The Carnivorous Plant FAQ Field Trip Report -

North and South Carolina low country, 2007

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Arrival:
Early Sunday morning, I drove to a parking lot in Wilmington and waited for Mark. I intended to pass a few minutes reviewing maps, but I had little time to do so because Mark arrived almost immediately. We greeted and exchanged a few pleasantries, discussed the strategy for the day, and then without further delay began our travels--it was to be a long day, and we had little time to dilly-dally.

Our first location was within Wilmington city limits (New Hanover County). Mark referred to it as the Wilmington Nature Trail. It is still unclear to me who owns this, but basically someone had constructed a trail along a sunny seepage in a forested patch of as-yet-undeveloped Wilmington woods. Carnivorous plants were abundant. Unfortunately, the site had been augmented by the addition of non-native species such as Sarracenia leucophylla. As a result, it was impossible to tell what was really native and what was artificial. For example, the site had Sarracenia minor, a very rare plant in North Carolina. If it is native, this would be an important site to preserve, but with the Sarracenia leucophylla present, conservationists are likely to dismiss the Sarracenia minor as also being non-native.

Nice image of the Dionaea feasting, eh? I thought it an appropriate image to start the show. Here is another, showing more of the plant.

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Revised: February 2008
©Barry Rice, 2005