E SENSED that if we quickened our
pace too much, we might miss something
extraordinary. Huge, glistening webs
flanked our path. Vivid green lynx spi-ders
with fancy spotted black, white and
yellow legs eyed us as we observed their
primeval world. The tangled understory
of vines and shrubs is a haven for a multitude of creatures including, of
course, the exotic Venus flytrap.
It is in this small sanctuary that it lives and thrives. Its very picky habi-tat
and quirky needs — like sandy, nutrient-poor soil that changes from
wet to dry — has confined them to a 75-mile radius around Wilmington,
with fewer than 35,000 now living in the wild.
British naturalist Charles Darwin famously described the Venus flytrap
as “one the most unusual and wonderful plants” he had ever encountered
anywhere in his global travels. He was so entranced by them that he dedi-cated
an entire book to insect-eating plants, which he partially illustrated
himself.
Our own first sighting of these carnivorous bug-eating wonders was a
cluster of tiny, green gems we almost walked right past. They would be
the only Venus flytraps we managed to see all day, as if they had made an
appearance just for us. I learned afterward that they are particularly dif-ficult
to spot in the wild.
Continuing on through the knee-high wiregrass that blankets the vast
open spaces of the savanna, we were greeted by clusters of tall carnivo-rous
pitcher plants. Their tubular leaves, shaped like small trumpets with
distinctive red veins, serve as nectar paths for potential prey, luring them
deeper into a trap.
Along the edges of the savanna were small, bright-yellow, sticky rosettes
called butterworts, which trap insects and then digest them using enzymes
secreted by their leaves. Genius.
By the end of our walk we had sunk knee deep into squelchy mud; been
led astray by flitting Hessel’s hairstreak butterflies; captivated by butter-worts
and bladderworts; mesmerized by bejewelled sundews; and watched
what looked like a choreographed performance by blue darter dragonflies.
Under the longleaf pines I stood quite still, taking in the evocative
image, the pure immensity of it all. I was reminded of author Peter
Wohlleben’s advice in “The Hidden Life of Trees”: “Slow down, breathe
deep and look around.”
I knew little of the magnitude of the ecosystem I was walking through
when I started out. I had gone in search of a childhood plant that had
captured my imagination and was native to this small corner of the world.
What I discovered along the way was an ecological jewel — a fascinating
world filled with creatures that have been around for eons and the deep,
satisfying feeling of a Saturday morning well spent.
Top: Venus flytraps at the Green Swamp Preserve. Bottom, from left to
right: Meadow beauty, yellow butterwort, blue butterwort, pale grass-pink,
water spider orchid, purple pitcher plants.
COLLEEN THOMPSON ALLISON POTTER
32
WBM april 2018
SKIP PUDNEY
W