.

You guys left just as the rain cranked up. Later that night another 2.5" fell along with the lightning.

Cunning adjective, one hybrid bug eater is named Flies Demise.

Bet you guys had fine scenery up there. Those +5000' el. Appalachian mountains are another world.
Travel safe on your return.

This is how I made my income for 25 years. Or part of it anyway. Learning how to grow from seed was tricky with some plants.
Harvesting seeds from the bug eaters was easy. Seed crop was massive this year.
Got about a nickel bags worth, enough to plant up about a $100,000 crop after lots of work of course.
Some varieties still have green seed pods, should be ready for seed harvest in a few weeks.

Scissored the seed pods out of the blooms from a dozen different varieties. Pods consistent from variety to variety.



Detail work, use lots of light



seeds got funky surfaces, color varies



about a half cup. guessing many of these will result in new hybrids. Hopefully the hybrids will show up at 1 year when the seedlings are about 4 inches tall. May have to wait 2 years...

My Buddy is one of the most renowned Sarracenia hybridizers. Hadn't seen him in a decade. He is coming over this week to pick thru my stuff. I have been giving him my hybrid seedlings for years as I never had time to pet them. He is bringing me some mean ones for trade.
Maybe we can turn Robin into a Sarracenia woman ! I give them to fire pit customers regularly. Got many people addicted to them. Another friend that bought a pup from us is stopping buy this week too, he needs more.