North American Pitcher Plants in California - WIP

They are in the hottest part of the yard. Morning shade, midday filtered sun, late day full hot sun.

They do seem to be taking off.

congrats on the seeds. I am not manipulating them in that regard. Maybe no seeds and faster growth?

Pat the flower stem has no pitcher. Just the tall skinny leaves. I'll go get a pic

Ahhhh, thanks for that explanation. The flower is there to propagate the species, and the leaves /pitchers attract bugs to feed the plants. Clever!

I wonder if the helpful bugs.bees that gather the pollen are attracted to the pitchers's scent and fall in. That wouldn't be very beneficial to the plant. Maybe one set of critters are attracted to the flower ( to help propagate ), and another set of critters are attracted to the pitchers ( to help feed the plant ).

Is that what's going on?

Thanks a bunch for that, Scott. Yeah, rub it in, just a little, lol!

That's funny! Lucy likes having her pic taken, she is a camera hog! Wonder where she got that from? I didn't teach it to her.

Symbiosis isn't always a fair deal!

James, that's not quite the same thing, lol. To him, it's worth it... Besides, he gets to pass on his genes to the next generation. (That is, unless someone beat him there, uh-oh) Think of his small, wimpy body as a goodbye present to his prodigy oops, meant progeny. The ultimate sacrifice!

It's a rough and tumble, dog-eat-dog, anything goes world. There are no guarantees. Either you get something, or it gets you. Okay, I think eaten alive I could do without. But at least the male black widow got some before he went - left the world with a smile on his face, if that were possible. Think about something that gets eaten alive by a praying mantis. Rip, tear, chew, gulp - gone, just like that. The unsuspecting prey didn't get a going away present first, nothing, nada.

Since I can't look at it from the male viewpoint, I'll have to see it from the other side. The female widow is providing for her family-to-be, being economical with resources (yeah, that's what the male is - a resource!), seeing to the propagation of her young, the continuation of her species. Waste not, want not. But I still don't like them, and will squish them whenever I see them, lol! NIMBY!! They can continue the species somewhere else.

Now, back to the sarracenias. I'm thinking being eaten alive is maybe quicker than a slow drowning death in a pitcher plant. Or is the liquid inside a numbing agent, making you drown faster? You know, like fermented?

Now, back to the sarracenias. I'm thinking being eaten alive is maybe quicker than a slow drowning death in a pitcher plant. Or is the liquid inside a numbing agent, making you drown faster? You know, like fermented?

Read more: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/64556/north-american-pitcher-plants-california?page=15#ixzz2zK3nUv12

I think that it has the same effect as the fellow that fell into Rick's beer vat. The leucs are famous for filling up with moths on bright moon nights.
to the point the pitchers fall over from their weight. Opening the pitchers and watching the moths walk around gives the impression they are
intoxicated. Or removing fire ants that are still alive from a pitcher rarely sting. So I am guessing they are poisoned or intoxicated.
S. Minor is that cruel one that has windows that deceives the bug into escape. After tiring from attempting to escape through the illusion it
then falls into the vat of digestive juice. By the way, S. Minor has the southern most territory. Guessing that it will take the heat best. It is one
of my favorites. Pretty colors and markings including the round windows of deception.

those okeefenokee's sure look like Darlingtonia from Kali-fornia.

Thanks for the pics!