Pictures
From The Field - July 2001
During July, I headed
back to the southern US for a vacation and plant
field trip. The areas I visited were southern
Mississippi, Alabama, and the western portion of
the Florida panhandle. One bit of good news
appears to be that there has been some sort of
relief from the drought in this area this year
as compared to previous years. The area is still
rather dry, but wetter than previous years at
this time. Many of the flava sites I visited 2
years ago which contained flavas that were
sending up summer phyllodia were in much better
shape this year, displaying mature pitchers
easily seen in the deep heavy growth of grasses
and woody plants. The S. alata sites were still
readily seen along I-10, although in greatly
reduced numbers from years past.
Here I am with a
large, but non-flowering, S. flava. This shot
can kind of give you some idea as to how high
the grasses in the savannahs have become by this
time of year. The grass in this field was not
particularly thick, and was much more dense in
most other areas.
A beautiful and newly
opened S. leucophylla pitcher. Also, note the
massive
stands of D. tracyi, their leaves unfurling as
numerous as blades of grass. D. tracyi
at this site was actually much more numerous
than D. capillaris.
Another view of a S.
leucophylla stand in the Florida panhandle.
These plants
are growing in a roadside ditch fronting a
highway, and continue back for 20 acres.
The site was next to a highly traveled road, so
it was good to see that the
plants had mature pitchers. S. leucophylla has
very tall flower scapes which make
them easy targets for poachers. The flower
scapes can easily tower over moderate
summer growth making the plants easily seen,
even if the plant has no mature pitchers.
This parcel of land is for sale, and I am
looking into its purchase. I do have concerns in
the fact that the land has leuco's facing a
highway, as they are beacons for poachers. S.
flava, S. psittacina, and S. rosea are also
in the area. The site also contains D. tracyi
and capillaris.
S. flava "typical" in
the field. The golden yellow pitchers almost
glow, and were
easily visible even though the plants were in
very heavy grass cover.
S. flava "green form"
in the field growing amongst the typical
varieties. This pitcher has
a very faint red spot, whereas others were
totally green.
Here's Kristi in the
field with S. flava. No, this is NOT
appropriate bog attire. Actually, we had visited
Ft. Morgan earlier in the day, and I brought her
to this site in which I am attempting to
purchase.
A small outcrop of S.
flava.
More S. flava in an
open field. This particular site was in
fantastic shape for mid-summer.
Another view of a S.
flava site. This site has a little more woody
growth present in it. The red flowers of S.
leucophylla can also be seen to the middle left
of the picture.
Another fantastic S.
flava site. You can see the flavas continuing on
into the distance.
The site also contained S. leucophylla, S.
rosea, and S. psittacina. There is a
possibility S. rubra also grows at this site,
but I could not find it. Indeed, I only found a
couple of S. psittacina plants due to the heavy
growth of grass, and I know rosea is there
due to the hybrid S. x Catesbaei being located
here. The picture does not tell the entire story
of how many Sarracenia are actually growing at
this site. Most can not be seen due to the
taller grass. Small mature S. leucophyllas and
S. flavas were struggling to punch through the
thick undergrowth. A quick burn of this area in
late fall or winter will cause an incredible
site by next spring.
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