Field Trip: Carnivore Pond in Northwest Florida

Sarracenia purpurea ssp. venosa var. burkii

The last photos of I have from my time in the panhandle of Florida are these. Unfortunately, most were damaged and the photo quality is horrible, so they've had to be extensively digitally restored. These photos are of a magnificent bog area surrounding a pond which no longer exists. Most feature the above Sarracenia purpurea subspecies venosa variety burkii (a.k.a. Sarracenia rosea), which was the largest clump of that species I ever found.

Sarracenia purpurea ssp. venosa var. burkii

When I moved away some of the grasses that were overgrowing this plant, I saw that it had more than 25 growing points and was nearly 3 feet across, something which is not adequately conveyed in these photos.

Sarracenia purpurea ssp. venosa var. burkii

One last shot of the monster! It was incredible! Unfortunately, bulldozers took out the whole area between the time of my second to last and last visits. As a consequence, this monster was lost to memory.

Sarracenia mitchelliana

My second favorite find was this Sarracenia mitchelliana, a cross between a Sarracenia purpurea ssp. venosa var. burkii and a Sarracenia leucophylla. I never did find a leucophylla nearby, so my best guess is that it is the hybrid offspring of that monster S. purp, which was only a few feet away, and some faraway S. leuco. It was such a magnificent specimen that I'm disappointed that it was lost to the bulldozers as well. The entire thing was a vibrant reddish-purple.

Sarracenia purpurea ssp. venosa var. burkii

There were a few other S. purps spread around the pond. Unfortunately, my photographs are too badly damaged to show them clearly, but in this photo and the next one, you can see the plants displaying their characteristic pink flower.

Sarracenia purpurea ssp. venosa var. burkii

Sadly, these are the last photos I have of carnivores in Northwest Florida and Alabama. I am definitely planning a future trip (with a better - and digital - camera), but, for now, I'll have to stick with exploring some locations closer to home.