On Saturday, September 1, my wife and I made our annual pilgrimage to Summer Lake in Skagit County and to a muskeg or floating bog on the lake to see the Pitcher Plants and other carnivorous plants that have been naturalized there. I wrote in a previous post that no one seems to know when and how these plants were first put there, but several species have become well established, though it appeared to us that someone had removed them from the north end of the lake.

When we first heard of this place, we were told that there were five non-native species of carnivorous plants to be found. On our first visit we found only four, the Purple, White and Yellow Pitcher Plants and the Venus Fly Traps, We did not find the Cobra Lily and have not found it on any visit since. On this most recent visit, the White Pitcher Plant seems to have disappeared as well, but that is not a surprise since we only ever found a few of them, and fewer every year. That they are not native is probably the reason.

The other two Pitcher Plants we found again all around the east and south sides of the lake, the yellow especially on the south side and the Purple mostly on the east side. The Venus Fly Traps we found only on the southwest side, but they appeared to be better established than ever before. In addition to these three non-natives the Round-leaved Sundew, with its tiny pads of glistening hairs, can also be found growing in abundance, this also especially on the east side.

Both the Purple and Yellow Pitcher Plants were in flower, the first time we had seen the flowers of the Purple, which blooms a bit earlier than the yellow, but we were earlier this year than we usually are and were delighted to see these odd blooms. The Venus Fly Traps were finished flowering, but only just, and we will have to go to see them in flower some other time. The photo shows the Yellow Pitcher Plants (obviously) and the size of the clumps which have established themselves around the lake.

More pictures and information here:
ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2012/09/carnivorous...