The Carnivorous Plant FAQ Field Trip Report -

Florida Panhandle, 2008


The Trip:
In early March of 2008, I had a few days of travel in northern Florida. It was not enough time to do the area justice, so I had to do some careful prioritizing and planning.

I developed the following shopping list of plants I hoped to see, none of which I had seen in the wild:
Pinguicula ionantha
Pinguicula primuliflora
Utricularia floridana
Sarracenia rubra subsp. gulfensis.

But, supplanting even those targets, I hoped most of all to find populations of "red" Drosera filiformis. In northern Florida, the common species of threadleaf sundew is a large greenish plant called Drosera tracyi. But the strange "red" plants appear to be disjunct populations of Drosera filiformis, a plant of the Atlantic Coast. The occurrences of these red plants in Florida is a mystery! Are they artificial plantings? Are they satellite populations? Or do they represent a local, unique variant?

I contacted a few Floridians I knew and told them of my intended travels. I was delighted when three were able to take time from their schedules to travel in the field with me. This complicated the travel logistics, but having the extra pairs of experienced eyes and regional expertise increased the chances of finding plants during this non-optimal season.

Start the photo-essay!

 
 

Return to the FAQ

bar

Revised: January 2010
©Barry Rice, 2005