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I first got into carnivorous plants in middle school when my family built a house on some land in south Georgia during the fall of 2004. I recognized pitcher plants (S. minor) growing in the ditch after seeing S. flava during a field trip to a local Carolina bay. I tried to take care of the plant while we cleared the lot, but was bulldozed when I left for a ski trip that winter. Not long after, though, I found pitcher plants on the lot beside ours and a colony across the road. The one on the plot next to ours is still partly intact (more on that later), but in 2005, the colony across the road was threatened by development. I talked to the owner, who wasn't too interested in the plants, but at least he let me dig them up before clearing the land. There was still a wet area on my property where D. capillaris, D. brevifolia, P. caerulea, U. subulata, and U. gibba lived, so I transplanted the minors here where they remain today.

I enjoy managing this small bog, but after a summer growing season, it is difficult to navigate through the tall grasses to see the plants; a real shame since autumn is one of my favorite times to see the bog because of all the wildflowers. To remedy this, I recently built a boardwalk into the bog. Here are a few pics from this week to enjoy!

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I did plant D. tracyii, S. leucophylla, and S flava into the bog, but I cut the flowers off to keep them from breeding with the minors. All my other nonnative carnivores are grown in another bog garden elsewhere. This sundew is particularly stunning in the morning next to swamp sunflower blooms.

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A view from the boardwalk towards the rest of the neighborhood:

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Can you spot the S. minor clumps?

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U gibba in the ditch:

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Still, I can't wait 'till spring. Here's what it looked like last spring:

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Not bad at all! It's a shame the colony was destroyed, and unfortunately is becoming more and more common.
 
Yeah, I still wish I could go back in time to save the plants, but looking back, it was that first hand look at habitat destruction that got me interested in conservation, and what motivates me protect what's left. Still, the rate of habitat destruction is alarming.
 
Have you thought about interning at Meadowview? I think you'd be a good candidate. The habitat destruction in VA is even worse. What really concerns me about habitat desctruction is how most people don't even think twice about it.
 
Thanks! I've seen Meadowview's program and that is something I've considered doing. But for now, I'm just focusing on finishing college. You raise a good point. Many people think we should "improve" land by development. I've seen some ecologically important land cleared over and planted with rye to help feed the wildlife. Or wetlands drained so they can be planted with pitch pine plantations.
 
You could do the summer program for college credit. I'm sure your skill building the boardwalk would be appreciated and useful.
It's not always for land development either. Sometimes it's poisoned out of carelessness. Pitcher plant bogs cannot be improved, they're already perfect.
 
Well, I finally got around to clearing out some of the bushy overgrowth, mainly bayberry seedlings. They grow quickly, so I have to pull them up every year to keep the area clear for the Sarracenias, Droseras, and Utrics. The bog looks much better now, so here are a few pics:

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Drosera capillaris, sorry about the bad lighting
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Sarracenia minor
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Drosera brevifolia
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  • #10
Thanks to both of you! The wild ones are always the best looking to me!
 
  • #11
All very cool. Not only a very nice conservation effort but just a nice place to grow some cps.
 
  • #12
nice indeed....the plants seem to look pretty vibrant in their element.
 
  • #13
Thanks to both of you! The wild ones are always the best looking to me!

That's because they're not confined to pots and get perfect conditions year round. EVerything is looking really good. Keep up the work.
 
  • #14
Lookin good and that boardwalk is sweet! Sarrs out in their environment look soo cool! How long did it take you to do?
 
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